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.

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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.

New websites? Today, we’re discussing something that’s been on our minds recently—the compelling reasons recruitment and search firms should consider updating their websites this year—as we’ve just completed our website refresh.

Your website is often the first substantial touchpoint clients and candidates have with your brand.

Think about your purchasing behaviour.

When you’re considering working with a company, what’s one of the first things you do?

Recent research indicates that most B2B buyers check vendor websites before purchasing. According to multiple industry studies, 90-97% of B2B purchasers review websites as part of their pre-purchase research process.

The data is consistent across multiple studies, showing that website checking is now standard practice in B2B buying journeys:

According to Wynter’s 2024 B2B SaaS Buyer Journey Report, 97% of B2B buyers check out a vendor’s website before engaging with them10. This exceptionally high figure is corroborated by 6Sense research, which shows the same 97% statistic for website checking before vendor engagement.

Additional research supports this trend:

These figures demonstrate that website checking has become a virtually universal step in the B2B buying process.

So, if you’ve been thinking that your website might need an upgrade but haven’t been sure if it’s worth the investment, today’s podcast is for you.

Let’s dive into the six compelling reasons to create a new website to promote your recruiting brand this year. 

Let’s be honest—most recruitment websites are little more than online brochures. They talk about how great the company is, list the sectors it works in, and maybe have a jobs page. But they don’t actively work to convert visitors into leads.

Your website should be a lead-generation machine this year. It’s no longer enough to have a pretty website; it needs to perform. This means having clear calls to action, lead magnets/PDF download reports that provide value to your audience, and forms that capture visitor information.

When recruitment websites are designed with conversion in mind, with elements like salary guides as lead magnets and proper calls-to-action throughout the site, they can dramatically increase the number of leads generated directly. These aren’t just any leads either – they’re pre-qualified and warmed up by their consumed content.

If your website isn’t actively generating leads for your business while you sleep, it’s time for an upgrade.

The recruitment industry has evolved dramatically in recent years. If your website was built more than three years ago, chances are it doesn’t accurately reflect your current value proposition, services, or messaging.

Remember, your website needs to answer those four fundamental reasons why clients and candidates choose to work with you:

Is your current website communicating these messages?

Does it speak directly to your client’s specific challenges in 2025, such as the global talent shortage, shifting candidate expectations, or the complexities of remote hiring?

If not, it’s time for a refresh that brings your messaging up to date and positions you as the solution to today’s recruitment challenges, not yesterday’s.

Standing out is critical in a market saturated with recruitment and search companies and more start-ups than ever. Your website should establish you as an authority in your niche by demonstrating your expertise, industry knowledge, and success stories.

This means having:

We’ve seen recruiters implementing content hubs on their websites become the go-to authority in their sectors. When you position yourself as a thought leader through your online presence, doors open to speaking opportunities at industry events and being quoted in sector publications.

If your website isn’t positioning you as a thought leader and expert in your field, you’re missing a massive opportunity to differentiate yourself from the competition.

Did you know that over 60% of web traffic now comes from mobile devices? If your website isn’t mobile-responsive or is difficult to navigate, you’re creating friction that drives potential clients and candidates away.

User experience is no longer a nice-to-have; it’s essential. Slow loading times, confusing navigation, and poor mobile experiences contribute to high bounce rates and lost opportunities.

When websites are redesigned with speed and user experience as priorities, the results can be dramatic – decreased bounce rates and increased time on site. That means more meaningful engagement with your brand!

Ask yourself: Would you have the patience to wait for a slow website to load? Would you struggle through a confusing user interface? If not, why would your clients or candidates?

Your website should be the hub of your digital marketing ecosystem this year. It should seamlessly integrate with your CRM, email marketing platform, social media, and job boards to create a cohesive experience for you and your users.

Modern websites can automatically:

When recruitment and search companies integrate their websites with marketing automation platforms, they can experience significant increases in lead nurturing effectiveness simply because they can track and respond to website behaviour.

If your website stands alone, disconnected from your other marketing tools, you’re creating unnecessary work for yourself and missing valuable insights about your audience.

In the recruitment industry, your website isn’t just a tool for attracting clients and candidates – it also reflects your employer brand and position in the marketplace.

A modern, professional website demonstrates that you understand the importance of building a digital presence, which is crucial when advising clients on their employer branding.

It’s difficult to position yourself as an expert in talent attraction if your digital storefront looks outdated or unprofessional

Additionally, your website should make it easy for candidates to understand your process, browse open positions, and apply without friction.

The candidate experience on your website directly impacts the quality and quantity of talent you can attract for your clients.

As we’ve seen in market research, candidates expect seamless processes, transparent communication, and timely updates throughout their application journey. Your website is the starting point for delivering this experience.

