Branding Archives - Superfast Recruitment

I want to start by being honest about something. Five hundred episodes sounds like an achievement. And I suppose it is. But it was never a target I was aiming for.

The goal in 2013 was simple. There were very few voices in the recruitment marketing space talking practically to small recruitment businesses. Not the big agencies. Not the enterprise firms.

The one-to-twenty-person operations run by people like you, who are brilliant at recruitment but haven’t had the time, the resources, or the roadmap to build a real marketing system.

That gap felt worth filling. So, we started filling it.

What I didn’t know then was that the act of consistently showing up, of publishing week after week, year after year, would itself become one of the most powerful demonstrations of what we teach.

We tell our clients that consistency beats perfection. That systems matter more than tactics. That visibility compounds over time. Every episode of this podcast has been proof of that.

Five hundred is not the number I was chasing. It’s what happened because I kept going.

I hear a lot of conversation in our world about content strategies, posting schedules, and content calendars. And those things matter. But they are not what keep you going.

What keeps you going is deciding, somewhere early on, that you’re the kind of person who shows up.

Even when it’s inconvenient. Even when no one seems to be listening. Even when you recorded the last three episodes under difficult circumstances, and you’re not sure any of them were your best work.

The episodes I nearly didn’t make were often the most honest. Something about recording when you’re tired or stretched or uncertain strips away the performance and leaves something real. And real tends to connect.

I’ve watched recruitment businesses start podcasts, newsletters, and LinkedIn routines, and then abandon them after six weeks because they weren’t seeing results.

And I understand it. It feels pointless when the audience is small, and the feedback is quiet.

But consistency is not a switch you turn on when it’s working. It’s what you do before it works. It’s what creates the compounding effect that eventually makes the work feel worthwhile.

If you take one thing from this episode, let it be this.

You don’t build consistency by finding the right strategy. You build it by deciding who you are.

Thirteen years is a long time. And I won’t pretend it was straightforward.

There were family bereavements that stopped me in my tracks. A cancer scare for me and my sister’s breast cancer diagnosis that made me rethink everything, the business, our priorities, what we were doing and why.

Three house moves, including our eventual home on the West Cumbrian coast, which we love, but which involved the kind of upheaval that makes everything feel harder.

We changed our business model completely at one point. What SFR looks like today is different from what it looked like when we started this podcast. That kind of change is disorienting even when you know it’s the right thing.

And we lost Flo, our Superfast Staffy. Those of you who knew her will understand why I mention her here. She was a fixture. She sat quietly in the corner of more recording sessions than I can count.

Losing her was a loss that anyone who’s ever had a dog they truly loved will understand completely.

Life kept testing whether I really meant it.

And I think that’s the lesson. Not that you have to be superhuman. Not that you push through without feeling any of it. But come back. You keep coming back, even if the episode is shorter than usual, even if your voice sounds tired.

Marketing while you work is not a nice idea. It’s a business survival strategy. This podcast has been proof of that for thirteen years.

Episode one of this podcast sounds nothing like episode five hundred. And it shouldn’t.

The format has changed. The topics have evolved. The tools we use have completely transformed. When we started, the conversation was about LinkedIn, email, and basic content. Now we’re talking about AI and marketing systems, demand generation, and positioning strategy.

We’ve changed, too.

Sharon and I have both invested continuously in our own development. In understanding marketing models and frameworks that help our clients get better results. In learning from people outside our industry and bringing those lessons back in.

One of the things I feel most strongly about, and I say this to every client we work with, is that the moment you think you know enough is a dangerous moment.

The recruitment market is changing. The marketing landscape is changing. The way buyers make decisions is changing.

Heads up: we have redesigned Superfast Circle and created a brand-new training system that goes with it.

The businesses that thrive are the ones where the owner is still genuinely curious. Still reading. Still listening. Still willing to try something they haven’t tried before.

This podcast has kept me honest about that. When you commit to producing useful content regularly, you have to keep learning. You cannot teach what you’ve stopped practising.

So, if you’re a recruitment business owner listening to this, I want to ask you: when did you last invest in your own learning? Not your team’s training. Yours.

What are you reading? What are you listening to? What are you doing that stretches your thinking?

Your business will grow to the level of your own growth.

That’s been one of the truest things I’ve observed over eighteen years.

In the early days, the downloads were small. The audience was quiet. There was very little external evidence that what we were doing was worth doing.

Most people would have called that a sign to stop.

What I’ve learned is that the seasons of silence are not a sign of failure.

They’re the foundation. They’re where the work gets honest, where you figure out what you actually believe, where the habit forms that will serve you for years.

I say this to recruitment business owners all the time. The content you produce today, the email you send this week, the LinkedIn post you write tomorrow morning, the person who most needs to read it hasn’t found you yet.

You’re not talking to the people who are already watching you. You’re building the thing that will be there when the right person looks.

Visibility compounds. Trust compounds. Expertise compounds. But only if you keep going long enough for the compounding to kick in.

The businesses I’ve seen transform their results through marketing are not the ones that had a sudden breakthrough. They’re the ones who were consistent for long enough that momentum built. And then one day, a prospect said, ‘I’ve been following your content for months. I’m ready to talk.’

That doesn’t happen after six weeks. It happens after six months. Or eighteen. Or sometimes three years.

Build before anyone is watching. The audience comes to the thing that was already there.

There is an idea in professional circles that you should keep your business and personal lives separate. That you should maintain a certain kind of distance, and that showing the human behind the brand is somehow unprofessional.

I’ve never believed that. And thirteen years of this podcast have reinforced why.

The episodes that have resonated most are not the ones with the most polished production or the most comprehensive frameworks. They’re the ones where we talked honestly about what we were going through, where we shared something real.

For recruitment business owners, this matters enormously. You are your brand. The way you show up, the values you demonstrate, the honesty with which you talk about your market, your clients, your experience, that is what builds trust. And trust is what wins work.

Clients don’t hire firms. They hire people. They hire the person they’ve come to know through their content, their emails, and their conversations. They hire the person who feels real.

So be real. Share the difficult moments as well as the wins. Let people see what you actually believe, not just what you think they want to hear; heartfelt candour.

We built SFR on telling clients what they need to hear, not what they want to hear. That’s not always comfortable. But it is always honest. And in eighteen years, it has never let us down.

When Sharon and I started our careers, we worked across multiple industries. Marketing was marketing. We were good at it.

The decision to focus exclusively on recruitment and staffing businesses changed everything. Not just our results. Our satisfaction, our expertise, our ability to genuinely help, and our ability to build a business we’re proud of.

This podcast exists for recruitment business owners. Not all business owners. Not marketers in general. Recruitment business owners with one to twenty people who are trying to build something real.

Every episode we make, every piece of content we produce, and every resource in Superfast Circle is built for that person specifically. Because we know that person, we know their pressures, their market, their billing cycle, their feast and famine patterns, their objections, and their wins.

Generic marketing advice doesn’t work for recruitment. Strategies borrowed from e-commerce, SaaS, or professional services do not translate cleanly into a world where you’re placing people and building long-term relationships in a sector with its own very particular dynamics.

The more specific we have been, the more useful we have been. And the more useful we have been, the more we have grown.

If you are a recruitment business owner listening to this and you’re trying to market to everyone, I want you to sit with this question: who is the one person you serve better than anyone else?

What does the one niche look like where you have the deepest knowledge, the strongest track record, and the most genuine interest?

Go there. Be the definitive voice for that group. And watch what happens.

Five hundred episodes. Thirteen years. One idea I acted on.

Looking back, I’m proud of it. Not because of the number. Because of what it represents. The commitment. The learning. The seasons of showing up when life was hard.

The conversations we’ve had with brilliant recruitment business owners across the UK, the US, and Australia, who needed someone who understood their world and wanted to help.

If that’s been you at some point in the last thirteen years, thank you. Genuinely. You’re the reason this podcast exists.

And if you’re in one of those quiet, difficult seasons right now, building something before anyone is watching, keeping going when the results are slow, I want to say this directly to you.

The audience you’re building for today doesn’t know you exist yet. Keep going anyway.

The people who will benefit most from what you’re creating haven’t found you yet. Keep going anyway.

The version of your business that you’re working toward is not built in the easy moments. It’s built in the ones where you kept going when you could have stopped. Keep going anyway.

If you’ve been listening for a while and you’ve been thinking about getting more serious about your marketing, I’d love to talk.

You can book a complimentary call with us at superfastrecruitment.co.uk/call, and we’ll have an honest conversation about where your marketing is right now and what would move the needle most.

And if this episode has meant something to you, the best thing you can do is share it with another recruitment business owner who needs to hear it. Every share matters more than you know.

Thanks

Denise

The post Consistency Isn’t a Content Strategy. It’s a Character Trait. appeared first on Superfast Recruitment.

Let me describe a morning that might sound familiar.

You wake up. Before your feet hit the floor, you have already grabbed your phone. You are scrolling LinkedIn. Checking emails. A client has chased. A candidate has pulled out. There is a message from a team member about a problem. And suddenly, before you have even had a coffee, you are in reactive mode. Putting out fires. Responding. Reacting.

Sound familiar?

Here is the thing. That pattern of starting the day in someone else’s agenda is costing you more than just peace of mind. It is costing you momentum, marketing consistency, and, ultimately, the growth you know your business can achieve.

In this episode, I will share seven daily mindset habits to help you lead with intention rather than firefighting. These are not fluffy “think positive” suggestions. These are grounded, practical habits designed for recruitment business owners juggling delivery and growth in a noisy, competitive market.

Before I get into the habits, let me provide some context on what we are doing here.

This episode is the first in a series of podcasts we are releasing over the coming weeks, all focused on one question: how do you stand out in your sector in 2026?

If you have read our 2026 Marketing Trends Report, you will know that the recruitment landscape is shifting. The companies winning right now are not the biggest or the best funded. They are the ones who have chosen a clear niche, built authority in that space, and consistently deliver content and conversations that matter.

In this series, we will cover practical strategies to help you do exactly that. We will talk about content, visibility, LinkedIn, business development, and building your personal brand as a recruitment leader.

But we are starting here, with mindset. Because here is what I have learned after eighteen years working with recruitment business owners: you can have the best marketing strategy in the world, but if your head is not in the right place, you will not execute it. You will start strong and then drift. You will get busy with delivery and let the marketing slide. You will tell yourself you will do it next week, and next week never comes.

