Gaia (formerly Socially Recruited) was experiencing continued month-on-month growth. As more new clients were secured and upsells for our new products picked up, the demand for our Creative Studio services surged. This put our Marketing Team’s Creative Studio at the centre of a whirlwind of activity. Faced with the urgent need to expand our creative productivity and capabilities, we turned to our own innovative solution, GaiaPages, to quickly attract and onboard a top-tier Creative Designer.
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The brief was clear: recruit a highly skilled Creative Designer for our bustling Marketing Team and do it fast. Quality was paramount; we needed someone not just with the right skills but with the versatility and creative flair to match our dynamic team. This was also a prime opportunity to put our newly launched GaiaPages to the test in a real-world scenario, demonstrating its efficacy not just to potential clients but to ourselves.
Understanding the importance of locality for work-life balance, we launched geo-targeted campaigns focused on candidates living within commuting distance to our London Paddington offices. This strategy significantly enhanced the relevance and effectiveness of our ads, ensuring the opportunities at Gaia (formerly Socially Recruited) were visible and attractive to the ideal audience where location suited where they lived.
Using advanced machine learning algorithms, our GaiaPages technology dynamically adjusted the campaigns to target individuals whose online behaviours and profiles matched the specific creative skills we required. This precise targeting was performed on the social media networks most used by these candidates, making it easy and convenient for these potentially passive talents to discover our opportunities.
Our retargeting strategy employed a sophisticated tracking system that ‘followed’ potential candidates across multiple platforms. Similar to tactics used in the eCommerce sector, if an individual engaged with an ad but didn’t complete an application, the ad would reappear in their subsequent online activities to rekindle their interest and encourage completion.
We crafted campaigns that were laser-focused on the specific qualities and skills we sought in candidates. This was not just about finding a designer; it was about finding a designer who could thrive in the high-energy, fast-paced and collaborative environment of our Creative Studio.
We showcased a video tour of our office, highlighting the vibrant work environment, our team inaction, and the palpable buzz of creativity that fills the air. This not only conveyed the atmosphere of the studio but also demonstrated the lifestyle and values of our team.
Using key platforms like Meta, LinkedIn, and TikTok, we targeted both active job seekers and passive candidates who might not be looking but could be tempted by the right opportunity. The content was designed to resonate specifically with creative professionals, showcasing the benefits and opportunities unique to Gaia (formerly Socially Recruited).
Just five weeks after the launch of the campaign, we were delighted to welcome the successful candidate into our office for her first day. This would not have been possible using traditional methods.
137 applications were received within the first two weeks alone! Such was the quality of the applications, we included an extra step in the interview process for the initial long-list of relevant applicants – a recorded video introduction talking about their talents, why they applied for this role, and what the application process (via GaiaPages) was like.
An extraordinary 9.66% of people who saw the advert applied immediately – more than double the typical industry conversion rate of around 4%. This showed the immense potential of GaiaPages to not just attract the right calibre of applicants but encourage them to apply (in under 60 seconds).
Our exceptional results lie in the strategic application of GaiaPages, which simplifies the application process to a near-instantaneous action, just like an online purchase. This ease of application, combined with targeted, compelling content delivered directly to suitable candidates via their preferred social media channels, not only increased engagement but also dramatically improved conversion rates.
The use of AI to optimise and fine-tune ad delivery based on user behaviour and preferences meant that our adverts were not just seen but seen by the right eyes. Our multi-channel retargeting strategy ensured that interested candidates were reminded of the opportunity, nudging those who hesitated at first to take the leap.
This internal case study not only filled a critical role with a highly skilled individual, it also served as a robust validation of our GaiaPages product. By using our own tools, we demonstrated their effectiveness firsthand, setting a benchmark for future recruitment and underscoring our commitment to innovation and quality. The Creative Studio is now better equipped than ever, ready to meet the challenges of a thriving business head-on.
"Bringing on board a talented Creative Designer through GaiaPages was not only a test of our own system’s efficiency but a critical move to bolster our Marketing team’s creative capacity. The precision targeting and super-easy application process allowed us to attract and secure high-calibre talent quickly, said Dan Purvis, Marketing Director at Gaia. "From ad to hire in 5 weeks for such hard-to-find talent was exceptional. This is testament to our commitment to innovate and streamline the hiring process, not just for ourselves but for all our clients and the candidates."
Note: This ad and hire was before our rebrand to Gaia, when we were Socially Recruited.