Video puts job advert in the frame

21st March 2017

It's long been said that a picture paints a thousand words - now marketeers reckon a video is worth 1.

8 million of them. No longer is the internet video simply a humorous cute cat clip or a news clip from a bystander caught up in a current event. It's the latest power tool for businesses promoting their services and products. A highly effective one too - research shows that companies which incorporate their own mini film clips into their overall marketing strategy see higher engagement rates, higher click-through rates and higher conversion rates. One Sheffield firm has got creative with video as a recruitment drive. Steel City Marketing, a branded merchandising specialist for almost 37 years, created a quirky, Love Actually-style clip using sign boards and the stop-motion video method as a way of finding the right maternity cover for a key member of staff Said MD James Biggin: -Our marketing executive Jenni Burton is expecting twins and is due to go on maternity leave. She is a highly valued member of staff - we need to find the right person to step into her shoes. -Our business is all about helping companies grow with creative branded merchandising solutions. We approach our own marketing in the same way, and are always on the lookout for the very latest marketing tools. Jenni herself came up with the video idea. -It's a fresh approach to recruiting and we feel it gets the personality and culture of our business across in a really swift and simple way. -Even though no one speaks, the business comes across as inventive, friendly and with a sense of humour. We hope it will attract candidates who think on the same page as us. Added James, who took over the business from his father in 2007: -We champion promotional products as a key part of a marketing plan, but appreciate that video marketing is now a necessity to add to the mix. There's compelling evidence suggesting online video marketing is a powerful way to tell the story of your brand, get across the company ethos and build relationships and we are currently having a number of videos made for us by a Sheffield company. -Experts say companies who fail to include the medium in their strategic marketing plans will be left flailing in the digital dust. The Steel City team, who are based at the Don Press Works on New Street in the Cathedral Quarter, wrote their script on cards in handwriting-style on Illustrator, took a series of photos and strung them together with a soundtrack. Says first-time Jenni, whose twins are due in June: -Most people remember the sign board scene at the end of Love Actually, when a guy is professing his love for his best friend's wife. But it was actually seen as early as 1965, when music icon Bob Dylan wrote his lyrics on signs in a music video for Subterranean Homesick Blues. Jenni is well practised in the technique: she first made a stop-motion video as her wedding invitation back in 2015. Steel City have received around 20 applicants since posting their job video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z192LMpDeT0&t=2s on YouTube and the company's LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook sites. The part-time post is for a year of maternity cover, with the potential to job-share on Jenni's return. Applicants need to have three years of marketing experience. Watch Steel City's video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z192LMpDeT0&t=2s