Before we get into tactics, we need to align your mindset. Think of this episode as laying the foundation that everything else will build on.

Let me explain why this matters more now than ever.

2026 is shaping up to be one of the most challenging and opportunity-rich years for recruitment business owners. The market is noisier than ever. AI is moving fast, and everyone seems to be talking about it. Clients are more cautious with their hiring budgets. Candidate expectations are shifting. And the companies that are winning? They are not the biggest. They are the ones who have built authority in a niche, who show up consistently, and who market their expertise rather than fill roles.

Most recruitment agencies are still running on old habits. Reactive. Transactional. Short-term. That worked when there were more vacancies than recruiters. It does not work now.

Here is what I have noticed working with recruitment business owners over the past eighteen years: the ones who grow sustainably are not necessarily the ones with the best tech stack or the biggest team. They are the ones who protect their mindset. They lead their business rather than letting it lead them.

Let me share seven daily habits that will give you an edge.

The first habit is this: start your day with intent, not your inbox.

When you grab your phone and dive straight into email or LinkedIn first thing in the morning, you have handed control of your day to everyone else. Your brain immediately goes into response mode. You become a firefighter. And firefighters do not build businesses. They stop things from burning down.

Here is the two-minute ritual I want you to try. Before you open your inbox, before you scroll LinkedIn, ask yourself one question:

“What one outcome would make today a win for the business?”

Not ten things. Not a to-do list. One outcome.

Maybe it is: “Have two quality BD conversations with target hiring managers.” Or: “Create and post one useful LinkedIn update for my niche.” Or: “Finish the proposal for that retained brief.”

Please write it down. Protect time for it. Then, and only then, open your inbox.

Let me paint you a picture. Imagine a recruitment owner called Sarah. She runs a small tech recruitment firm. Every morning, she would wake up, check her email immediately, and within ten minutes she would be responding to a client query, resolving a candidate issue, and following up with her consultant about a CV. By nine o’clock, she felt exhausted, and she had not done a single thing to grow her business.

Sarah takes two minutes before touching her phone. She writes down her one outcome. This week, it was: “Send three personalised messages to CTOs in my target companies.” She does that first, before email. And here is what happened. She is now having more conversations with decision-makers than she has in months.

At the same time. Same effort. Completely different results. Because she started with intent, not in the inbox.

The second habit is about managing your thoughts. And this one might feel a bit different, but stay with me.

Here is the truth: your thoughts about your business are not facts. They are stories. And some of those stories are holding you back.

You know the thoughts I am talking about. “Clients are not spending.” “No one is replying on LinkedIn.” “I am terrible at content.” “The market is dead.”

When you have a thought like that, and you will because you are human, I want you to pause and ask two questions:

“Is that really true?”

“What else could be true here?”

Let me give you some examples.

“Clients are not spending.” Is that true? Some clients are spending. They are just spending with recruiters who have clearly positioned their value. Maybe the question is not whether clients are paying. Maybe it is whether you are visible to the right ones.

“I am terrible at content.” Is that true? Or have you not yet practised? Are you comparing yourself to someone who has been posting daily for five years? That is not a fair comparison.

“No one is replying on LinkedIn.” Is that true? Or did you send three messages last week and expect a flood of responses? What if you sent thirty intentional messages over the next month?

This habit is not about toxic positivity. It is about reducing drama and opening space for constructive, problem-solving thinking.

When you catch yourself in a stressful thought, challenge it. Ask: Is that true? What else could be true? You will be amazed at how much clearer you think when you are not trapped in your own stories.

Habit three is about data. Specifically, it is about making decisions based on what is happening, not what it feels like is happening.

Here is what I mean. Many recruitment business owners run their businesses on mood. One good placement comes in, and it feels like things are going brilliantly. A candidate pulls out, and suddenly everything is terrible.

That is drama-first thinking. And it leads to inconsistent decisions.

What I want you to do is create a tiny daily dashboard. Nothing fancy. Just four or five numbers you look at every working day. Here is what I would suggest:

How many new roles came in this week? How many shortlisted candidates are active? How many BD actions did you take, such as calls, messages, and conversations? How many visibility actions did you take, such as LinkedIn posts, content, or comments on client posts?

Every day, take two minutes to look at those numbers. And ask yourself one question:

“What is this data telling me to stop, start, or double down on today?”

Maybe the data shows you had a great week for candidate shortlists, but you made no BD calls. That tells you where to focus today.

Maybe the data shows you have posted three times on LinkedIn and got decent engagement, but you have not converted that into any conversations. That indicates you should include a call to action next time.

Data-first thinking keeps your marketing and business development intentional, rather than reactive. It removes the drama from your decisions.

Habit four is one I come back to again with the recruitment owners I work with. It is about consistency over heroics.

Here is the pattern I see. An owner gets busy with delivery. BD and marketing slide. The pipeline empties. Panic sets in. They do a “big push, a flurry of calls, a burst of LinkedIn activity. A few leads come in. They get busy with deliveries again. The cycle repeats.

This feast-or-famine approach is exhausting. And it does not work.

What moves a recruitment business forward is consistency. Small, repeatable actions, every single working day.

I call these your “minimum viable consistent actions.” They are the things you commit to doing even when you are busy, even when you do not feel like it.

Here is what that might look like. Thirty to sixty minutes of focused BD or relationship-building, every working day. No exceptions. One small visibility action every day, whether that is a LinkedIn post, a thoughtful comment on a client’s content, or a useful insight shared in a DM.

Notice I said “small.” I am not asking you to write a 2,000-word blog post every day. I am asking you to show up, consistently, in small ways.

Here is the mindset shift. Instead of saying “I will do a big push when it is quieter, because let us be honest, it never really gets quieter, say this: “I touch my growth levers every single working day, even when it is busy.”

And here is the identity piece. Start telling yourself: “I am the kind of owner who shows up, even when I do not feel like it.”

That statement changes everything. Because once you believe it, you act on it. And once you act on it consistently, your business grows.

Habit five is about relationships. And this is where recruitment business owners have a massive advantage, if they use it.

In a market where AI can automate sourcing, where job boards are commoditised, and where every recruiter has access to the same databases, what is your edge? Relationships. Real, human, trust-based relationships.

But here is the thing. Relationships do not happen by accident. They happen when you intentionally nurture them.

So here is the daily habit: one intentional relationship touchpoint per day.

That is it. One.

It could be a client, candidate, referrer, or team member. And the touchpoint does not have to be complicated.

Maybe you send a useful market insight to a hiring manager you have not spoken to in a while. Perhaps you check in on a candidate after a tough interview. Maybe you send a quick voice note to a team member to say well done on something. Maybe you comment thoughtfully on a client’s LinkedIn post.

The key is intentionality. You are not reaching out because you need something. You are reaching out because you are building a long-term relationship.

Here is the mindset shift: every interaction is a brand moment. Every email, every call, every message either builds trust or erodes it.

After each interaction, ask yourself: “Did I leave this person clearer, calmer, or better informed?”

If the answer is yes, you have just deposited into your relationship bank. And over time, those deposits compound.

Habit six is about stepping back and thinking like a strategist. And I know that when you are in the weeds of delivery, strategy can feel like a luxury. But it is not. It is essential.

Here is a question I want you to ask yourself at least once every day:

“Is what I am doing right now owner work or consultant work?”

Let me explain what I mean.

Consultant work is delivered. It is sourcing candidates, filling roles, managing processes, and responding to client requests. It is important work. It pays the bills. But it does not grow the business.

The owner’s work is different. It is a strategy. Positioning. Marketing. Systems. Key relationships. It is the work that creates leverage and long-term value.

Most recruitment business owners I meet spend 90% of their time on consulting and 10% on owner work. And then they wonder why the business is not growing.

The daily habit is simple. Check in with yourself: “What mode am I in right now?” If you have spent the whole day on deliveries, carve out 30 minutes for owner work. Even fifteen minutes.

Look for one small system you can improve. A template that would save time. An email sequence you could automate. A briefing process that needs tightening.

Small improvements, compounded daily, move you from heroics to scalability.

The final habit is about ending your day well. Because how you close today shapes how you start tomorrow.

Here is a short end-of-day routine I would encourage you to try. It takes five minutes or less.

First, note three wins from today. They do not have to be big. Maybe you had a good conversation with a client. Perhaps you posted on LinkedIn and got some engagement. Maybe you finally finished that proposal. Write them down.

Second, note one lesson or improvement idea. Something you learned, something you would do differently, something you spotted that could be better.

Third, decide on the one outcome that would make tomorrow a win. Sound familiar? Yes, this is where you set your intent for the next day, so you don’t have to figure it out when you are half-asleep tomorrow morning.

Here is why this works. It builds momentum. Instead of every day feeling like a blur, one crisis rolling into the next, you start to see progress. You see wins stacking up. You see lessons accumulating. You see yourself improving.

It creates a clear boundary between work and home. When you have closed the day properly, you can switch off. That is not a luxury. It is how you sustain this for the long term.

Alright. I have just given you seven habits. That might feel like a lot. So let me be realistic with you.

You will not do all this perfectly. Not tomorrow. Probably not next month. And that is okay.

Here is what I would suggest. Pick one or two habits to start with. Just one or two.

If I had to recommend a starting point, I would say: begin with “Start with Intent” and “Is That Really True?” Those two habits alone will shift how you show up every day.

Commit to practising them every working day for thirty days. Not perfectly, just consistently.

You will slip. There will be mornings when you grab your phone before you have even thought about intent. There will be days when you spiral into a stressful thought and forget to challenge it.

That is not failure. That is part of building a new normal.

The goal is not perfection. The goal is progress. Small, consistent improvements. Showing up, even when you do not feel like it. Catching yourself in old patterns and gently redirecting.

Over time, these habits become automatic. They become part of who you are as a business owner. And when that happens, your business changes, not because you worked harder, but because you led smarter.

Remember: the companies winning in 2026 are not necessarily the largest or best funded. They are the ones led by owners who protect their mindset, show up consistently, and play the long game. You can be one of them.

Here is what I would like you to do.

Right now, or as soon as this episode ends, choose one habit from today’s episode. Just one. Please write it down. And commit to practising it every working day for the next thirty days.

Then, if you are up for it, share which habit you chose on LinkedIn. Tag us. We would love to hear which one resonated with you and cheer you on.

This is just the first episode in our “Standing Out in 2026” series. In the upcoming episodes, we are going to build on this foundation with practical marketing and visibility strategies, the tactical stuff that turns mindset into momentum. Make sure you are subscribed so you do not miss any of them.