I understand that creating a new website requires an investment of both time and money. But consider this: your website works for you 24/7, even when sleeping or working with existing clients.

When you compare the cost of a website redesign to the potential return on investment through increased leads, improved conversion rates, and enhanced brand perception, it becomes clear that this is one of the most effective investments you can make in your recruitment business.

As we’ve seen with many of our Superfast Circle members, a strategic website redesign can transform your business development efforts and create a steady flow of inbound leads that complement your outbound activities.

Thanks,

Denise

If you’re considering upgrading your website and want to learn more about making it a lead generation powerhouse, we’d love to chat.

You can book a complimentary marketing strategy conversation with us by calling +44 1524 920 700 or emailing [email protected].

The post 6 Reasons to Create a New Website to Promote Your Recruiting Brand 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.

Recruitment marketing strategies are varied and many! Here is one most people forget: handling objections ahead of time.

Are you tired of hearing the same objections from potential clients? “We use our own team,” “You’re too expensive,” or “We’ve had bad experiences with recruiters before.” These familiar phrases can feel like roadblocks in your sales process, but they don’t have to be.

In this podcast ( with a full summary below), we’ll explore transforming these common objections into opportunities. You’ll discover practical strategies to address concerns before they arise and learn how to build a content strategy that speaks directly to your prospects’ hesitations.

Drawing from decades of sales and recruitment experience, we’ll share proven techniques that have helped hundreds of recruitment business owners overcome objections and grow their client base. Whether new to recruitment or looking to refresh your approach, this guide offers valuable insights to enhance your sales process.

Every objection stems from a deeper concern. When clients say you’re too expensive, they often mean they’re unsure of the value you’ll provide. When they mention past negative experiences, they fear making the same mistake again.

These concerns typically fall into two categories: perceived drawbacks and misunderstandings. Perceived drawbacks might relate to your market experience or methodology, while misunderstandings often arise from unclear communication about your services and capabilities.

Many objections are rooted in the fear of making wrong decisions. Clients might stick with their current supplier, even if they’re unsatisfied, simply because change feels risky. This “status quo bias” is a common hurdle we must overcome.

Addressing objections before they arise is the key to handling them effectively. This starts with clearly understanding your target market and the specific problems you solve for them.

Consider creating detailed documentation of your service features, advantages, and benefits. For example, if you offer video interviewing, don’t just list it as a feature. Explain how it saves time, reduces scheduling conflicts, and allows more flexible hiring processes.

Keep a record of common questions and objections you receive during sales calls. These become valuable topics for content creation:

Personal branding plays a crucial role in minimising objections. Regular, value-added content sharing helps potential clients understand your business approach and expertise before they even speak with you.

Create content that demonstrates your understanding of business challenges. Share success stories, testimonials, and practical insights that showcase your expertise. This positions you as a knowledgeable partner rather than just another supplier.

Develop content in various formats:

One of the most effective ways to handle objections is through social proof. When prospects see others succeeding with your service, their objections diminish naturally.

Share case studies that specifically address common objections. For example, if the price is a frequent concern, showcase stories where clients achieved significant ROI through your service. If expertise is questioned, highlight your track record in specific industries.

Document and share client testimonials that speak to overcome objections previously. This shows prospects that others have had similar concerns and found success working with you.

Understanding your ideal client profile is crucial for effective objection handling. When you know exactly who you serve best, you can create more targeted messaging that addresses their specific concerns.

For example, if you specialise in working with SMEs, your content should speak directly to their unique challenges and how your service is specifically designed for their needs. This targeted approach naturally reduces objections by showing clear alignment with their requirements.

Develop specific content pieces that:

Remember to communicate your value proposition clearly and consistently across all channels. Whether someone finds you through social media, your website, or a referral, they should encounter the same clear messaging about how you solve their specific problems.

Ready to transform how you handle sales objections through your marketing?

Let’s discuss how we can help you create a strategy that addresses objections before they arise and converts more prospects into clients.

Book a call by clicking here.

www.superfastrecruitment.co.uk/call

The post Recruitment Marketing Strategies: Handling Objections Ahead of Time appeared first on Superfast Recruitment.

Marketing collateral remains a cornerstone of successful recruitment and search businesses, yet many recruiters struggle to create and leverage it effectively.

Below is a summary of the podcast recording for those who prefer to read.

In today’s competitive landscape, having the right mix of digital and traditional marketing materials isn’t just nice to have—it’s essential for standing out and building trust with clients and candidates.

As we navigate through the final quarter of 2024, understanding what marketing collateral you need and how to use it strategically can make the difference between thriving and merely surviving in the recruitment sector.

