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The recruitment and staffing sector has gone through a few crazy years from the weird start to this decade: talent shortages, the best years ever, counter offers galore, and a recession impacting certain tech businesses that no one expected.
All of this brings us back to something critical for any business, especially where people are involved; you have to have a marketing and sales system dialled in as a workable process; otherwise, you will continue to be at the mercy of whatever ever is happening.
So what are the biggest challenges you will need to manage this year?
I have listed several to factor into your plans ASAP.
Standing Out In a Competitive Market
Standing out in a competitive market has to be on your agenda whether you like it or not. With many recruitment businesses vying for the attention of both clients and candidates, it can be difficult for owners to differentiate their brands and establish themselves as leaders in the industry.
Especially when they are ‘doing’ minimal marketing and NOT connecting with candidates and clients at all parts of the buying cycle.
- When did you last update your imagery?
- How often are you posting on social media, and I don’t mean just job adverts?
- Do you add any value to candidates and clients with the content you share?
- Are you sharing anything about yourself and your personal brand?
Maintaining a consistent brand image across all marketing channels is vital to gaining the attention you want; remember, attention is THE currency for business growth.
Developing a brand is easier than ever for a small business; you have no excuses. You can get a good website for a few grand and Canva at £100 a year. Our Superfast Circle members even get blog posts, multiple email campaigns, reports and social media for less than a pretty average placement fee each year. Never before has it been as easy for a small recruiting firm to stand out.
Now let’s talk about an issue for everyone.
Attracting High-Quality Candidates Consistently
Attracting the right candidates can be challenging for recruitment business owners in every sector, especially in a highly competitive job market.
The golden days are gone, at least for now. Continuing to complain to anyone that will listen isn’t particularly useful. Time to get your creative juices going and implement strategies to increase your reach to potential candidates and build your CRM.
You will need to do more than you have in the past, and candidate nurture will be critical; look at last week’s post and podcast on the need to nurture to give you some ideas on what you need to consider.
Measuring Your Marketing Success
Do you know if that job board you are using is working? How many people visit your job page? What are your key drivers of success? When it comes to creating demand, marketing can work immediately, and sometimes it takes months to build before you see consistent lead flow. However, business success is all about the long game; as a serious business, that is what you need to plan for.
Next week I will record a podcast on this topic for you, so come back here then.
Keeping Up With Digital Marketing Trends
A few years ago, I heard Greg Savage speak about recruiters being digital dinosaurs and how they need to get digital or die.
The start of this decade saw a digital explosion, and current research suggests the digital environment saw five years’ worth of growth in five months.
You only need to go to Rec Expo in the U.K. to see how the tech stack has changed. When we first entered the market fifteen years ago, email marketing was a bit scary for people, and Facebook was a definite no-no, and LinkedIn was a sourcing tool only; not any more!
Now we have A.I. bots who can help business processes and CRM databases and email systems that actually work.
The rise of digital marketing has led to a constant evolution of marketing strategies, and recruitment business owners must stay on top of the latest trends and technologies to remain competitive.
How are you keeping up with marketing trends? Reading this post is one way, and joining our Recruitment Marketing Mastery free private Facebook group will help you.
Building and Maintaining A Strong Online PresenceThat Creates Demand
Building and maintaining a strong online presence, including a professional website and social media profiles, updated consistently and developing your company and personal brand voice and message is crucial for recruitment business owners across the globe.
Why?
Because this is the most effective media today to generate awareness that leads to demand for your recruiting service.
Would You Like Access to Marketing Consulting and Campaigns?
The recruitment market has several marketing challenges for business owners, including standing out in a competitive market, attracting high-quality candidates, measuring the success of marketing efforts, and maintaining a consistent brand image which generates demand.
The good news is that you can stay on top of industry trends, refine the strategies that work and grow your brand.
If you want a quick call to find out how we can support you and your brand, call us at +44(0)154 920 700 or book into our diary here.
Thanks
Denise