Thank you for listening. I know your time is precious, and I hope this has been genuinely useful.

Now go and decide: what one outcome would make today a win?

Thanks

Denise

Knowing what to do is one thing. Doing it consistently is another.

If you are ready to build these habits but want support staying on track, that is exactly what we help with inside Superfast Circle.

Our members get done-for-you content, monthly coaching calls, and a clear system that makes showing up and getting noticed straightforward rather than overwhelming.

No more feast-or-famine marketing. No more “I will do it when it is quieter.”

If you have been thinking about getting proper support with your marketing this year, book a call and let us show you how it works:

www.superfastrecruitment.co.uk/call

The post Standing Out in 2026 Episode One: Mindset Habits Every Recruitment Business Owner Should Practice Daily in 2026 appeared first on Superfast Recruitment.

This week’s post and podcast is about building effective marketing systems for recruitment businesses. I’m continuing our series on systems because I believe it’s the perfect time of year to get everything in place and prepare ahead of time. Last week, I covered why systems are so important – their beauty and the key ones you need in your business. Today, I want to provide you with specific examples of setting up systems and outline some actions you can take now to get them in place.

If you’re new here, welcome! It’s great to have you. If you have a recruiter friend or colleague who would appreciate listening to this podcast, please share the link with them. Please share it with them on iTunes or Spotify or give us a shoutout on LinkedIn.

I appreciate it.

This podcast isn’t sponsored. Nobody pays for this. We do it because we want to help people, and we’re doing what we teach others to do because it works. We’re providing value upfront. If you could give us a shout out, we would love it. Please consider giving us a review as well if you find it useful – that would be greatly appreciated.

Here’s what I love about building marketing systems: you don’t need to do everything at once. When our clients start working with us as a Superfast Circle member, we provide them with a straightforward, step-by-step approach that outlines the initial steps they need to take. Over the years, many of you will know that we’ve been content marketers for approximately 18-19 years in the industry. We know what works and what yields the best return on investment the fastest.

There’s a system around this, and that’s something I always want you to remember. When people often ask where to start, I advise them to start with one thing. It’s easy to get confused and think you’re being proactive by doing all these things. It’s much better to start with one thing – I like to call it the “pick one philosophy.”

Pick one system, build it out properly, then you can move on to automation. However, I think it’s much better to get something working first. Let’s see how it performs, then we automate it. Let’s test it and work out all the glitches.

Why pick just one system? Because if you don’t, you end up trying to implement everything simultaneously. This is literally where people get overwhelmed and end up implementing nothing at all. That isn’t necessary. Start with one system, build it from there, and your momentum will start to build.

Now let’s talk about which one you should pick, and I’m going to say it depends. It depends on your biggest pain point at the moment. Most of the people we work with suggest that they start with building out their client attraction system, particularly in the current market.

For the majority of recruiters we work with, LinkedIn is their primary platform for finding new clients. This is where their business contacts are now. Starting with your LinkedIn content system is the fastest way to demonstrate your expertise and attract client attention.

Here’s a framework for working with LinkedIn effectively. The first thing is to have different types of posts. I’m going to give a shout-out to us at Superfast Circle because we provide you with all these tools you can utilise, saving you time.

However, for those of you in larger companies who wish to initiate this effort independently, here are the key considerations to keep in mind.

You want market insight posts – what you’re seeing in hiring trends. You want educational posts on how to solve common hiring problems. You want social proof-style posts, such as story posts about candidate journeys, what’s happened, how you’ve helped people, different clients, and successful placements. Then there are the classic question posts – the polls people use on LinkedIn to engage with their network.

You write them, you batch them, you write them in advance. Let’s say in your industry that March is a key time for people recruiting or hiring, when decisions are being made. Then you can build your content around how that might work.

The next step is to create a publishing system. Many people, when they first come to us, might post once a week if we’re lucky. Unfortunately, that won’t move the needle. You need to post multiple times a week, in fact, numerous times a day. But let’s start with something easy.

These aren’t just job ads you’re posting, by the way. This is content to nurture people in your market, including those you’re already connected to, as well as those you will be connected to in the future. How about posting Monday, Wednesday, and Friday? LinkedIn has a scheduling tool that’s not hard to utilise. There are several marketing automation tools you can use. Some people use Buffer. A favourite of mine recently is SmarterQueue – go and check it out.

You can start posting and engaging with your client’s content. Allocate 15 minutes a day in your diary. I remember years ago – probably ten years ago, before personal branding became a thing – we suggested everyone take 15 minutes a day. I ran a webinar on it back then, and it still works.

Just allocate 15 minutes. Sometimes I even set a timer. I’m on LinkedIn, interacting and engaging with people I want to engage with. Our posts are scheduled ahead of time, so they’re all ready, and I know they’ll appear. Setting up that system alone will put you ahead of so many recruiters and make a massive difference.

One area where there’s often a disconnect for many recruiters is that they publish content but fail to connect it by making more connections and engaging in outreach. Everyone has a set number of LinkedIn connection requests they can send out, and this is something to do daily. It’s just like any system you create – the more you can do daily, the better it gets.

One of the girls was talking about her “dailies” – she had daily tasks to complete. This isn’t necessarily around KPIs, but her dailies were what she had to do every day. When she did this, she knew it made a difference. I encourage you to create your dailies – however many connection requests you send out. Remember that momentum builds, but you must start it by being consistent.

You send out a connection request. Once that person has accepted, share a piece of valuable content or an insight – no sales pitch, just value.

You’re doing that with your LinkedIn connections.

When it comes to what to do after that, you rinse and repeat. You continue because this is about building a process and people seeing you everywhere. I know that sometimes, if I see an ad on TV, then hear a radio ad, and then pick up a magazine, I suddenly think I should take a look at it. When I’ve seen it two or three times, there must be something about it.

This is where building that system works for you.

You’ve created the content, you’re now a publishing machine, and you’re connecting and doing outreach with people. The next step is to get clients on your email database or encourage them to join it.

Here’s a hint: when you’re publishing things and doing connections and outreach, you can say, “I’ve got some great content and ideas for you. Would you like to join our email system?” Most people will say yes, or you send a link where they put their name and email address. You can see how all these systems build on one another.

If you need more candidates, it’s a similar system. Consider the content – you want to create a similar process that shares valuable content with them. When we talked about the client acquisition system, we mentioned market insights.

It’s the same thing, only it comes from a candidate’s lens.

We’re examining market insights because candidates are intelligent individuals. They want to know what’s going on in the market. You want to tell them about not just hiring trends, but career trends and career progression – what they need to be thinking about. You want educational posts, story posts, and those question posts. Do a survey, ask a LinkedIn poll – all these things you can use.

That’s the system you set up with candidates exactly the same. You’re reaching out to candidates. You could do a certain number of LinkedIn connection requests for clients and a certain number for candidates. Add these candidates to your email system as well.

Straight away, you’ve got very simple, straightforward systems that work for client attraction and candidate attraction. You take those to the next level by getting these people on the phone. You send them more messages, leave them a voice note, send them a video – all different things that make a difference.

On LinkedIn, there’s Sales Navigator – a great piece of software where you can build lists of clients and candidates. This can be a systematised process. We receive emails stating that there are X number of leads in your LinkedIn list, so you can log in because you’ve set up the criteria. You can incorporate those systems into your process. When conducting outreach within LinkedIn Sales Navigator, review all new connections and people who’ve appeared on your list that meet your criteria. Then set the process to start reaching out to them.

Most problems that occur for recruiters around systems are that their systems are so sporadic. If you have a specific process that’s dialled in and you’re doing it regularly, it’s going to make a difference. We’ve all received random cold emails in our inbox that aren’t particularly relevant, and we end up blocking people. That’s where having your systems organised makes a difference.

Think about your client system and your CRM. If that’s sorted by industry, sector, experience level, hiring history, or company size—whatever it is—you can compile lists of people you need to contact.

Once you’ve done that, you can create that systematic approach with your touchpoints.

Perhaps you could send a monthly update to them, establish an immediate follow-up system when someone joins your list, or conduct a quarterly check-in. Your business priorities will dictate this. If you do those systematic touchpoints built into a system, you have a very productive nurture campaign.

Let’s say that automated nurturing you could do with candidates: you could have a new registration sequence, a post-interview follow-up sequence, a placement preparation sequence, or a post-placement sequence. All these things – if you need predictability, set up the system, and you’ll see a huge difference.

Sometimes it’s painful to go into that detail. And it’s incredibly useful. I’ll cover SOPs a bit more in next week’s podcast, when I delve into that topic. We’re all about systems, and my goal is for you to review the systems you have, refine them, clean things up, and put everything in place over the summer.

If you’ve kicked off some systems, then your September will be very different. The key is to start with one system, build it properly, and then expand from there. Remember, momentum builds when you’re consistent, and consistency comes from having clear, systematic processes in place.

Thanks

Denise

At Superfast Circle, we provide the complete framework and content you need to build these marketing systems effectively. Our members gain access to ready-made content templates, detailed implementation guides, and a paint-by-numbers approach that eliminates the guesswork from building your recruitment marketing systems.

We’ve spent nearly two decades perfecting what works, so you don’t have to figure it out through trial and error.

The post Systems-Based Recruitment: Building Your Marketing Framework appeared first on Superfast Recruitment.

Hi there, everyone. This is Denise. I hope you and yours are well. Since our mini-series on content, a few questions about channels, posting frequency, LinkedIn Creator Mode, and other related topics have cropped up. I wanted to make sure I answered everyone’s questions properly.

If you’re new here, welcome! The Superfast Recruitment blog and website host another 470 or so podcasts. We’re also on iTunes and Spotify so that you can check out our recordings there. Everything is also on our website, and we have a YouTube channel that I referenced in the last podcast.

First, how good are you at attracting the clients and candidates you want? This all comes down to your demand generation and marketing.

We have a new tool you can use—a personalised scorecard tool that will rate you as low, medium, or high in different sections. We based the questions on what’s working now for our clients and the themes we’ve noticed over the last nearly 18 years working in the industry.

You can take this scorecard for free. Completing the 15 straightforward questions will probably take about 3-4 minutes. You don’t need reams of financial data. Go to  superfastrecruitment.co.uk/scorecard.

We’ll send you a personalised PDF report, and for everyone who takes the scorecard, we offer a 45-minute debrief should you want more information. Just email us to arrange it.