Each piece plays a vital role in your marketing ecosystem, from websites and social media profiles to personal branding and video content.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the essential marketing collateral every modern recruiter needs, how to implement it effectively, and why certain pieces are more critical than others in today’s market. We’ll look at both foundational elements that every recruitment business should have and more advanced options to help you stand out from the competition.

Whether you’re just starting to build your marketing arsenal or looking to upgrade your existing materials, this guide will provide you with actionable insights and practical steps to enhance your recruitment marketing strategy.

Your website is your digital storefront and must effectively communicate your brand value. It doesn’t need to cost a fortune, but it should include clear calls to action, professional photos of your team, video content, and a dynamic blog or insights page. The more quality pages you have online, the more likely people are to find you through search engines.

Having multiple web pages that reference your recruitment expertise increases your visibility. Your website should offer genuine value to visitors while capturing contact details through strategic placement of forms and contact information.

Secure your business presence across all major social platforms—LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and even TikTok. While you might not actively use all platforms immediately, claiming your business name prevents others from using it and provides additional visibility in search results.

Your LinkedIn profile serves as crucial marketing collateral. It’s often the first place potential clients and candidates check before deciding to work with you. Ensure your profile includes:

– A comprehensive about section

– Regular content sharing beyond job posts

– Professional branding visuals

– Clear contact information and evidence of your expertise and values

Content assets serve as powerful convincers in the recruitment process. As consumers read reviews before purchasing products, potential clients and candidates seek evidence of your expertise through your content. Key content assets should include:

– Problem-solving blog posts for both candidates and clients

– PDF guides and resources

– Email nurture campaigns

– Video content

– Case studies and testimonials

Consider creating evergreen webinars that demonstrate your expertise. These can be simple recordings of presentations or face-to-face talks that provide value to your audience. They serve as excellent lead magnets and can be repurposed across multiple channels.

A professional pitch deck is essential for presenting to potential clients. Even if not specifically requested, having one ready demonstrates professionalism and commitment. Consider creating:

– Digital brochures with interactive elements

– Printed materials for direct mail campaigns

– QR codes linking to digital resources

– Workplace or salary surveys

– Net Promoter Score (NPS) surveys and results

Remember that traditional printed materials can still significantly impact our digital world. Physical cards or brochures often remain on desks longer than digital communications, providing ongoing visibility for your brand.

Your marketing collateral should work across channels to create a cohesive brand experience. This means:

– Repurposing content across different platforms

– Creating consistent messaging across all materials

– Using both digital and traditional channels

– Regular updates to keep content fresh

– Measuring engagement and adjusting strategy accordingly

Email campaigns remain effective when done well, with some achieving 60-70% open rates. The key is to provide value in every communication and maintain consistency in your outreach efforts.

Thanks

Denise

Ready to elevate your recruitment marketing strategy? Let’s discuss strengthening your marketing collateral.

Book a call here to discuss how we can help you create a compelling marketing presence that attracts and retains the clients and candidates you want.

The post Marketing Materials That Build Recruitment and Search Brands appeared first on Superfast Recruitment.

Here is a summary of the podcast I recorded on the successful marketing strategies working for recruitment and search companies now.

In today’s competitive recruitment landscape, staying ahead of the curve with effective marketing strategies is crucial. This post and podcast explore approaches currently working well for recruitment and search companies, helping you attract clients and candidates while building a strong brand presence.

Before we discuss the strategies that are working now, you must consider two key things: your offer and your messaging.

Before exploring specific marketing tactics, it’s essential to focus on your business’s foundation —your offer. A compelling offer is the cornerstone of any successful marketing strategy in the recruitment and search industry.

Your offer to clients should demonstrate how you can bring the best talent to their company. Consider what sets your recruitment service apart from competitors. Are you leveraging cutting-edge technology? Do you have a unique approach to candidate screening? Perhaps you offer exceptional post-placement support?

Think about how you can enhance your current offering. For example, you might:

Remember, candidates are also your customers. Your offer to them should focus on how you can support their career development and help them secure positions with better pay and conditions. Consider offering:

By creating truly compelling offers for both clients and candidates, you set a strong foundation for all your marketing efforts. No amount of clever marketing can compensate for a weak offer, so invest time in refining and improving what you offer.

Once you’ve honed your offers, the next step is to ensure your messaging accurately reflects them and resonates with your target audience. This is where many recruitment companies fall short, using generic language that fails to connect with their clients and candidates’ specific needs and pain points.

Consider the challenges your clients face. Are they struggling to find specialised talent? Dealing with high turnover rates? Trying to build diverse teams? Your messaging should directly address these issues and position your service as the solution.

For example, instead of simply stating, “We’re a recruitment company specialising in the engineering sector,” you might say:

“We help innovative engineering firms overcome talent shortages and build high-performing teams, even in the most competitive markets.”

