How to use location-based advertising for recruitment

We’ve all been there - posted a job online and got applications from people 200 miles away… You’re not alone, and you’ll be pleased to know that there’s a definite shift towards more location based hiring. By that, we mean, using location based advertising for recruitment. Tell me more, we hear you say…  well, by understanding where potential candidates spend their time, it becomes much easier to reach them in a way that feels relevant to them. 

The rise of hyper-local recruitment marketing

Recruitment marketing has gone through a bit of a loop. We started with posters in local shop windows, moved to national job boards, and now we’re coming full circle, realising that we need to advertise our roles in the places that our prospective candidates hang out. We know that our ideal candidates might not be scrolling job boards or signing up for email alerts. The chances are they’re not actively looking, but they’re likely to be tempted by the right employer brand. So, by putting our brand in front of them, wherever they are (both online and in the real word), we stand a much higher chance of engaging them. 

So, how do we find where our new top talent is hanging out? 

Enter location-based advertising for recruitment. It’s fast becoming the most efficient way to advertise jobs in specific locations. It combines geography with digital media, helping you place job ads directly in front of people who live or work near your hiring location. Instead of waiting for someone to search for your vacancy, your job ad finds them where they already are.

How location based hiring works

1. Pick the spots where good candidates are likely to be. These might be competitor sites, colleges, retail parks, transport hubs, certain postcodes, etc.
   
   
2. A digital “fence” is placed around that area (known as a ‘geofence’)
   
   
3. When people within that space browse apps or visit websites, your job ad appears
4. Complement this with digital out of home advertising on billboards around their local area. You can target specific train stations, shopping centres and even their local gyms. 

This is one of the best ways to advertise jobs near specific locations, especially when time and budget matter.

Practical tips for recruiters

1. Decide where to target

Think about the daily realities of the role. For logistics roles, a tight radius around depots and industrial estates works well. For office or retail roles, you might target town centres, commuter routes, or shopping districts. And, don’t forget to target your competitors’ sites too! Smaller, well-chosen areas tend to deliver better results than wide blanket targeting.

2. Write ads that feel genuinely local

Candidates respond to relevance, be specific and local, like this: 

• “Customer service roles available in Leeds city centre”
  
  
• “Join our warehouse team near Junction 28”

Details help people quickly identify whether the job fits their lifestyle.

3. Let the data guide your budget

One of the smartest and most cost-effective approaches is to start small. Test different areas, assess which ones deliver the strongest engagement, then increase spend where you see results. Because you’re focusing on defined locations, your recruitment advertising budget stretches further than broad, one-size-fits-all campaigns.

Smarter, local hiring

The move toward local is a shift to understanding how people actually live and work. Candidates get to see opportunities that make practical sense for them. As a recruiter, you’ll spend less time filtering out unsuitable applications. And organisations benefit from stronger, more stable hires.

So the next time you’re planning a campaign, try looking at the map as well as the job description. The talent you need might already be nearby!

If you’d like help exploring which locations might work best for your roles, we’re always happy to share ideas.

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