Let’s discuss different channels and which ones you should be on. The key question is: Where is your market?

It’s easy to say, “Oh, my market isn’t on Instagram,” “My market isn’t on TikTok,” or “My market is only on LinkedIn.” But beware—they might be on other channels, too.

Who hasn’t seen a business opportunity or noticed something from a business leader while scrolling through Facebook? If you do that, I’m sure many in your market do too. I look at Instagram and LinkedIn all the time. I’m not a big TikTok user, but have visited that platform. I go on Instagram a lot.

It’s important to consider where to place your content. And it’s easy to put it in many places, particularly if you’re using an automation tool like Hootsuite, Buffer, or SmarterQueue to help.

For most people, LinkedIn is a key place to post. Ensure you’re posting on your company page and your personal profile. All the recruiters we know have more people following their profiles than their company pages, so make sure you post there.

Half the planet is on Facebook. It’s important to have a business page where you can post. What’s great about Facebook is that you can also deliver paid ads to people in your target market and demographic, and it’s not that expensive.

In one of my previous posts, I discussed remarketing/retargeting. We all experience this—we go on a website, and then that website follows us around. Imagine if somebody has been on your website and then sees an ad (which isn’t expensive) on Facebook. That could help you get in front of your market.

If you’ve regularly posted on your company page, people will see that you’re a real company adding value. That will make a difference for you. So yes, post on Facebook, have a business page, and use it as part of your strategy.

Instagram (part of Meta) has 2 billion members. The age range is quite wide – 66% of people aged 30-49 in the US are on Instagram. It’s very popular in India and incredibly popular in the US.

If you’re posting on Facebook, it’s very easy on your business page or your automation tool to click the button that also posts to Instagram. You don’t know where people are and where they might find you.

TikTok also has 2 billion users. It’s very video-centric, with a slightly younger age group (around 18-24). Depending on the average age of your candidates or clients, it may be worth posting on TikTok. It’s a bit more involved because you want to share video content there.

I’d like to draw your attention to the fact that the more Google sees you posting, the more likely it is to deliver you to the first page of Google results.

Have you noticed that when you Google a company, you’ll see multiple links to that company? Some companies you’ll Google and struggle to find – generally because they haven’t got any content on their website. Big clue: that’s why you need content, because Google prioritises websites with content.

Have you also noticed that when you Google somebody, multiple links come up to all their different social channels? I did this before recording this podcast – I Googled “Super Fast Recruitment.” When we come up, there are multiple links to different pages, our LinkedIn company page, several videos, our Facebook page, our Instagram page.

We’ve got many links that shout out: “These are people who are around. These are people who are present. These are people who have a profile. These are people who possibly could help.” And that’s exactly the same for you, too.

A great question is: Do I need to alter all my content for all the channels? The reality is: not really.

You could say, “Well, it depends on the size of your organisation.” You’re not a marketing company. You’re a smaller recruitment firm. And really, it’s not necessary. You’re not Adecco. You’re not Hays. You’re not Randstad.

I follow a couple of different business coaches online, and I see the same content shared on their LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook feeds. I also see a version of it dropping into my inbox. I know they’re probably making 30-40 million a year. So if it’s all right for them, I think it’s all right for us. And it does save you time.

So if a social media company says, “We need to do all these different things for your different content,” don’t listen to them. For a small to medium enterprise, it doesn’t make a difference. Really, it doesn’t.

Many people ask how often they should post. I would say: as often as you can.

Sharon and I use our profiles and post three times a day, occasionally four, with different content going down Sharon’s feed and different content going down mine. We could post the same, but we don’t.

The goal is to post every day. Forget all this about LinkedIn racking back how present you are. The more you post, the more people will see you.

In the last podcast, I shared about a client who increased the number of times he posts, going from a few hundred impressions to a few thousand impressions. Just think about that. It’s about regularity.

Build up to it. Start where you are with what you have now. If all you’ve ever done is post job ads, start posting some value-add content a couple of times a week and build up. We’ve given you all the ideas, including on our YouTube channel.

Start posting now and build your way up. One thing about posting at different times during the day is that many recruiters have clients in the US or other parts of the world, so their content needs to be spread across different time zones.

Don’t worry if you see your content more – you’re looking for it. You’re filtering for it. People in your organisation are going to see it. Don’t worry about your consultants saying, “We’re posting too much.” You can never post too much because not everyone will always see it. It’s a scrolling feed.

One of the other questions we had was about Creator Mode and whether you should use it to get all the data about impressions, shares, and comments.

Linkedin created Creator Mode as something you could toggle off and on. Last year, they switched that facility off, so now everybody automatically gets Creator Mode. You can actually switch it off in your privacy settings, but I wouldn’t do that. It’s well worth having Creator Mode.

The fundamental thing about having this creator feature is that you get a lot more data. You lose that there’s no connect button when people land on your LinkedIn profile—it’s a little bit more hidden. They need to go to the “more” section, and a dropdown menu says “connect.”

Of course, you can always tell people to do that. You can even get a little screen grab image and share that in an email if you want.

The great thing is that people can follow you, and there are no connection limits, so you can grow well beyond your connection limit on LinkedIn. Your connection limit is up to 30,000, which might seem huge, but several clients are nudging 30,000 connections. They’ve been on LinkedIn since its inception 20+ years ago and have been growing their market.

However, if you have Creator Mode, you can grow your audience beyond that with people following you. LinkedIn also gives you better analytics, allows you to have LinkedIn Lives, and do LinkedIn newsletters.

If you go back to the Super Fast Recruitment blog and look in the search bar, I did a whole series on LinkedIn a while back that explains more. But you’ll notice on your LinkedIn profile, if you have Creator Mode switched on (which all of you will), you can add featured sections to your profile. LinkedIn showcases them in a way that’s more impactful for you.

Remember, less than 4% of people post actively on LinkedIn. If you’re one of those who do, you’ll grow your audience exponentially, and people will see you more.

So, with Creator Mode, you get enhanced analytics, featured activity at the top of your profile (which is really good for people to see you), and more people can follow you. It’s well worth having in today’s market.

It’s a little off-topic, but I want to address LinkedIn profiles. When you share content, people will check you out more. The more you post online, the more visible you become, the more people want to check you out.

Make sure your LinkedIn profile stands out. Make sure you’ve got a good, clear “About” section. With our Super Fast Circle clients, we give them templates to write their “About” sections based on what’s working now. If you’re unsure, look at mine and think about how to rework it yourself.

We’ve had a couple of questions about podcasting. I didn’t mention it among the different content formats – video is prioritised on LinkedIn, so I focused on that.

Podcasts are great, though they are more work. However, they are incredibly leverageable. A shout out to Mike Richards here, who used to work with us. He has a podcast in the Treasury sector and has done phenomenally well with it. He always says he got the idea after listening to our podcast.

Podcasting is great. Many business leaders listen to podcasts, so if you have one, you can leverage that. They’re much easier to do than they used to be. You could go to a freelancer website like Fiverr, where somebody will help you create a podcast and set it up. Then all you need to do is record them.

I record ours using free software called Audacity. Then, I get it edited using somebody on Fiverr. If you need a name, let me know.

One great thing about podcasting is that it gets you out to an audience. You’ll be on Apple iTunes and Spotify, and more people can find you. But one of the great things is that our podcasts are leveraged in multiple ways.

You’ll notice that you get an audio recording. Over the next few months, you’ll see multiple posts about the podcast series. Those posts are created from the audio recording—very easy to do. I get the audio transcribed using an AI tool called Sonix. I then use another AI tool to summarise it and ask it to create several posts, a detailed blog post, an email, and some social media posts.

A caveat here: I edit everything because sometimes even the best AI tool can produce rubbish. But it does save time. You’ll notice that some of Sharon’s and my videos on social media also follow themes from recent podcasts. We get an AI tool to give us the key elements, and then we create a recording from that.

Podcasts are worthwhile, but remember that frequency is important. Recording a podcast takes time and commitment. I’m batch recording several podcasts because we’re going to spend some time in another country and work from there. However, I want to ensure that our recordings are free of glitches, so I’m recording several podcasts over the next 2-3 days.

A mentor of mine once talked about having a podcast every week, similar to ours. She notices that if her podcasts drop off, so does her listenership. She mentioned someone in the coaching space who used to record a podcast every week and has now gone to once a month – her podcast numbers have dived.

People like regular episodes. Think about TV programmes – in the UK we have Coronation Street, EastEnders, and various other shows. People love that regularity. Remember Cialdini’s principles of influence.

People listen to our podcast. Occasionally, we miss a week, maybe because I’ve lost my voice, or it’s Christmas, or something happens that prevents us from doing a podcast. But if you’re going to do a podcast, you need to be all in with it. It’s not something you do every so often because you won’t build traction.

Content is all about traction. It’s much better to write a blog post for your website. If you miss a week, that’s not terrible. People aren’t going to notice it in quite the same way.

One final question concerns nurture campaigns. A couple of people said I didn’t say much about them, although we have lots of information about email marketing on our website.

Nurture campaigns are important. I always discuss having an email campaign, not just an email blast. Remember the buyer cycle – only 3-7% of people are ready to act now. Many other people are in your world, in the ether all around you. They will be prepared to convert eventually, but you must be before them.

That’s why nurture campaigns are something to build into your content process. If you’ve got emails written, our Superfast Circle clients get nurture campaigns because they’ve been working with us. Nurture campaigns have multiple emails in them, and I strongly suggest people do that.

If you want to stand out as a different recruiter—one who cares and is committed—make sure you build a candidate nurture campaign and a client nurture campaign as well.

A while ago, we ran an email marketing webinar. Those who attended can still access the recording by clicking through one of the links. In there, I talked about the must-do email campaigns from a content perspective. Again, just look on the Super Fast Recruitment website, as there are several posts about that too.

Thanks,

Denise and Sharon

How We Can Help

Hopefully, I’ve answered all your questions. If you have more, just email me at [email protected]. I answer all my own emails (well, the majority of them), so if you email me with a question, that would be great, and I’ll record a podcast about it.

At Super Fast Recruitment, we understand the challenges of marketing for recruitment firms. Our Super Fast Circle membership provides done-for-you content resources, strategic guidance, and a supportive community to help you create consistent marketing that generates results. From social media posts to nurture campaigns, we’ve got you covered with content that positions you as an expert in your field. Take our marketing scorecard today, and let’s see how we can help elevate your marketing to the next level.