Think about what motivates candidates to seek new opportunities. Is it career progression? Better work-life balance? More challenging projects? Tailor your messaging to speak to these aspirations.

For instance, rather than just saying, “We help candidates find new jobs,” you could say:

“We empower tech professionals to take control of their careers, connecting them with opportunities that offer higher salaries and meaningful work and growth potential.”

Remember, effective messaging goes beyond describing what you do. It should tap into your audience’s emotions and desires, painting a picture of how working with you could improve their professional lives.

Now, let’s examine what is working now regarding marketing strategies in 2024; the first might surprise you, and it starts with your employer brand.

In today’s digital age, your employer brand is often the first impression potential clients and candidates have of your company. It’s not just about having a polished website or a clever logo – it’s about communicating who you are, what you stand for, and why someone should choose to work with you.

Key elements of a strong employer brand include:

Social media has become an indispensable tool for recruitment and search companies in the digital age. It’s not just about having a presence – it’s about leveraging these platforms effectively to increase visibility, engage with your audience, and drive business growth.

LinkedIn should be the centre of your social media strategy as the premier professional networking platform. Here are some tips for maximising its potential:

While often overlooked in B2B contexts, Facebook can be valuable for recruitment and search companies, especially for reaching passive candidates:

Instagram offers a great platform for promoting and communicating your company culture and building a more personal connection with your audience:

Remember, consistency is key across all platforms. Develop a content calendar to ensure regular posting, and always aim to provide value to your followers rather than just promoting your services.

While your company brand is crucial, don’t underestimate the power of personal branding, especially for founders and senior team members. In the relationship-driven world of recruitment, people often want to know who they’re working with.

Here are some strategies for developing a strong personal brand:

Remember, your personal brand can significantly enhance your company’s credibility and reach. It puts a face to the business and can help build trust with potential clients and candidates.

Content marketing is a powerful way to demonstrate your expertise, provide value to your audience, and improve your visibility in search engines. Here are some content types to use consistently.

Regular blog posts for candidates and clients on your website will:

Aim for a mix of evergreen content (always relevant) and timely pieces (responding to current events or trends).

Longer-form content allows you to dive deep into topics and provide substantial value. Consider creating:

These can serve as lead magnets, encouraging website visitors to provide their contact information in exchange for the download.

[Important: As a member of Superfast Circle, we provide all the content resources you need as part of your low monthly fee.]

Regular newsletters help you stay top-of-mind with your audience. They could include:

Remember, the key to effective content marketing is consistency and quality. Develop a content calendar to ensure regular publication, and always focus on providing genuine value to your readers.

Inbound marketing is all about attracting potential clients and candidates to you. It’s based on the principle of providing value upfront, which builds trust and positions you as a go-to expert in your field.

Here’s how to implement an effective inbound marketing strategy:

Develop resources that address common pain points or questions in your industry. These could include:

Ensure your website is set up to capture and nurture leads:

Improve your visibility in search engine results:

Once you’ve captured a lead’s contact information, nurture the relationship:

Email marketing continues to be one of the most effective strategies for return on investment. Here’s how to make the most of this powerful tool:

Focus on growing a high-quality email list:

Not all subscribers are the same. Segment your list based on factors like:

This allows you to send more targeted, relevant content.

Develop automated email sequences for different segments:

Every email should offer something of value to the recipient:

Remember, in the B2B sector where recruitment and search sit, the key to successful email marketing is prioritising your candidate and client needs first and then promoting your services.

In today’s candidate-driven market, providing an exceptional candidate experience can set you apart from competitors and help you attract top talent. Here’s how to enhance your candidate experience:

Map the Candidate Journey:

Create a detailed flow diagram of your candidate process, from initial contact to placement and beyond. This helps identify areas for improvement and ensures consistency.

Keep candidates informed at every stage:

Treat candidates as individuals, not just CVs and resumes:

Balancing client acquisition with retention is crucial for sustainable growth in the recruitment industry. Here are strategies for both:

Remember, retaining existing clients is generally more cost-effective than constantly acquiring new ones. However, a healthy business requires a mix of both to account for natural attrition and to fuel growth.

In today’s digital age, data should drive your marketing decisions. Here’s how to implement data-driven marketing in your recruitment business:

Define Key Metrics:

Identify the metrics that matter most to your business, such as:

As I mentioned in the podcast, consider tracking metrics in sets of 100:

This gives you a good sample size to analyse effectiveness.

Use Data to inform your decisions and let it guide your strategy.

Remember, while data is crucial, it shouldn’t be the only factor in your decision-making. Combine data insights with your industry knowledge and intuition for the best results.

