“People Follow People. Not Brands.” Mike Bowyer on Candidate Trust, Tech Hype & Getting the Basics Right

Healthcare recruitment is a tough market. Budgets are tight, and candidates face lengthy processes. But as Mike Bowyer puts it: if you don’t get the basics right, the rest doesn’t matter. 

We sat down with the Group Head of Digital and Creative Marketing at ICG Medical to discuss why clear communication beats flashy tech, how to build real candidate trust, and why attitude will always matter more than a degree.

You were featured in the Attract 50 for your standout approach to online candidate attraction. What do you think sets your strategy apart?

In healthcare recruitment, I think a lot of websites miss the basics.

For example, consistently publishing valuable content. There’s often too much emphasis on SEO for the sake of keywords, without considering whether the content is actually useful to the end user. High search volume doesn’t always mean people will engage.

We focus on creating content that’s genuinely helpful for our audience. If you don’t start with that, the rest doesn’t really matter.

How do you collaborate with your talent or recruitment team day to day? What’s helped make that partnership click?

We all know marketing works best when you’re close to sales, and I’ve found that sitting out on the shop floor (rather than in my office) really helps. It makes conversations more natural, and people come to me with ideas.

It’s also about quick wins… showing recruiters that if they do this, it can lead to that. I try to equip them with toolkits and resources they can actually use, and attribute ideas back to them when we publish content.

We’ve also had a bit of fun with it. I run monthly incentives – like a giant printed Monopoly board where each property is named after someone in the office. It cost £20 to make and got a lot of buy-in. Worth every penny.

What does a “great candidate experience” look like in practice to you?

One of the biggest frustrations for candidates is not knowing what’s next. So for us, it starts with managing expectations from the moment someone registers or begins the compliance process – which, in healthcare, can be lengthy.

We send email alerts and clearly outline each step on the confirmation page: what happens next, expected timeframes, and what documents they’ll need.

A lot of agencies shy away from that level of detail, worried it’ll scare people off. But we’ve found the opposite; being upfront builds trust. If someone’s worked with agencies before, they get it. And for new starters, that transparency helps them prepare.

We’re also honest if we don’t have a role for them – we’ll let them know and keep them on file. It’s all about respecting people's time and being clear from the start.

Is there anything you think more staffing firms should be doing when it comes to candidate attraction, but aren’t right now?

A lot of staffing firms get too distracted by the latest tech. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a digital marketer – I love tech, and tools like ChatGPT have been game-changers. But people overlook the basics.

You still need a well-structured website, indexed properly, with search console set up and valuable content for your users. You need strong UX. Too many jump to live chats and chatbots without a plan. If you can’t staff them properly, don’t use them.

Since moving to ICG Medical, which recently acquired Celsus Group, I’ve seen how fast the market moves – and how easy it is to skip over fundamentals like conversion tracking and source tracking. But without that, you can’t measure what’s working.

Finally, I think we place too much weight on user volume. Managers often chase high traffic, but the real key metric is quality conversions. I’d take fewer users with better conversion rates any day.

If someone was building out an employer brand from the ground up, what would you tell them to prioritise first?

Get your branding right from the start. That includes investing time in digital guidelines and setting a strong foundation. It's much harder to go back and fix those fundamentals later.

Choose a good domain (shorter is better) and pick the right platform. It doesn’t have to be your forever solution, but it should be scalable. Think MVP: start small and build up. I always reference that old visual where instead of building a car in five painful steps, you start with a skateboard, then a bike, and go from there. It’s old school but it hits the nail on the head. 

Manage expectations early on and don’t skip the basics – it’s what everything else is built on.

Have you noticed any shifts in candidate behaviour in healthcare – and have you had to adapt your own approach as a result?

Healthcare recruitment is really tough right now. NHS funding isn’t where it should be, and that has a knock-on effect. GP surgeries and primary care networks want to hire, but they don’t have the budget. So we’ve had to adapt.

Rather than traditional staffing, there’s been more interest in alternative models – like online or telephone triage – and even broader consultancy around improving workflows and patient safety. It’s less about just filling jobs and more about offering value across the board.

From a marketing standpoint, email’s effectiveness has really dropped off. Inboxes are saturated. You’ve got to be direct and clear… say what it is and why it matters. We’ve started using platforms like Sense, which is essentially WhatsApp for business, to meet candidates where they are.

It’s also about picking the platform where your users are. I’ve not met a marketer who enjoys the Meta Ads platform, but if that’s where your users are then that’s where you should be spending your time. Ultimately, it’s about following your audience, not your preferences.

For someone trying to build their career in recruitment marketing, what’s your best piece of advice?

Attitude matters much more than a degree. I’ve worked with some brilliant marketers who never studied it formally – they just had the curiosity and drive to learn. I did a marketing degree, and honestly, I’ve used very little of it in my actual day-to-day work. I’d love to see more practical, real-world training. Get students running actual campaigns with a small budget and learning by doing.

Marketing changes constantly, so if you’re not open to adapting, you’ll struggle. For anyone early in their career, try to find a role where you get exposure to as many areas of marketing as possible. My first role gave me a taste of everything – digital, content, design, social, etc. – and that helped me figure out what I actually enjoyed. You might have to sacrifice a bit of salary at the start, but if you’re learning, it’ll pay off in the long run.

And take every opportunity. I started my career on a six-week contract, taught myself to code in my own time, and that turned into a full-time role. Show you’re willing to learn, and people will invest in you.

What’s on the horizon for you and your team in 2025? Anything exciting you’re working on or planning?

Since stepping into my new role at group level, things have definitely ramped up. I’ve gone from managing five websites to around 35. It’s a big shift, but not unfamiliar. I used to work at Acacium Group (Pulse was also on the Attract 50 list, actually!), so I’m used to that kind of scale.

There’s a lot happening: website overhauls, brand development, and some exciting digital transformation work. We’re exploring tools like Microsoft Copilot and delivering ChatGPT training for recruiters – helping them use AI to enhance, not erase, their personality. People follow people, not just brands, so we want our consultants to sound like themselves, not a chatbot.

One thing we’re mindful of is using tech to solve real problems, not just plugging in shiny tools for the sake of it. There’s a real focus on building sustainable, scalable solutions across the group.

I moved into this new role a couple of months ago, but it’s been a great start. A big part of that is down to the people. Working alongside Katie Sadler, our Group Head of Marketing, has made the transition really smooth. She’s brilliant – knows the space, knows her stuff, and makes the job enjoyable – which makes all the difference when you’re under tight deadlines.

It sounds like things are pretty full on, which leads us to the final question! How do you decompress outside of work? 

I’m a big rugby fan. I used to play… I was a bit injury-prone, but I’ve always loved it. These days, I watch religiously. I’ve got a season ticket for Saracens, which is always a good time.

Outside of rugby, I’m gearing up to complete the Three Peaks (UK) having recently climbed Snowdon for the first time. I really enjoy swimming too – it gives me a chance to switch off properly and decompress.

I love to read, although I’ll admit marketing has ruined that a bit. After proofing all day, the last thing you want is more words!

Mike and ICG Medical were recently featured in the idibu Attract 50 report, spotlighting standout candidate attraction in staffing and recruitment. Download the full report for free.