The post Your Recruitment Marketing Content Questions Answered appeared first on Superfast Recruitment.

In today’s competitive recruitment landscape, effectively promoting your brand is essential for growth and sustainability. While many recruitment business owners excel at delivering exceptional service, they often struggle with showcasing their expertise to the wider market. This comprehensive guide explores six proven strategies for promoting your recruitment brand that balance value-added content and strategic self-promotion.

Drawing from years of experience working with successful recruitment firms, I’ll share practical approaches that will help position your company as the logical choice for both clients and candidates. Whether you want to enhance your social media presence, leverage testimonials more effectively, or articulate your unique advantages, these actionable tactics will help you create a compelling brand narrative that resonates with your target audience.

Read on to discover how these straightforward yet powerful promotional strategies can transform your recruitment brand’s visibility and impact in the marketplace.

The foundation of effective brand promotion starts with positioning yourself as a solution provider for both clients and candidates. This approach requires identifying your target audience’s key problems and demonstrating how your recruitment service offers the ideal solution.

Begin by creating a comprehensive list of common challenges your clients and candidates encounter. For clients, this might include difficulties finding qualified specialists in niche sectors or maintaining consistent talent pipelines for growth. For candidates, it could involve interview confidence issues or career progression barriers.

Once you’ve identified these problems, develop content specifically addressing how your recruitment service solves them. Share concrete examples of how you’ve helped similar individuals or organisations overcome these challenges.

For instance, create social media posts highlighting your interview preparation services if candidates struggle with interview confidence. Include brief success stories showing how your guidance helped candidates secure desirable positions.

Remember that people can’t work with you if they don’t know who you are and what problems you solve. Make your promotional content clear about your specific solutions and include straightforward calls to action that invite engagement.

The classic Features, Advantages, and Benefits (FAB) document is an essential yet often overlooked promotional tool. This structured approach helps translate your service offerings into meaningful value propositions for your audience.

Start by listing all the features of your recruitment service—what you do and offer. This might include your specialised sector knowledge, candidate screening processes, or extended guarantee periods. Be thorough, and don’t overlook any aspect of your service.

Next, identify each feature’s advantage and why it matters. For example, if your team comprises former industry professionals, the advantage is their insider understanding of role requirements and cultural fit considerations.

Finally, articulate the benefit—the “so what” factor that explains how this advantages your clients or candidates. Using the same example, the benefit might be more accurate candidate matching, reduced time-to-hire, and lower turnover rates.

Once you’ve created your comprehensive FAB document, use it as a content goldmine for your promotional activities. Create social media posts, email content, and website copy that rotately highlight different elements from your FAB document.

This approach ensures you’re regularly communicating your value proposition rather than assuming your audience already understands what makes your recruitment service distinctive and beneficial.

In uncertain markets, people gravitate toward certainty. Quantifying your experience and results through concrete data and numbers is one of the most compelling ways to promote your recruitment brand.

Share specifics about your time in the industry, the number of successful placements you’ve made, retention rates of placed candidates, or the average time-to-hire metrics you achieve. These tangible indicators of success provide reassurance and credibility.

For example, if your firm has 15 years of specialisation in the engineering sector, over 500 successful placements, and a 95% candidate retention rate after one year, these statistics tell a powerful story about your expertise and effectiveness.

Don’t be hesitant about highlighting your longevity in the market. Many recruiters mistakenly believe that emphasising their years of experience might make them seem outdated, but the opposite is often true—especially when you pair this experience with evidence of your contemporary approach and cutting-edge methods.

Create regular posts that combine your established track record with insights into your modern methodologies. This combination of experience and innovation presents a compelling case for working with your recruitment firm over less established competitors.

Every question, concern, or objection clients and candidates raise represents a golden opportunity for promotional content. These real-world inquiries reveal exactly what information your target audience needs before making decisions.

Implement a system for collecting questions that arise during client and candidate interactions. Ask your recruitment team to document the specific questions, considerations, and objections encountered during conversations.

Transform these questions into content that pre-emptively addresses concerns before they become barriers. For example, if candidates frequently ask about your process for negotiating salary packages, create content that outlines your approach to securing competitive compensation.

This strategy positions you as transparent and service-oriented while promoting your recruitment expertise. Each piece of content should include a clear call to action that invites further engagement from those with similar questions.

The beauty of this approach is that it allows you to address objections proactively rather than reactively. By acknowledging common concerns upfront and demonstrating how you address them, you build trust while showcasing your recruitment methodology.

While company branding remains essential, personal branding is increasingly critical in recruitment business promotion—particularly for smaller firms. You are your company brand in many ways, especially as the business leader.

Potential clients and candidates want to know who they’ll be working with. They assess compatibility based on your values, expertise, communication style, and personality, which heavily influence their decision to engage with your recruitment service.

Share your industry perspectives, insights, and professional journey across your social platforms. Create content that reveals your approach to recruitment challenges and your philosophy on building effective talent partnerships.

Interestingly, many large organisations seek smaller recruitment partners because they value personalised service and direct access to leadership. Your personal brand can be the differentiating factor that attracts these valuable corporate clients.

Remember that authenticity matters. Your personal brand should genuinely reflect your professional identity rather than present an idealised version. Share both successes and lessons learned to create a rounded, relatable brand persona.

Nothing promotes your recruitment brand more effectively than having others speak on your behalf. Case studies and testimonials—what I call “the horse’s mouth”—provide social proof that significantly influences potential clients and candidates.

Develop a systematic approach to collecting testimonials and creating case studies. Make this a standard part of your process after successful placements or project completions. Designate responsibility for gathering this valuable content to ensure consistency.

For testimonials, seek specific feedback about the experience of working with your firm rather than generic praise. The most persuasive testimonials highlight particular aspects of your service that made a difference to the client or candidate.

Case studies should follow a structured format that outlines the initial situation, the challenges faced, your recruitment approach, and the measurable results achieved. This narrative demonstrates your problem-solving capabilities in real-world scenarios.

Share these testimonials and case studies consistently across your website, social media platforms, and marketing materials. Our experience shows that case study and testimonial pages are among the most visited sections of recruitment websites, as potential clients actively seek this validation.

When developing your promotional strategy, consider the frequency and balance of your content. Television advertisers have perfected this approach through extensive testing—typically featuring advertising breaks every 15 minutes during hour-long programmes.

Apply this ratio to your content strategy. For every four emails you send, make one explicitly promotional. This balanced approach ensures you’re providing value while regularly reminding your audience of your services.

A more frequent promotional cadence is appropriate for social media, particularly for smaller recruitment firms looking to build visibility. Posting one promotional message daily is entirely reasonable when balanced with value-added content.

Use high-quality visuals to enhance your promotional content. Modern smartphones combined with user-friendly design tools like Canva make it simple to create professional-looking branded materials without significant investment or design expertise.

Create templates for consistency across your promotional content, incorporating your brand colours, fonts, and visual style. This visual cohesion strengthens brand recognition and presents your audience with a polished, professional image.

Thanks

Denise

How We Can Help You

Ready to elevate your recruitment brand and implement these six proven promotional strategies? Let’s discuss how we can help you develop a tailored approach that showcases your unique strengths and connects with your ideal clients and candidates. Book a call with our team today to explore how our proven marketing systems can transform your recruitment brand’s visibility and impact in the marketplace. We’ll work together to create a promotional strategy that drives genuine business growth while maintaining your authentic voice.

The post How to Make Your Recruitment Brand Stand Out appeared first on Superfast Recruitment.

As part of our International Women’s Day 2025 celebrations, we’re delighted to feature Sarah Bishop (known to many as “Bish”), founder of Recruit Recruit and one of our valued clients. In this special edition of the Recruitment Marketing and Sales Podcast, Sarah shares her remarkable journey from car sales to building a successful recruitment business.

Her candid reflections on navigating industry challenges, embracing neurodiversity as a strength, and breaking barriers as a female business owner offer valuable insights for anyone in the recruitment sector. Join us as Sarah reveals how integrity, resilience, and authentic leadership have shaped her entrepreneurial path.

Take the mic, Bish…….

In the ever-evolving world of recruitment, finding your unique path to success often means breaking conventional rules and creating something authentic. Reflecting on my journey from selling Lexus cars to building a thriving recruitment business, I’ve realized that the greatest achievements come from staying true to your core values while having the courage to pivot when necessary. My story traverses economic downturns, personal challenges, and unexpected opportunities that ultimately shaped Recruit Recruit’s success today.

If you’re a recruitment business owner navigating your own path, struggling with growth challenges, or simply looking for inspiration to do things differently, this candid account offers practical insights from someone who’s weathered the storms and emerged stronger. Discover how networking, embracing neurodiversity, and maintaining unwavering integrity helped build a recruitment business that stands out in a crowded marketplace.

I never grew up dreaming of being a recruitment consultant. I wanted to be Bugsy Malone, a vet, and David Attenborough. Fast-forward to university, where I studied environmental science to pursue David Attenborough’s path of saving the planet, but I quickly realized I was too loud and sweary for that role.

After graduating with student debt, I discovered that environmental jobs didn’t pay well. My lofty ideals went out the window, and I decided to get a sales job based on my previous experience in Saturday jobs and holiday work. My dad had owned car yards when I was younger, so I had some exposure to sales environments.

I distributed my CV to local car dealerships, even offering to work for free for a month to prove myself. A Lexus dealership in Stourbridge gave me a chance, and I sold cars for nearly three years. During this time, a friend who had studied politics at university joined a Ford dealership.

We both became frustrated with working weekends and long hours. My friend transitioned to recruitment first, joining Brook Street, and kept telling me it was much easier to sell secretaries than cars. That prompted me to start applying to recruitment agencies in earnest.

I received job offers from Kelly’s, Adecco, and Extra Personnel, a small local agency at the time. I chose Extra Personnel because it seemed entrepreneurial and was growing quickly. This decision led to 13 great years, during which I progressed from trainee to various management roles.

After 13 years with Extra Personnel, I reached a point where I needed a different challenge. In some situations, I felt I cared more about our reputation than the business owners did. Being responsible for our public sector work, I constantly battle quality issues.

The breaking point came with a contract with Tamworth Council. They wanted a weekly email listing new starters and temps who had finished or been taken permanently. Despite my team’s inability to consistently provide this basic service, my name was on the contract, and I had agreed to service levels.

