So You’re the First Recruitment Marketer in an Agency

Everyone wants something from you…yesterday.

The consultants want candidates. The MD wants leads. The ops team wants brochures.
And you? You’re trying to turn busywork into measurable results.

Being the first marketer in a recruitment agency can feel chaotic; no systems, no strategy, and no one quite sure what you do. Truth is, every successful recruitment marketing function started like this. Messy, reactive, and full of learning curves.

At this year’s RecConnect Leadership Summit, SourceFlow’s Global Head of Marketing, Will Astbury, shared a framework on how to switch on your marketing and use it as your lead machine.

Here are some practical takeaways every first-time recruitment marketer can use to build credibility and deliver results.

1. Focus on Quick Wins

When you’re juggling twelve things a day, it’s easy to spread yourself thin across social posts, newsletters, and job ads. Start with campaigns that feed the pipeline, not just fill the calendar.

Salary Reports
If your agency tracks placement data or salary trends, you already have the makings of a report. Done properly, one salary guide can run for six months and generate hundreds of downloads; each one a warm lead when segmented and followed up.

Download our Salary Report Lead Magnet Playbook here.

Events
Partner with consultants to host small, useful sessions: breakfast roundtables, LinkedIn Lives, or webinars. You don’t need huge budgets; 30–50 attendees is enough to prove impact and spark future business.

Content-to-CRM
Make sure every blog, form, or download routes straight into your ATS or CRM. Test it weekly. If it isn’t tracked, it didn’t happen.

Pick one KPI for the next four weeks: the number of tracked contacts added to your CRM from campaigns.

Explore more frameworks and ideas on the SourceFlow Resources Hub.

2. Build Consultant Trust

Your biggest challenge isn’t creativity. It’s credibility. Consultants are protective of their desks and sceptical of “marketing leads.” Earn their trust by making them the heroes of your work.

Sit in on client calls and turn their insights into posts or event topics.
Feature consultants in your content; their expertise gives instant authority.
Share every small win: inbound enquiry, event sign-up, salary-guide download.
Send short weekly updates linking your marketing activity to their pipeline.

Trust grows through proof, not explanation. Once they see your work turning into client conversations, they’ll champion it.

Will Astbury speaking at RecConnect about recruitment marketing for consultants.

3. Play the Long Game in Recruitment Marketing

Quick wins matter, but lasting impact comes from consistency.

SEO and brand building take time — months, not days. If weekly publishing feels too much at first, aim for two strong posts a month and build from there. Over time, you’ll see compound growth in web traffic and inbound leads.

As Will put it: “Marketing success in recruitment is measured in momentum, not miracles.”

4. Stay Consistent

Structure beats stress, so create weekly rhythms:

Monday – review CRM data and performance.
Midweek – publish or promote key content.
Friday – share what worked (and what didn’t).

Learn your tech stack well enough to self-serve, but ask for help early.

Resilience isn’t doing everything alone; it’s knowing where to find support. And when the chaos hits, remember: every junior and senior recruitment marketer started exactly where you are.