You’re spending thousands on recruitment agencies. They promise you the perfect candidate. Six weeks later, you’re still interviewing people who don’t get it.
Sound familiar?
Here’s what nobody tells you about hiring: you don’t have a talent problem. You have a marketing problem.
Last month, I helped my brother find the exact person he needed for his music school. Total ad spend? $600. Time to find them? Two weeks. Recruiter fees? Zero.
This isn’t about getting lucky. It’s about treating hiring the same way you treat lead generation, with a proper marketing funnel that filters for quality before you waste time on interviews.
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Key Takeaways
- Traditional recruitment is expensive and inefficient because it relies on passive job boards and generic listings that attract the wrong people
- Marketing funnels for hiring use the same principles as customer acquisition: targeted messaging, qualification, and self-selection
- A well-designed hiring funnel can cost as little as $600 in ad spend versus $10K-$30K for recruiters
- The system works by using video ads to target specific personas, landing pages that educate and filter, and application forms that qualify candidates before interviews
- When you buy growth through marketing, hiring becomes your biggest constraint. This system solves that bottleneck
- The right person will self-select into your funnel when your messaging is clear and specific enough
The Real Problem with Traditional Hiring
Most business owners approach hiring the same way they did ten years ago. Post a job on Seek. Wait for applications. Sift through hundreds of resumes that all look the same. Schedule interviews with people who seemed great on paper but clearly didn’t read the job description.
It’s exhausting. More importantly, it’s expensive.
Recruiters know this. That’s why they charge $10K to $30K per placement. They’re solving your pain, but they’re doing it the hard way, manually screening candidates, conducting interviews, and essentially acting as a human filter.
But here’s what changed: the same marketing tools that help you generate leads can help you find the right people. You just need to think differently about the problem.
Why Job Boards Fail
Job boards are the equivalent of cold calling. You’re putting out a generic message and hoping someone qualified sees it. The problem is threefold:
First, you attract volume over quality. When you post a standard job listing, you get everyone. The desperate. The curious. The chronically unemployed. You’re sorting through noise to find signal.
Second, you’re competing with every other business in your industry. Your listing looks like everyone else’s. “Seeking motivated team player with excellent communication skills.” Boring. Vague. Forgettable.
Third, the best candidates aren’t actively looking. They’re employed. They’re content. They’re not scrolling Seek on a Tuesday afternoon. If you want them, you need to interrupt them with something that makes them reconsider.
Traditional hiring is a volume game. You need a quality game.
The Shift: Marketing Funnels for Hiring
Here’s the insight that changes everything: hiring is just another conversion funnel.
Think about how you acquire customers. You don’t post a generic ad saying “we sell stuff” and hope the right people show up. You identify your ideal customer. You craft messaging that speaks directly to them. You create a funnel that educates, qualifies, and converts.
Why would hiring be any different?
When my brother needed to hire for his music school, he had a specific problem. He needed someone who understood his teaching philosophy. Someone who could connect with kids. Someone who’d show up consistently and actually care about the outcome.
Not just someone with a music degree.
The challenge was finding that person without wasting weeks on interviews with people who looked good on paper but weren’t the right fit. That’s when I suggested we treat it like a marketing campaign.
How We Did It: The $600 Solution
I’ll walk you through exactly what we built, because this isn’t theory. This actually worked.
Step One: We Created a Video Ad
Not a job posting. A video ad that spoke directly to the type of person my brother wanted to hire. We targeted it to people in Melbourne who had an interest in music education, teaching, or working with kids.
The ad wasn’t fancy. It was honest. “We’re looking for someone who loves teaching music to kids and wants to be part of something meaningful.” It called out the specific mindset we were looking for.
This immediately filtered out people who were just looking for any job. If you’re not interested in teaching kids or don’t care about meaningful work, you’re not clicking that ad. First filter applied.
Step Two: We Built a Landing Page
The ad led to a landing page. Not a job description. A landing page.
At the top was a 10-minute Loom video from my brother. He walked through what the role actually entailed. What a typical day looked like. What his teaching philosophy was. What kind of person would thrive in this environment?
This is critical. By the time someone finished that video, they knew if this was for them or not. If they hated the sound of it, they left. Second filter applied.
Below the video, we had a short section on what we were looking for. Not a laundry list of requirements, but the real stuff that mattered. Can you show up consistently? Do you care about student outcomes? Are you willing to learn our system?