I realized that if I moved to another agency, it would be “the same issues, different logo.” I also couldn’t see how, with good conscience, I could tell clients that Extra Personnel was the best for 13 years and then suddenly promote a different agency.

That’s when I decided to start my own business in 2009. I had incorporated a company 4-5 years earlier but never acted on it until then. I wanted to build something with simple, straightforward values: integrity, fun, and getting stuff done.

My biggest initial mistake was trying to emulate where I’d come from and fixing the bits I didn’t like. I really wanted and should have created something very different, closer to what the business looks like today.

My experience with networking while at Extra Personnel was limited to occasionally attending Chamber of Commerce events, distributing business cards, eating biscuits, drinking coffee, and heading back to the office. When I started my own business, I began attending any free networking events in my area out of desperation.

At one Sandwell local authority event, Michelle Ibbs, founder of I’m Your PA, approached me. She invited me to a networking event in Wolverhampton the next morning. Though I had no intention of going, I couldn’t find her contact information to cancel, and my upbringing prevented me from simply not showing up.

So I reluctantly went to the Novotel in Wolverhampton, where I found 25 people in this BNI group. I observed a lot of business being passed around, which impressed me. My then-business partner wasn’t interested but ironically joined BNI immediately after we split the company, despite having avoided it for nine years.

For me, networking works because it provides routine and strategy. BNI has spent 40 years developing its approach, and if you follow it and remain accountable, it works. While other networking organizations exist, many were created by former BNI members who removed the accountability aspect—which is precisely what makes BNI effective.

What keeps me in BNI is that being a local member gives me access to their global network across 77 countries. Being married to an Austrian woman and spending six months a year in Vienna, I discovered that an architect from two buildings from us is a BNI member. I’ve also joined an online group because of my lifestyle.

One of the most significant milestones in my business journey was also one of the most difficult times. In 2018, my business partner and I decided to split the business. What I thought was amicable turned out not to be. I discovered a large HMRC debt I wasn’t aware of, among other issues.

This led to a nervous breakdown. I nearly lost my house and was in a terrible place. Just as I started to recover and relaunched our advertising packages to generate quick revenue, my ex-business partner tried to sue me. Fortunately, her solicitor likely realized the allegations were spurious, and it was all dismissed.

Strangely, this was the best thing that could have happened. It triggered something in me – there was no way I would allow her to do this to me. I started getting back on track, seeing light at the end of the tunnel, and then COVID hit.

However, I’m resilient. I knew an industry would always be doing well—we just needed to pivot. The luck I experienced was largely made possible by the networks and relationships I’d built over the years.

We became involved with a startup business providing COVID testing for the film and media industry. We helped them grow from zero to £30 million turnover in 21 months, placing over 220 people in various roles from HR and finance to science and IT.

My networks were crucial. I worked with Kerry Greenland from the team network, my niece came back into the industry, and Clare Reese-Paul, an ex-colleague and good friend, joined me. Not only did we have fun, but it kept four or five of us in business, generated good revenue, and left a positive legacy.

My neurodiversity has played a significant role in my career. I’ve always approached my business as a portfolio career, satisfying my needs more than feeling confined to a single lane.

I was diagnosed with ADHD at age three, which was unusual in 1975, especially for girls. While boys with similar behaviours might be described as “rambunctious” or “a real boy’s boy,” girls are often labelled as “princesses,” “divas,” or “little madams.”

Though diagnosed, I was never medicated. My condition was explained simply as an inability to pay attention and having excessive energy. It’s only in recent years, with more information becoming available, that I’ve better understood my condition. About 15 years ago, I was also diagnosed as high-functioning autistic, adding another layer of complexity.

As a gay woman, I’ve had an easier time in business than many of my female friends and colleagues. Male colleagues often saw me as “one of the boys,” partly because I wasn’t a potential romantic interest. Additionally, I never wanted children, which has inadvertently helped my career progression.

For women in business, confidence is crucial. So many women I’ve worked with would have been more successful if they had shown up with “the confidence of a mediocre white man.” There’s a certain confidence and bravado that many men project, often without merit, yet everyone begins to believe their hype.

My advice to women entering the industry is to hone your skills, particularly relationship-building and people skills, be confident in your competence, and not be afraid to speak up and stand your ground. Studies show that men dominate conversations disproportionately in meetings. When women assert themselves, they’re often labelled negatively, while men exhibiting identical behaviours are praised for “knowing their minds” and “getting things done.”

Those with neurodiversity recognize both its advantages and challenges. My ADHD allows me to see things others miss and read micro-expressions accurately – invaluable skills in recruitment and sales. However, it also brings dysregulation and other difficulties that neurotypical people don’t experience.

What people see—my bluntness, oversharing, and apparent ease in picking up new skills—doesn’t reveal the self-doubt and anxiety behind it. Be kinder to yourself instead of feeling bad about being different.

The essence of what I wanted to create in my business hasn’t changed much over the years. We have straightforward values: integrity, fun, and getting stuff done. What we do isn’t rocket science, but there’s so much bad practice in the industry.

Today, our sweet spot is helping fast-growing startups, businesses looking to exit, or companies seeking significant growth. The COVID experience helped us develop an agile working method that suits these client types perfectly.

My business has evolved to include sales training for recruiters, coaching other recruitment business owners, and various consulting services. These additions have come organically through people asking for my expertise and preference for a portfolio career rather than staying in a single lane.

I’ve worked with former team members who now have their own businesses and even with Extra Personnel, who hired me 13 years after I left to provide sales training when they were preparing to sell to Job and Talent.

I’m continuing to refine my business operations and systems to make everything work more smoothly behind the scenes. Like the proverbial swan, people see me gliding along as if everything comes easily, but a lot of time, effort, energy, and emotion is expended beneath the surface.

If you want to grow your recruitment business with integrity while standing out in a crowded marketplace, we’d love to help. Our expertise in recruitment marketing can help you build a strong personal brand, develop effective marketing strategies, and create systems that allow you to work smarter, not harder.

Whether you’re struggling with visibility, want to reach more clients, or need help articulating what makes your recruitment business special, we can help.

To find out how book a call here.

The post From Car Sales to Recuitment Empire Bish’s Story For International Womens Day 2025 appeared first on Superfast Recruitment.

In today’s competitive recruitment landscape, your employer brand is more crucial than ever. It’s not just about attracting top talent to work for you; it’s about positioning your recruitment firm as the go-to choice for both candidates and clients.

This episode of the Recruitment Marketing and Sales podcast delves into the often-overlooked power of employer branding for recruitment business owners.

As we navigate through an era where talent shortages are more prevalent than ever, with 75% of employers reporting difficulties in recruiting compared to 56% just a few years ago, your employer brand could be the differentiator that sets you apart.

We’ll explore how your brand communicates even when you’re not actively promoting it and how it can build trust, credibility, and magnetism in the market.

Whether you’re a solo recruiter or part of a larger team, this episode will provide valuable insights on crafting, refining, and leveraging your employer brand to attract potential employees and the clients and candidates you want to work with.

Get ready to transform your approach to marketing and discover how your employer brand can become your most powerful asset in growing your recruitment business.

Welcome to episode 444 of the Recruitment, Marketing and Sales podcast. Today, we’re diving deep into employer branding and its impact on your recruitment business. As a recruitment business owner, you might wonder why we’re focusing on this topic.

The truth is that your employer brand can significantly influence how candidates and clients perceive you in the market.

Let’s start by defining employer branding. It’s the sum of a company’s efforts to communicate what makes it a desirable workplace. This includes the functional, economic, and psychological benefits of working for your organisation. But here’s the crucial point: your employer brand is always communicating, whether you’re actively managing it or not.

In today’s uncertain market, trust and credibility are paramount. People tend to gravitate towards those they know, like, and trust. Your employer brand is vital in showcasing your reliability and expertise, explaining why candidates and clients should choose you over competitors.

Consider this: How does your brand demonstrate your trustworthiness and credibility? Are you consistently sharing success stories, testimonials, and case studies highlighting your expertise and the positive experiences of those working with you?

These social proof elements can be incredibly magnetising to potential candidates and clients.

The recruitment landscape is more competitive than ever. Recent data from Manpower shows that since 2019, the percentage of employers struggling to recruit talent has jumped from 56% to 75%. This talent shortage means clients desperately need the help of experienced recruiters like you.

Your employer brand can be the key differentiator in this competitive market. Think of it like choosing a restaurant on holiday. You’re more likely to be drawn to the one that looks vibrant, clean, and full of happy customers. Similarly, a strong employer brand can make your recruitment firm the obvious choice for clients and candidates.

Your employer brand gives you a platform to share your company’s vision, mission, and values. This is crucial because people increasingly choose to work with companies that align with their values. By clearly communicating what you stand for, you attract potential employees, clients, and candidates who resonate with your ethos.

For example, at Superfast Recruitment, our vision is to create a global community where small recruitment businesses can thrive, united by practical, effective marketing strategies. Our mission is to deliver comprehensive marketing solutions tailored to smaller recruitment firms. We value empowerment, community, and “heartfelt candor” – being honest with our clients about their marketing needs.

So, how can you start building and communicating your employer brand? Here are some steps to consider:

Remember, building a strong employer brand is not just about attracting employees. It’s about creating a magnetic presence in the market that draws in the clients and candidates you want to work with. It’s about standing out in a crowded marketplace and communicating why you’re the best choice.

As we approach the end of the year, it’s the perfect time to reflect on your employer brand. How well does it represent who you are and what you offer? How effectively is it communicating to your target market? Consider making employer branding a key part of your strategy for growth in the coming year.

By focusing on your employer brand, you’re not just preparing for future hiring needs. You’re creating a powerful marketing tool that can help you attract more clients, engage better candidates, and ultimately grow your recruitment business.

Thanks

Denise

Are you ready to take your employer brand to the next level and use it as a powerful tool for growing your recruitment business?

Let’s talk. Book a call to discuss how we can help you develop and leverage your employer brand for maximum market impact.

We’ll work with you to create a strategy that aligns with your vision, communicates your unique value, and attracts the clients and candidates you want to work with.

Click the link to book your call.

The post Why A Compelling Employer Brand Is Critical For Recruitment Companies Too appeared first on Superfast Recruitment.

In today’s competitive recruitment landscape, standing out isn’t just an advantage—it’s a necessity.

Welcome to episode 441, where we explore the world of personal branding for recruiters. Since 2019, I’ve been honing my brand and seeing firsthand the transformative power of a strong personal brand.

