Attracting and engaging the right talent takes more than a one-channel approach; data proves it. In 2024, Symphony Talent clients leveraged over 500 paid media channels to support their recruitment advertising strategies. While that breadth can feel overwhelming, understanding how each channel maps to your talent acquisition funnel can simplify decision-making and amplify impact.

In our recent webinar, media experts discussed cutting through the noise and building an efficient omnichannel strategy. Watch it on-demand below and discover what’s possible with a data-driven, full-funnel, omnichannel media strategy. 

Omnichannel recruitment advertising and the talent acquisition funnel

While a full-funnel talent strategy spans from attraction to hire, advertising often delivers the most value in the top half of that journey. That’s why effective omnichannel strategies focus on aligning content and channels to the first three stages of the funnel — where awareness, interest, and action are shaped Here’s how we break it down:

1. Attraction: The goal here is awareness — introducing your employer brand to passive talent who may not be actively job hunting. Content should be storytelling-led and culture-forward. Think display ads, video, social media, connected TV, and digital out-of-home channels that drive visibility and curiosity.

2. Interest: Now you’re speaking to active job seekers. These individuals may know your brand but need a reason to consider you as their next employer. Focus your messaging on career opportunities, employee experiences, and growth potential. Formats like programmatic job ads, PPC campaigns, and employer-branded content work well here.

3. Application: At this stage, you're engaging candidates who are ready to take action. Tactics like remarketing, job-specific ads, and personalized CTAs help drive conversions. Channels can mirror earlier stages, but targeting and messaging must be precise.

Pro tip: Omnichannel ≠ Every channel

Many of the same media channels, job boards, Google, social, display, and video, can support every funnel stage. The key is how you target and tailor content for each phase.

Data drives decisions 

Whether sitting on years of campaign data or just getting started, every omnichannel recruitment advertising strategy should be guided by performance. 

For organizations with robust historical data, begin with what matters most: hires. Work backward to evaluate which media channels are driving results. From there, analyze click-to-apply and apply-to-hire ratios to understand where your most qualified candidates are coming from — and where to shift spend for maximum impact.

If you’re early in your data journey, take a pilot-and-pivot approach. Test a few channels, monitor engagement metrics like click-through rate and interaction, and reallocate budget to the highest performers. Even limited data can reveal powerful insights when approached with curiosity and flexibility.

As your campaigns scale, automation becomes essential. With the right tools, you can automate budget distribution based on performance metrics, so you’re continually investing in the channels that deliver. That means no more “whack-a-mole” recruitment. Instead, your strategy becomes proactive, prescriptive, and aligned with your business goals.

Symphony Talent clients have seen up to an 80% increase in recruitment efficiency and a threefold reduction in costs with data-driven, automated strategies.

Takeaway: Invest across the funnel

The strongest recruitment advertising strategies don’t just aim for quick wins; they build awareness, nurture interest, and convert at scale. Whether working with a modest budget or managing complex national hiring needs, layering media thoughtfully and aligning content to funnel stages is the most effective way to make your investment work harder.

Want help building a smarter omnichannel recruitment media strategy? Let’s talk.