Step Three: We Built a Custom Application Form
This is where most businesses screw up. They ask for a resume and cover letter. That tells you almost nothing about whether someone’s the right fit.
We asked questions that actually mattered:
- Why do you want to teach music to kids?
- Tell us about a time you helped someone learn something difficult.
- What does consistency mean to you in a work context?
- If a student isn’t progressing, what would you do?
These questions forced people to think. If you’re just applying to 50 jobs a day, you’re not filling out this form. Third filter applied.
We also included a question that disqualified people immediately: “Are you available to work weekends?” If the answer was no, they couldn’t proceed. Why waste time interviewing someone who can’t meet a basic requirement?
Step Four: We Let the System Run
Total ad spend: $600. Run time: two weeks.
We got 23 applications. But here’s the difference, every single one had watched the video. Every single one had answered the questions thoughtfully. We weren’t sorting through 200 generic resumes.
My brother interviewed five people. The first one was great. The second one was perfect. That’s who he hired.
This morning I got a text from him: “Hey bro, that candidate you got us turned out to be exactly the person I’m looking for.”
Why This Works Better Than Recruiters
Recruiters are expensive because they’re doing manual work. They’re screening. They’re interviewing. They’re acting as a middleman between you and candidates.
A hiring funnel automates that screening. It does the filtering before anyone talks to you. By the time someone applies, they’ve already qualified themselves.
Let me break down the cost comparison:
Traditional Recruiter:
- Fees: $10K to $30K per placement
- Time: 4-8 weeks on average
- Quality: Hit or miss, depends on recruiter’s understanding of your business
- Control: Limited, you’re relying on their network and process
Hiring Funnel:
- Cost: $500-$1000 in ad spend
- Time: 2-3 weeks
- Quality: High, because candidates self-select based on your actual requirements
- Control: Complete, you control the messaging, the filtering, and the process
The other advantage is repeatability. Once you build this system, you can use it again. Need another hire in six months? Turn the ads back on. You’re not starting from scratch each time.
The Bigger Picture: Buying Growth Creates Hiring Needs
Here’s why this matters beyond just saving money on recruiters.
When you start buying your growth, running ads, building funnels, generating leads consistently, your biggest constraint becomes fulfilment. You need more salespeople. More delivery staff. More support.
Most businesses hit this wall hard. They’re generating leads faster than they can service them. They need to hire quickly. But traditional hiring is too slow.
This is where businesses make expensive mistakes. They hire the first person who seems decent. They compromise on quality because they’re desperate. Six months later, they’re firing that person and starting over.
A hiring funnel solves this bottleneck. When you can consistently generate qualified applicants, you can scale without the panic hiring that kills businesses.
I’m passionate about helping businesses buy their growth. But growth without systems creates chaos. If you can generate leads but can’t hire fast enough to service them, you’re just creating a new problem.
This system bridges that gap.
How to Build Your Own Hiring Funnel
You don’t need to be a marketing expert to make this work. You just need to think like one. Here’s the step-by-step breakdown:
Define Your Ideal Hire (Not Just Skills)
Before you write anything, get clear on who you’re looking for. Not just skills and experience, mindset, values, work style.
Ask yourself: If I could only hire one type of person for this role, what would they be like? What would frustrate them about other jobs? What would excite them about this one?
Write this down. This becomes your targeting and messaging foundation.
Create Your Video Ad
Record a short video (30-60 seconds) that speaks directly to that person. You don’t need fancy equipment. Phone camera works fine.
Talk about what makes this role different. What kind of person thrives here. What you’re building and why it matters. Call out the specific mindset you’re looking for.
Examples of good hooks:
- “Most music teachers hate standardised curriculums. If you’re one of them, keep watching.”
- “Tired of retail jobs where nobody cares about customer experience? We’re different.”
- “Looking for salespeople who actually want to help clients instead of hitting quotas.”
Run this as a Facebook or Instagram ad. Target based on location, interests, and demographics that match your ideal hire.
Build Your Landing Page
Keep it simple. You need three components:
A longer video from you (or the hiring manager) explaining the role in detail. Walk through a day in the life. Explain your philosophy. Show the workspace. Make it real.
A clear overview of what you’re looking for. Not a job description, just the real requirements that matter. Keep it conversational.
An application form below. Make it easy to find but don’t make it the first thing they see.