Whether you’re a seasoned recruiter or just starting, this episode is packed with practical strategies to elevate your online presence, engage your network, and become the go-to expert in your niche.

From optimising your LinkedIn profile to creating compelling content, we’ll explore the key elements that make a personal brand truly shine in the recruitment world.

It’s a good time to add something new to our routines as we enter autumn. That’s why I want to talk about personal branding today. I started building my brand five years ago, just before Covid hit. It has worked well for us, creating more connections.

Currently, we are running a personal branding boot camp with our Superfast Circle clients. This marks the third or fourth iteration of the program, a testament to its value and the enthusiasm it generates among our clients.

In today’s fiercely competitive market, distinguishing yourself is more pressing than ever. You must articulate why potential collaborators should choose to work with you over other recruiters. Personal branding is not just a choice; it’s a strategic necessity. It’s about crafting and nurturing your public image to stand out in the crowd.

The first step in personal branding is optimising your LinkedIn profile. In today’s market, people are conducting more outreach on LinkedIn and email. When they click through, they’ll go to your LinkedIn profile or website, which needs to communicate your brand effectively.

Make sure your profile has a professional-looking image. Human beings are wired to look at one another’s faces. It’s how we work people out. Use a compelling banner with your contact details. If you’re comfortable sharing your phone number, include it. Otherwise, add your email address.

Have a compelling positioning statement. Talk about who you work with and how you help them. In your ‘About’ section, clearly state who you work with, why you work with them, and how you can help. Include work experience and recommendations from clients and candidates.

The next step is sharing content. You can share industry insights, tell people about training you’re attending, or develop a regular content calendar for posting. Use a mix of videos, texts, and images. Post pictures of yourself – people like to see who they’re working with.

The content you share gives people an understanding of who you are, how you can help them, and what person you are. It also demonstrates your values. Share posts focusing on your client’s challenges and how you address them.

Share personal values, productivity tips, and glimpses into your life and business. Give people advice and help. Share behind-the-scenes content from your office, details about your recruitment process, or weekend activities related to current business trends.

Engage with your network and industry peers. Comment on their posts and give likes and shares. Add your thoughts to discussions. This will get you in front of more people and show what you stand for.

Become a magnet for your audience by standing out for who you are and what you believe in. Share the things you’re doing. If you’re stuck for ideas, use AI tools like ChatGPT to generate content ideas related to your field.

Use LinkedIn’s tools and features to stand out. Create a unique URL for your profile. Add links to your website. Use the featured section to showcase your content, case studies, and popular posts. Include recommendations from clients and colleagues.

Consider building thought leadership by running LinkedIn Lives or inviting people to events. Start where you are with what you’ve got. For our clients, we provide templates and structures for personal branding posts. They need to copy and paste their part of the post.

Check your LinkedIn analytics regularly. Look at impressions, engagement, and who’s viewing your posts. While engagement is great, personal branding is about getting eyeballs on your brand and how you can help people.

Consistency builds your brand. Commit to posting a personal branding post every week. You don’t need 52 different ideas – you can recycle and tweak posts. People don’t always remember what you’ve posted before.

Remember, people must see a message multiple times before connecting with you. The more people know you, the more they like and trust you. Your personal branding will help with that.

Thanks,

Denise

Ready to take your personal brand to the next level?

At Superfast Recruitment, we’re passionate about helping recruitment business owners like you stand out in a crowded market.

Our Superfast Circle program offers personalised guidance, including access to our popular Personal Branding Bootcamp. We’ll provide templates, strategies, and expert advice to build a brand that attracts the top clients and candidates you want.

The first step is to book a call with us here.

The post The Power Of Personal Branding For Recruitment and Search Owners appeared first on Superfast Recruitment.

Hi everyone, this is Denise here from Superfast Recruitment.

This podcast is about the importance of branding for solo micro and smaller recruitment and search SMEs. It’s a topic I’m passionate about, as I believe many smaller companies underestimate the power of a strong brand.

In this summary, I’ve distilled the key points from the podcast, which explores what branding means for recruitment businesses, why it’s crucial for your success, and how you can start building a stronger brand today.

Whether you’re just starting out or looking to take your company to the next level, I hope you’ll find some valuable insights here.

Let’s dive in and discover how branding can transform your recruitment business.

Branding is a comprehensive process of creating and managing a company’s unique identity. It’s about crafting a distinctive impression and reputation that sets your business apart from competitors and resonates with your target market.

Branding spans various elements elements, including:

Effective branding will also shape how candidates, clients, and future talent perceive and interact with your business. It’s not just about what you offer but how you offer it and the emotions and associations your brand creates with people.

When considering branding for your recruitment or search company, it’s essential to take a holistic approach. This means looking beyond just the visual aspects and considering how every touchpoint with your audience contributes to your brand image.

Some key areas to consider include:

Considering all these aspects, you can create a cohesive and powerful brand representing your company’s unique value proposition.

In the competitive world of recruitment, customer loyalty is critical. A strong brand helps retain existing clients and candidates by creating a consistent and positive experience. When your brand is well-established and trusted, clients and candidates are likelier to stick with you, even when faced with other options.

Consider the effort you put into acquiring new clients and quality candidates. Losing them due to a subpar brand experience can be costly.

A strong brand helps maintain engagement and prevents customers from looking elsewhere. It creates an emotional connection beyond just your services, fostering long-term relationships.

One of the most significant benefits of a well-established brand is the ability to command premium prices for your services. Many recruiters tend to undercharge for their services.

A strong brand communicates value and quality, justifying a higher fee.

Clients who perceive your brand as premium are more willing to pay for the expertise and quality of service they associate with your company.

This doesn’t mean just hiking prices willy-nilly! Instead, it is about aligning your pricing with the value your brand represents.

Well-known consumer brands like Apple or Tesla can charge premium prices because their brands are associated with quality, innovation, and status.

Though it’s on a different scale, the same principle applies to recruitment and search firms. A strong brand can position you as the go-to expert in your niche, allowing you to charge fees that reflect your true value.

A strong brand opens doors to new opportunities and makes it easier to introduce new products or services. With a strong brand presence, your existing brand equity can support ventures into new areas.

For example, if your recruitment company is known for excellent service in one industry sector, this reputation can help you expand into related sectors. Your established brand gives you credibility and a head start in new markets. It’s much easier to say, “We’re now offering executive search services,” when your brand is already respected in the recruitment field.

This brand leverage also applies to introducing new services within your existing market. Whether it’s adding consulting services, launching a candidate training program, or offering retained search options, a strong brand makes these expansions more credible and attractive to your audience, giving you something else….

In the crowded recruitment marketplace, a distinctive brand helps you stand out from the competition. It improves marketing effectiveness and makes your business more memorable to potential clients and candidates.

Your brand becomes a shorthand for what you offer and stand for. When decision-makers are considering recruitment partners, a strong brand can be the deciding factor. It’s not just about being remembered but being remembered for the right reasons.

A well-crafted brand strategy ensures that your target audience clearly communicates and understands your unique selling points. This could be your specialised industry knowledge, innovative recruiting techniques, or exceptional candidate care.

Whatever sets you apart, your brand should highlight and reinforce these differentiators.

Building credibility and trust is crucial in the recruitment industry, where relationships are key. A strong brand serves as a trust signal to potential clients and candidates. People are more likely to choose a brand they recognise and trust, especially regarding something as important as their career or hiring decisions.

Your brand is a promise to your customers. When consistently delivered, it builds trust over time. This trust translates into repeat business, referrals, and a stronger market position. In a field where many firms offer similar services, trust can be the factor that tips the scales in your favour.

For many of you, the long-term goal is to sell the business. A strong brand can significantly increase the value of your business when it comes time to sell or transition.

A well-branded company demonstrates that you have an established presence in the market, a loyal customer base, and a reputation that extends beyond the current owner or management team; which makes your business more attractive to potential buyers or investors.

Your brand then becomes an intangible asset that can be quantified regarding goodwill. This goodwill can substantially boost your company’s valuation, sometimes accounting for a significant portion of the sale price.

The foundation of any strong brand starts with clarity about who you are as a company and what you stand for. Begin by defining:

These elements form your brand’s core and should guide all your branding efforts. They help ensure consistency in your messaging and actions, which is crucial for building a strong brand.

For example, if one of your values is innovation, this should be reflected in how you approach recruitment, the technologies you use, and how you present yourself to the market. If excellent customer service is a key value, it should be evident in every interaction clients and candidates have with you and your team.

A crucial step in building your brand is clearly defining your ideal clients and candidates. Understanding your target audience helps you tailor your brand to resonate with them specifically.

Consider factors such as:

The more specific you can be about your target market, the more effectively you can craft your brand to appeal to them. This doesn’t mean excluding other potential clients but focusing your brand message on those you can serve best.

Once you clearly understand your target audience, it’s time to develop or tweak/change your brand’s visual and verbal elements.

Here are a few things to consider.

These elements should work together to create a connected brand identity that’s instantly recognisable and memorable. Consistency across all these elements is key to building a strong brand presence.

In today’s digital age, your online presence is generally the first point of contact between your brand and potential clients or candidates.

Logically then use all the various online platforms to promote your brand:

Consider starting a podcast or creating video content to increase your visibility and showcase your expertise. These mediums allow you to give your brand a voice and personality literally.

Your brand is not just about how you look or what you say – it’s primarily about what you do. Ensure that your recruitment service is up-to-date, efficient, and continuously improving. Some areas to focus on include:

Communicate these improvements and your commitment to quality as part of your brand messaging so that your actions reinforce your brand promise.

Demonstrate that your brand is innovative and keeps up with industry trends by incorporating new technologies into your service offering, for example;

By positioning your brand as tech-savvy and forward-thinking, you appeal to clients looking for modern, efficient recruitment solutions.

Enhance your brand’s perceived value by offering additional services or resources beyond basic recruitment. This could include:

These value-added services differentiate your brand and position you as a comprehensive resource in the recruitment field.

Building a strong brand is an investment that pays dividends in the long run. A powerful brand can be the key differentiator in a competitive market for recruitment and search SMEs. It builds trust, attracts quality clients and candidates, justifies premium pricing, and ultimately drives business growth.

Remember, your brand is more than just a logo or a tagline – it’s the overall experience and perception that people have of your business. It’s communicated through every interaction, every piece of content, and every service you provide.

