Today we kicked the radio portion of the AMA's Marketing and Sales Alignment Forum. So we took on the prennial discussion of marketing and sales – a topic that just seems to get hotter and hotter. The Marketing and Sales Alignment Forum is a consortium of companies, in partnership with the AMA that are focused on bridging the gap between marketing and sales to create greater overall corporate effectiveness.

In today’s show, I was joined Dave Fitzgerald, executive vice president of marketing, sales and services for Brainshark, one of the sponsors of the marketing & sales alignment forum…and a recognized thought leader on the issue. Brainshark creates online tools for communicating in rich media your marketing and sales messages.

In the era of YouTube, Tivo and on demand videos, it's no surprise that people are consuming rich media every day at significant rates -- but in a manner that fits their schedules and time constraints. One key suggestion of today's show is that we need to move some of our communications to prospects or customers into this medium, allowing them to view it when they want. The key benefit to you as a marketer -- message retention and message alignment.

First, 65% of messages delivered in a rich media format (audio and visual) are retained a week after delivery, compared to only 10% of messages delivered orally, and 20% of messages delivered in a format people can read.

Second, when you package your messages into a rich media format that sales people can send out as needed, there is no interpretation of that content, it stands on its own and the consistentcy of the information allows you to do a better job of testing and measuring message effectiveness.

I know I am preaching to the choir here, but what astounds me is how little we as marketers are actually doing to make a significant impact in this area. It just can't be that marketing and sales will never get along, that we're so different from one another. We must find a way to permanently bridge the gap between what we want to say, and what customers want to hear -- and just give it to them. Territory battles of who is right have no place in 21st century consumer communications.

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There is no shortage of jobs out there…in fact, It is estimated that there are more than 40,000 job boards currently in operation. So, if you happen to be looking to hire someone, then today’s show is all about the things you need to pay attention to. You see, getting the right talent in your shop involves a lot more than just posting an ad on Monster and hoping for the best. Today’s top talent are also top consumers and they’re shopping around to see if you’re worthy of their attention.

With me today to talk job recruitment and how to effectively find top talent is Peter Weddle. A few weeks ago Peter joined me to talk about how to find a job on the Net. Today, we’re hitting it from the perspective of the recruiter – an area that is Peter’s specialty. He is nationally recognized as the go-to guy for recruiting advice and writes a bi-weekly newsletter that is distributed worldwide. He’s also published an array of career books, guides and directories.

It was good to have Peter on the show again. He is a wealth of knowledge and practical advice. To set the stage, I had Peter remind us all again just how important the Web has become in online recruiting. According to research, one half of all employers are filling one quarter of their jobs from teh Web. To put this in perspective, ten years ago the number was zero. Today, the Web is the single largest source of talent recruitment for employers.

So, what should recruiters be doing to get top talent? Here are some interesting highlights from the show, but you have to listen to get all of them.

Use the 7:1 Method
Use seven Web sites for every one job. Two general purpose sites (think Monster), three niche sites (one for career, one for industry, one for location), and two diversity sites.

Vett Sites for Quality
Use Weddles Guide as a resource to find good job boards to advertise on. Look for the IAEWS logo (they're the trade or for quality job boards). Peter suggested some criteria to look for as well.

Break Habits
Currently, nearly half of every dollar spent in online recruiting goes to the three biggest sites (again, think Monster). Break out of this and be better recruiters -- go find people.

Write Better Postings
Make sure you have a good title in the online ad -- it doesn't always have to be the position title. Organize your content in headlines and bullets, and treat the first five lines as the most important. Remember, you're recruiting, selling, persuading top talent...have your marketing copywriter write the job ad for you!

And the list could go on.... Basically, listen to the show. It doesn't matter if you're an HR person or a marketer needing to fill a position in your department, Peter's advice is rock solid. Just keep in mind that the research has show that top talent is looking for a career opportunity, not another job.

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