Design Your Application Form
This is where you filter. Ask questions that can’t be answered generically:
- Open-ended questions that require thought
- Scenario-based questions that reveal how they think
- Values-based questions that show alignment
- Disqualifying questions that save everyone time
Example disqualifying question: “This role requires weekend availability. Are you able to work Saturdays?” If no, end the form.
Skip the resume upload unless you actually need it. Most roles don’t require it upfront. You can request it later if needed.
Set Your Budget and Let It Run
Start with $500-$1000 for a 2-3 week campaign. That’s usually enough to generate 15-30 qualified applications.
Monitor the results. Look at your cost per application. If it’s too high, adjust your targeting or creative. If application quality is low, revisit your questions or video.
Don’t turn it off early just because you’re nervous. Give it time to collect data.
Interview Only Qualified Candidates
By the time someone applies, they should already be pre-qualified. You’re interviewing to confirm fit, not to discover basic information.
Keep first-round interviews short. 20-30 minutes max. You’re just validating what you already learned from their application.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
I’ve now helped several businesses build hiring funnels. Here are the mistakes I see repeatedly:
Making Your Video Too Professional
Your video doesn’t need to be polished. It needs to be authentic. People can tell when you’re reading a script or trying to sound corporate. Just talk like you would to a friend explaining why you love your business.
Asking for Resumes Too Early
Resumes tell you where someone worked. They don’t tell you if someone’s the right fit. Ask questions that reveal thinking and values first. Get the resume later if you need it.
Not Disqualifying Early Enough
If someone doesn’t meet a basic requirement (location, availability, skills), disqualify them in the form itself. Don’t let them apply just to reject them later. It wastes everyone’s time.
Running Ads for Too Short a Period
Two to three weeks is the sweet spot. One week isn’t enough data. Four weeks is usually overkill unless you’re hiring for something very specialised.
Targeting Too Broadly
The tighter your targeting, the better your results. Don’t try to reach everyone in your city. Target based on interests, job titles, education, and demographics that match your ideal hire.
When This System Doesn’t Work
I want to be honest about limitations. This system isn’t perfect for every situation.
If you’re hiring for highly specialised roles (niche engineering, medical specialists, C-level executives), traditional recruitment might still be your best bet. The targeting gets difficult when the pool is tiny.
If you’re in a small town with limited digital reach, job boards might still be more effective. You need enough local audience to make ads worthwhile.
If you don’t have clarity on what you’re actually looking for, this won’t help. The system only works when you know exactly who your ideal hire is. If you’re still figuring that out, do that work first.
But for most businesses hiring for most roles? This crushes traditional methods.
The Real Benefit: Speed and Quality
The biggest win isn’t just saving money on recruiter fees. It’s the speed and quality of hires.
When you control the funnel, you control the timeline. You’re not waiting for a recruiter to source candidates. You’re not hoping someone sees your job posting. You’re actively putting your message in front of the right people.
And because you’re filtering from the start, everyone who applies is already halfway qualified. You’re not conducting interviews with people who fundamentally don’t fit.
This means you can hire faster. And when you’re buying growth through marketing, speed matters. You can’t afford to wait eight weeks for a recruiter to find someone while your leads pile up.
Making This a System
Once you’ve done this once, turn it into a repeatable system. Document what worked. Save your ad creative. Keep your landing page as a template. Store your best application questions.
The next time you need to hire, you’re not starting from scratch. You’re tweaking and relaunching. This means you can scale your team as fast as you can scale your marketing.
That’s the real unlock. Most businesses can’t grow because they can’t hire fast enough. When you remove that bottleneck, growth becomes easier.
Final Thoughts
Am I going to offer this as a service? Not on the front end.
But it’s proof that marketing systems don’t just sell products or generate leads. They attract the right people to the right message. Whether that’s customers or employees doesn’t really matter, the principles are the same.
If you’re serious about buying your growth, you need to get serious about building systems around that growth. Marketing gets you leads. Systems get you fulfilment. This hiring funnel is part of that equation.
The businesses that figure this out first will have an unfair advantage. While competitors are waiting weeks for recruiters to find candidates, they’ll be hiring in days. While others are interviewing dozens of unqualified people, they’ll be talking to five perfect fits.
You don’t need to spend $30K on a recruiter. You need to spend $600 on ads and build a proper funnel.
Want help building a system like this for your business? Let’s talk. Book a strategy call and I’ll walk you through exactly how to set this up for your specific situation.