Developing a strong, consistent brand that reflects your company’s values and strengths can create a powerful asset that sets you apart in the market. Whether you’re looking to expand your business, enter new markets, or eventually sell your company, a strong brand will be a crucial factor in your success.

Invest the time and resources into developing your brand now, and you’ll reap the benefits of customer loyalty, premium pricing, and long-term business success. In the world of recruitment, where relationships and trust are paramount, your brand could be your most valuable asset.

Thanks

Denise

Here at Superfast, we support our solo, micro, and small SMEs to stand out in their sector, and helping them develop a strong brand is just one of the things that we do.

Interested to find out more? Then, book a quick call with us here.

The post Why Branding Is Key For Recruitment And Search SMEs appeared first on Superfast Recruitment.

Today we’re talking about LinkedIn profiles and several mistakes you could be making. Your profile is a key piece of marketing collateral, and it’s important for every business owner, particularly if you work in the recruitment sector and you want to attract attention from clients and candidates.

When we talk to people online who are considering working with us, we look at their LinkedIn profile and their social media, website, and online presence.

We often notice some business owners making several mistakes with their profiles, not realising how important their profiles are.

As a recruiter, you have one of the highest-trafficked profiles of any business owner or person who works in a recruitment company across the whole spectrum of sectors because you consistently reach out to new people to work with, whether candidates or clients.

One thing that people do when recruiting or looking for a new role is to jump online to search for people who can help them and, of course, to check out who they are and their level of expertise.

Our online world means we can Google people, we can have a good look at their LinkedIn profile, and decide whether that is the sort of person we want to work with.

Unfortunately, many people forget that their LinkedIn profile is searchable. Remember, LinkedIn is a huge website and search engine in its own right. People will find you online, and they will make a value judgment on you and how you can help the business.

So, logically, it is important to make the most of it.

Today, let’s go through seven areas that you might not have considered, or might have forgotten about, or need to update if you want to make the most of your profile this year, so you stand out as THE recruiter to work with.

In at one is taking it seriously #fillitoutinfull

Now, that might surprise me, but as I mentioned before, we look at many profiles, and you can see how people have started to fill them out, then got a bit bored and left them!

They have not completed things, and there are significant gaps. They haven’t filled it out in detail with all the important things, like calls to action, telephone numbers, contact details, and why they are the recruiter to work with.

One thing to remember is that, over time, what you do and how you communicate with your market might change. You might have slightly moved sectors or bolted on some additional sectors.

Have you updated your profile to make sure this is what you are now communicating?

Because there are many people, and we’ve even had people that we are connected to, who work in the circle, who have added new sectors and have forgotten to add them to the profile, or they were rushing and didn’t fill out their telephone number in detail, or they’ve moved into a new market, or they’ve moved into working in Europe, and they haven’t added alternative phone numbers for people to contact them.

My first plea is to take it seriously and complete it in full. Remember that LinkedIn is always updating the different things that you can add to your profile. You can add the different services that you do now.

You are subscribed to this podcast, so you will get updates from me and Sharon about different things happening in the market and changes.

Number one is to take it seriously.

Now, number two is that LinkedIn is a business networking platform. You will be reaching out to people and connecting with more people, and they will go and check out your profile.

One of the things that’s important is to make it visually appealing.

You can grab your client’s attention by giving your profile some TLC regarding its visual impact. This is around the banner. There’s another area as well, which I’ll come onto later.

A question: Are you using the standard banner, or have you created a more compelling banner that will attract people?

This is easy to do. If you can go to Canva, you can create your banner. You can even go to Fiverr, a freelance website. If you click this link, they will give you 10% off your first order.

Now, here’s something to consider when it comes to visual impact.

That is when we are scrolling, looking at things, we are wired as human beings to notice differences. I know I’ve recorded multiple podcasts about the science around this.

If you imagine your profile banner, if your brand colours allow it, make it a different colour from LinkedIn. Now, many of us, us included, have blue as part of our brand colours, and we have blue. Because we change our banners quite regularly, we change the colours and keep our font the same, but our colours sometimes change; currently, as I’m recording this, we have a darker blue, which is similar to everything else we do.

We use white font on our banner to help it stand out. That’s a hot tip.

The other thing is to have a photograph rather than a picture of your brand in your photograph area. We always recommend having a professional photograph, not something taken at somebody’s wedding.

If you’ve got something that could communicate your personality. You’ll notice Sharon’s is a professional photograph. Mine is a professional photograph, and I’m not looking directly at the camera. You can use a different style, but it communicates more about my personality. It was taken at an event when I was presenting. You will see that it’s a professional photograph.

Make sure that you communicate who you are through your photograph. Get a professional photograph or get somebody to photograph you with a smartphone. Think about the lighting you use and upload it because it makes an impact. People want to know who they’re working with. Is this a professional person?

Now, the other thing people often miss out on their banner is that they don’t use all the real estate they can. What I mean by that is ideally, you want to have your name on it quite bold and big and how people can contact you.

For instance, your direct-dial phone number if you want people to ring you, and, of course, an email address.

You want to communicate who you are and how you help people. You want to stop people in their tracks. Have a look at my profile. If we’re not connected, reach out and connect with me, and you’ll be able to see some of the things that I share.

Both Sharon and I have questions in our profile banner.

As we know, the brain loves to answer questions. What question could you put into your profile banner that will stop people in their tracks, and they could then start to ask, “I wonder if this person could help me?”

Now, the third part of your LinkedIn profile is your strapline. This strapline needs to communicate clearly how you help your target market.

My banner states, for example, “I help experienced solo, micro, small SME recruiters globally stand out in the sector as the people to work with.” This statement is pretty clear about what I do.

For instance, if you work at the C-suite level, you need to ensure that people know that. If you are very sector-specific, let people know which sector you work in and what roles you can fill or place.

It could be, “I help technology companies recruit their next CMOs, their next CTOs.” Whatever it might be, be clear on your heading because, as human beings, we make snap judgments.

When people are scrolling through their mobile phones, they see who you are. You want to get them to read further. They don’t want to waste time. If they can see that “This person could help us,” this would work.

This is most certainly one area I would encourage you to look at, make it specific, and stand out in your market. One of the things we noticed is that many experienced recruiters (the market we work with) don’t always communicate how good they are and specifically who they can help.

In this section, you will notice that you can highlight your contact information along with your website details, again an area that people miss because they forget to fill it out.

When going through your profile, ensure you fill out all the areas you can.

For instance, you can add multiple links to your website with your contact information. You might want to add a link to some free content that they can download. You’ll notice that on ours, we have our marketing checklist and links to our testimonials and case studies. You can add multiple links to your website. As a recruiter, add a link to your jobs page.

Add your phone number, your company address, and your email. Make sure that you fill all that out if you want people to contact you because a lot of people don’t. I think they forget

Now, as we come into number four, the next thing that I want to talk about is your About section, which is vital collateral. If you ever look at your Google Analytics, you’ll notice that people will look at your About page, and the same is true for your LinkedIn profile.

Here, remember that your About section needs to be not just about you but about them. It should relate to who you are and how you can help them because if people are scrolling down your LinkedIn profile, then they are checking you out and how you can help them.

It’s important to start with a positioning statement, such as “This is who I am; this is who I can help,” because when it comes to marketing, repetition is one of the first laws of learning.

When it comes to sharing who you are and how you can help, you’ve already stated who you are underneath your banner in that pre-statement. It’s important to repeat that in your About Us section.

Then, what is important next is to think about your market. These are your ideal clients and candidates you want to work with, known in marketing as your client and candidate avatars.

What’s going on for them? What questions are they having that are causing them frustration?

Your About section needs to remind them about their problems and how you can help them. This is a specific copywriting framework.

[Important: I share more about this framework in an email marketing webinar which you can access here. www.superfastrecruitment.co.uk/ode]

On our profile, you’ll notice the framework that we use. We talk about Superfast Recruitment, and we talk about why us, and then we have a call to action at the end. The good news is you don’t need to overthink the About section on your profile.

The next part is your top skills and services. You can add these to your profile. Think about what you might be searching for on LinkedIn because this will also help bump your profile up in the search engine when people start looking for help.

Don’t just think, “Oh, well, everyone knows what I do. I’ll not add that in.” Add your top skills and the services that you deliver for people because, for some people, it might be, “I work on retained” or “I work on RPO.”

You offer different types of recruitment services. You might also offer talent consultancy, and you can add all of these to your profile.

The next thing is your features section. Now, depending on whether you have a paid-for or free profile, you can get additional features here. That’s why, as a recruiter, I would expect that you would have a paid-for profile that you then can leverage and use with all the benefits that it comes with for a small cost.

A lot of people miss utilising the featured section. In your featured section, you can add some of the top-performing posts that you’re sharing, documents, videos, and all kinds of media to help your marketing. This could be a PDF of your services or case studies.

Remember, I talked about visual media. For ours, we have some pretty bright images that reflect our case studies of people who work with us, demonstrating who we are and how we can help.

It’s a drag-and-drop menu on LinkedIn; you can move these things around. You can start with a particular case study, whatever it is. Say you’ve got a focus on a certain part of your business at the moment, say one specific subsector, and then you can always move things around.

Your LinkedIn profile can do many things, and finally, to round this off, let’s look at communicating your experience.

Make sure you highlight all of the roles you have had over time that support how you can help your clients and candidates.

When you have worked in different organisations across a whole spectrum, no matter if it’s been a year or two years, people see that as “They’ve got a rounded experience. They could help me fill these roles,” or “They could help me do X,” or “They could help me do Y.”

Of course, in your Experience section, you will have a section on the current company you’re working with, which can be similar to your About section.

Here, talk more about the company and the results deliver.

I do encourage you to make the most of your LinkedIn profile. One of the things that people miss out on when it comes to their profile is sharing content down your profile.

Don’t just share it on your company page. I know many people who don’t share enough content. This is about standing out to your market because as you start to share more content, people are going to look at your profile and check you out.

You now have several ideas about things that your LinkedIn profile has not leveraged as much as it could.

It will still be a tough market over the next few years, and you will have to do more outreach.

This means you will have to stand out in front of people AND sell who you are and what you do.

Your LinkedIn profile can do exactly that.

Thanks

Denise

As part of Superfast Circle, we give you access to detailed training to help with all aspects of your marketing; we even have a detailed module on how to set up LinkedIn to work for you. If you want to learn more about how this could work for you, book a quick call with us here.

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