In today’s interconnected world, physical location is becoming less of a barrier in recruitment. Here’s how to expand your geographic reach:

Use digital tools to connect with clients and candidates anywhere:

Before expanding, thoroughly research potential new markets:

So many strategies are working now as long as you work them. Remember, your candidates and clients have more choices, so standing out in the market as an expert and consistently being in front of them is key.

Until next time

Denise

In this post and podcast, we have shared exactly how we support our Superfast Circle clients by helping them design the marketing plan that will work for them to provide the resources they need.

If you want a quick conversation about how we can help you, book a call here. Or call us on +44(0)1524 920700

The post The Most Successful Marketing Strategies Working For Recruitment and Search Companies in 2024 appeared first on Superfast Recruitment.

As I record this, in a few weeks in the UK is one of the biggest trade shows for the recruitment industry, and that is Rec Expo.

It’s happening in Birmingham, where many service providers in the tech field appear so you can look at all their kit, how it works and how they might support you.

There are some great speakers on there as well. We’ve presented there several times at the Expo. I mention that because often, at this time of year, people are starting to think, “Okay, what software do I need?”

I am a bit of a software queen; I like a bit of software.

However, we need to consider what specific software we need to do the job in question.

My focus for today is going to be all around marketing software. I will suggest things you need and others that might be nice to have, but you don’t need them unless you’re very flush with cash. Do you need them? I’m going to suggest some things for you in a second.

However, because it’s happening very soon, we are running recruitment marketing week again the last week in September, from September 25th through to September 29th. 1:00 PM BST every day, 8:00 AM EST.

If you are wondering, “What should I be doing when it comes to marketing? How can I get marketing and digital marketing working in my business?” end the year strong and start 2024 even stronger than, “What do I need to do?” then join us for this five-day training.

What we’re going to do is, over those five days, we will give you all the things that you need to consider.

This content is real gold.

Sign up here-> www.superfastrecruitment.co.uk/RMWS, which stands for Recruitment Marketing Week, and the S is September.

We will not be running this again this year.

Let’s talk about marketing automation, software, and things that you can use for your business that are relatively easy to use, will make a huge difference to your productivity, and will not cost you the earth.

For all of our members of Superfast Circle, whether they have one consultant, whether they’re on their own, or whether they have 20 or 30 consultants, we recommend all of this type of software.

I will share some brands with you; we are not aligned with any brand. We don’t get a kickback. However, we are suggesting different bits of kit for you. There’ll be different prices, and whatever fits your budget, but I can tell you that everything we recommend works well.

The first thing is your CRM; we have people that use every bit of CRM software on the market. We’ve got people that use ZoHo, Firefish users, Loxo, Vincere, and, of course, Bullhorn as well.

What I would look for, and I would say this is about planning for your future, is planning to have a CRM system that also has email marketing built into it because what you want to be able to do with your email marketing is have automated campaigns.

It will save you so much time and angst and create a lot of revenue for you. Even now, as I record this in 2023, the most profitable marketing strategy that you can use is email marketing. For recruiters, it is critical because you have client and candidate databases, and you are working with people on a long-term process.

Having email marketing automation built into your business will pay for itself several times over.

It’s interesting because I saw a post in one of the other recruitment groups earlier today, and a gentleman was asking about free tools. He wanted to be able to source some candidates, and he wanted some free stuff.

We all like free, don’t we, until it stops being free, of course?

If you want more functionality and things to work for you, it’s rarely going to be free. Remember, software is a business cost and tax allowable; spend it, and it’ll make a big difference for you.

Now, it is likely that when you go and find a CRM with marketing automation software built into it, you’ll have to pay more, but it will pay for itself ten times over.

If you haven’t listened to a podcast we did a few weeks ago with a lady called Karen McCurdy, she was talking about the fact that now they’re using email marketing automation, and it’s helping them to automate several areas of the business.

Now, something just to be aware of. We were talking to one of our clients the other day who was a little bit miffed that he had just found out that his CRM database provider had built an email system into it.

It was MailChimp, but they hadn’t informed him, so check if your provider has email integration.

Nurturing your client and candidate database will provide a huge financial upside to your business.

For instance, everyone’s concerned about their relationship with candidates and clients.

Think about the systems that you are going to use. Ensure you invest in one with automation software aligned to it. There are many; Bullhorn is one of them. I’m not saying these are the CRM systems to use, by the way. Vincere has another, Bullhorn and Loxo; you can also connect, but make sure when you sign up that this is correct.

You need to get one if your software does not have an email system. There are several options. We’ve mentioned MailChimp. There’s Active Campaign and now a great piece of software called Mailerlite.

The next thing I want to say, and I know some people might smile at this, you need a website with a blog. You need a website with a blog because, as a smaller service provider, we work with independents and smaller SMEs; if you want to stand out and compete, you need content as part of that process.

If you’ve never accessed our Lead Generation Triad webinar, check it out because we explain how content works to build leads and your lead system. You can watch a recording of the training here.

Adding a blog with content makes a difference because you need to build out your authority website, which is a key element of your marketing tech stack.

I’m a fan of WordPress; I recommend it to all our clients. I know some people don’t like it, but it’s very easy to work with. If you can work with Microsoft Word, you can work with a WordPress website, which will help you.

You don’t have a fortune getting someone to update things for you on your website because you’ll be able to do it yourself because it’s WordPress. A WordPress website with the functionality that you can build landing pages on your website.

What are landing pages?

You have probably landed on a landing page of ours on multiple occasions. This is how you capture somebody’s contact details and start working with them. Imagine that somebody comes onto your website they’re not quite ready to work with you yet. Still, they like a report that you’ve got on interview skills, or they like a report that you’ve got on building a team in your sector; all they need to do to get this report is give you their name and email address, and then you can send it to them through email automation; That is why you need landing page software.

Most WordPress websites have functionality so people can build a landing page. We’ve just got a few of our Superfast Circle clients working with a particular web designer, and he’s building that all for them in WordPress. It’s really easy, so they can create these pages that connect with their email system.

The first one is Wordhippo. You will have Word and whatever else you type into, but Wordhippo is great because it will give you alternative versions of the comment you are using. Often, what happens if you’re not a professional writer there is a tendency to use the same Word multiple times in a sentence.

It doesn’t make your writing flow.

WordHippo is a free bit of software that you can use that will give you alternative words.

The other thing that I recommend to people is to use Grammarly. Again, there are multiple spell-checking and writing pieces of software. Grammarly, I find particularly good. I use the professional version. It just helps you put commas in the right places, apostrophes.

It will speed up your writing process. Again, for a hundred pounds a year, it’s very inexpensive to use.

Now, AI writing tools and software.

Am I a fan? The jury’s out at the moment, but there is one.

ChatGPT is one that most people are talking about at the moment. It’s worth getting access to it. There’s a free version, which is much slower and not as good, and a paid-for version.

ChatGPT, what could you use that for? If you don’t have somebody like the team at Superfast Circle who knows the market well and wants to come up with different writing ideas and themes for content, ChatGPT will help you with.

It can also reword things for you. If you’ve written a social media post, it might give you some different alternatives.

Now, what I would say is to remember that automation AI software like this needs to learn from you. In my experience with recruiters, they don’t have a lot of patience, so you need to work specifically with ChatGPT so it knows your writing style.

I would say it’s great for ideas. Please don’t use it to write a blog. If you do, you will need to edit it because it’s very repetitive, sometimes it can come across as a bit cheesy, and it does have gaps.

All the data it uses is pre-2021, so it will be three years out of date next year.

Now that we’ve talked about words let’s talk about graphics. Again, there are multiple software’s that you can use.

You can go old school and use Adobe Photoshop, which is excellent, though harder to use and more expensive; Canva is a great alternative.

It has been around for over ten years. It’s a great bit of software. What I love about Canva for most people is that it provides templates that you can tweak and use, and you can also update them with your own colour schemes, colour palettes, and fonts. You can upload images and make things look pretty cool and professional.

I would say 90% of our visual content you see online is created in Canva Pro, which I recommend.

Now, I say that because you are a professional organization, you are in a competitive market and want to stand out in front of people. That way, when you have professional Canva, you can access different templates and over 5000 images.

You can upload other things. The big benefit of Canva Pro is it provides images for you. I think it has something like 5,000 different images that you can use.

Now, let’s talk about social media marketing automation. We spoke about Canva and creating branded images for social media. Now, let’s discuss what else you need to consider regarding marketing automation.

The next thing I want to talk about is social media marketing automation. I don’t want to get into the bait of whether social media automation is good. I think it’s useful. There are things that I will post on social media, and I will post them straight away, or I will use the functionality that Facebook and LinkedIn have, where you can schedule content ahead of time. However, it is time-consuming.

Here is a marketing hack to consider.

That is, use your marketing content multiple times; this is where automation software can help.

Let me share two that we’ve used, and our clients use; they work well and are inexpensive.

One is called MeetEdgar, and the other is SmarterQueue.

Let me talk about MeetEdgar because they’re both very similar. I think you can start on MeetEdgar for literally $10, $15 a month, and then it goes up depending on how many social channels you have.

What I particularly like about MeetEdgar, apart from the fact that you can upload videos through it as well, is that it has something known as categories. What you can do is you can create multiple categories that will work for your business.

For instance, you might have a client category and a candidate category. You might have four or five different verticals that you’re working on, each of which could be a category. You could have promotional posts, personal branding posts, you could have company posts, you could have job advert posts, and you could have value content posts.

What I love about MeetEdgar is that you can upload content, and it will keep posting that content repeatedly for you, so you’ve always got something going out. Let’s say that you know that on a Monday morning, you want to make sure that a piece of content goes out that talks to candidates about coming to your website and checking out what’s there. You can schedule that so it goes out at eight every Monday morning.

I mentioned multiple pieces of software here.

We have businesses that we are working with that are turning over multiple six and seven-figures and using purely just these pieces of software.

They’re not gone crazy, crazy, crazy. They’re using software that is easy and simple to use.

I think one of the things always to remember with marketing is, who’s going to learn it and use it?

Don’t freak yourself out by having something where it will be a bit more challenging for you to use.

I’ve talked about your need for an email marketing system. If you’ve got one with your CRM database, happy days, make sure your website, which is a marketing machine for you, is a piece of software with a blog and the ability to build landing pages.

That’s quite easy to do on many websites, or your website designer can do that for you. There’s so much they can do for you there, so it makes it easy.

You need an email system. If you don’t have an email system with your current CRM, you need to be able to email people.

As a marketing strategy, it will give you the highest ROI of any strategy you use because people do not convert immediately. Shout-out for the buying cycle. Go and look on the Superfast recruitment website about the buying cycle and how important that is. You need to nurture people because they won’t convert immediately.

When it comes to writing and ideas and things like that, Word Hippo, Grammarly, and ChatGPT can give you lots of ideas.

When it comes to graphics, Canva Pro is our go-to system, and it also has images you can use

Social media automation software is a lifesaver.

So, several things to consider that are not expensive. You could probably get going for less than £1,000/$1300 a year with all these different things, which will make a huge difference for you.

Thanks

Denise

As part of Superfast Circle, we recommend software and have experienced people who can teach you how to use everything if you want to find out more, book a call with one of us here.

The post The Marketing Tech Stack Your Recruitment Company Needs appeared first on Superfast Recruitment.

Today let’s talk about marketing communication and emojis and how and why to use them as part of your marketing.

First, I think it’s good to explore where did they come from, what are they all about, why are they suddenly being used everywhere; AND why you should consider using them in your marketing?

Now, it’s not uncommon for people to communicate in pictures as well as text. You only need to think about pictograms from years ago, which have always been part of the human experience of how we express our feelings, our emotions, and how we communicate.

I remember years ago, I went to Egypt on holiday and went into one of the pyramids and saw all the amazing hieroglyphics; of course, that was a way that people communicated so they used text and they used imagery.

Now, the first smiley emojis appeared on message boards in the early to mid-’90s, but they really came to fruition through a Japanese guy called Shigetaka Kurita.

He came up with the concept of the emoji, and he worked for a Japanese cell/mobile company. This happened in 1999, and those were the first emojis. He came up with 176 emojis that then started to be used on mobile phones.

They were something novel. It was something innovative, and they started to take off.

Now apparently, there are around about 3,000 different emojis that you can get hold of. I’m going to share some places where you can find them as well. We went from having a couple of hundred through to now we have 3,000 emojis.

Contrary to popular belief, the word “emoji” does not come from emotion. It comes from a Japanese word that means picture and letter. They combined the two words, even though emojis are very good at expressing emotion, and that’s the whole point of talking about them today when it comes to marketing.

Over a period of about, I don’t know, 10, 15 years, emojis started to increase in popularity, and, of course, that was aligned with smartphone usage. Then, of course, they appeared on keyboards to the point where in 2015, the emoji actually appeared in the Oxford English Dictionary for the first time.

I think it came out that emoji was the most popular word or voted the most popular word in 2015.

Who knew?

Anyhow, that is the journey, and, of course, if you consider how we now live in a digital environment more so than we have ever done and what’s happened over the last few years with the pandemic that people are using their smartphones to communicate.

We have Millennials/Gen Y, and we have Gen Z, and both of these groups communicate online and via email as their preferred choice.

I love them both, but they can be a tad ‘lazy’ when it comes to picking up the phone!

As a general rule, they often will communicate via emojis, and that is something that, whether we like it or not, or whether we agree with it or not, it is now part of our environment. It’s part of how we communicate. It’s part of how other people express themselves.

Emojis are a great way of actually saving brain power sometimes in how you communicate, or you’re sending a text, or you’re sending an email, and it can be slightly cold.

Emojis are a way to enrich the communication piece.

Sometimes it also helps to clarify and strengthen what we are saying, so that is one of the many benefits of emojis in how you communicate.

There are several benefits to using emojis in your marketing. As with anything, anything that’s overdone loses its impact. You also have to think about your customer Avatar, who you want to reach out to, and whether will they work with that group.

A great thing about emojis is they are a universal language. With digital marketing, you can reach just about anybody now online, and they could be from a different country, and you can use an emoji, and everyone understands the laughing emoji; everyone understands the annoyed emoji.

They really can bridge a communication gap.

Also, when you use them as a writer, I never thought I’d say this, but they can make your communication clearer with regard to the intentionality of what you’re saying.

Of course, emojis humanise your brand; your brand is all about connecting with people and communicating who you are and what you do. By using them, you most certainly connect with people at a different level and in a different way.

If you come back to our Avatar, understanding your Avatar and their use of emojis will then help you to work out which ones you could use and what difference that could make.

Now it’s quite common, and it’s a well-known fact that emojis definitely drive up audience engagement; It’s such a pity that our email provider does not have them as something I can use in emails, but they most certainly do improve engagement on social posts.

Are you listening, Keap?

It’s something to consider that when you are posting on social media, could you make your communication, particularly from a personal branding point of view, communicate and improve the level of emotion in what you were saying because people really do respond to emotion.

[Fact: Always remember, people buy on emotion. They justify their purchase logically afterwards.]

Remember, a lot of us are visually referenced. If you are seeing a big block of text on a post on LinkedIn, it might not be as welcoming for you to read.

Whereas if there’s a couple of emojis there, you’re going to get a sense of, uhm, what is this talking about? It really draws the eye because you can use different emojis.

You can shorten your communication.

You can make it really punchy, really clear, and people get it. Using a using a few thumbs up, using one of my favourite ones is a woman holding a hand up .

Doing all of these different things can make a difference for you.

Now, where do you find emojis?

All the social platforms have them. If you’re on LinkedIn there’s not a huge number on LinkedIn, but if you’re on LinkedIn, it will automatically give you emojis to use. Exactly the same with Facebook.

If you are a Windows user, hit the Window key and full stop, and that will bring up a set of emojis for you. If you’re a Mac user, again, I think it’s Control–Command–Space, something like that, that you press, and it will come up.

There’s a great website as well called Emojipedia. If you just go to emojipedia.org, you can find the emojis that you want to use there.

To be honest, as with most things in life, just go and Google it because, with new up-and-coming rising trends, there are always multiple options for you appearing all the time, so just go and Google best emoji websites.

Something I would say to you is if you are going to use them, use similar ones, so rather than always doing random emojis, give people a sense of you and your brand.

I mentioned the fact that we often put the hand up, the woman’s hand up, the male hand up , and we have ticks , and we have thumbs up and we have thumbs down .

Use a pattern of emojis so people get to understand you and your brand and how you’re communicating.

So where could you start using emojis in your marketing?

Thanks,

Denise

Marketing and especially digital marketing, are evolving all the time. And as our lives become busier, you want to ensure you are on point with the strategies and actions that work. As a Superfast Circle member, we got you

We share all the strategies that are working now, and as part of your membership, every month, we run an additional training session. If you want a quick demonstration of how Superfast Circle could work for you, book a call here.

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Welcome to the first in a series of blogs surrounding marketing questions clients often ask us, and today’s topic is all about campaigns. 

As recruitment marketing experts, recruitment business owners and their marketers often approach us to discuss the different types of campaigns to use for the best effect. With the rise of social media, there are now a few areas to choose from when running your campaigns. 

In today’s blog, we look at how to utilise different avenues for your various campaigns, from the ‘old school’ to newer methods.  

First, let’s look at how you can use direct mail as a strategy to increase client leads. 

We were asked earlier on in the year about direct mail:  

I would say absolutely – direct mail will work, does work and has been working for us even throughout COVID.  

However, it depends on your market. I would recommend using direct mail to send out something of value to your sector, but send it out to people who are starting to go through the buyer’s cycle.  

One individual that we were talking to had an idea to get a couple of thousand documents printed up and send them out to people.  

Yes, depending on the size of the fee you have, something may come of doing that. However, it is an expensive exercise. 

Our suggestion to our clients and anyone who asks us is that if you’re going to send out direct mail, make it very targeted and send it to people who are already engaged in your sales process. It could be that receiving that brochure, piece of lumpy mail or a freebie will tip somebody over the edge.  

The truth is it doesn’t need to be expensive. As part of our process, we send out a sales brochure which we also have in a PDF format, but when the printed brochure drops on the doormat, it looks very professional.  

Top tip – we send it in a slightly different envelope, which catches people’s attention. 

If you’ve got a good sales brochure with lots of testimonials and different case studies in it, then use that.  

The other thing you can do is send a piece of value-added content in the form of a brochure style. 

Let me explain how that might work.  

On the Superfast website, you will see various places where you can download a checklist from us. We also have a guide to content marketing, an automation guide and a couple of different PDFs.  

Imagine what your equivalent might be; you could have these printed up inexpensively and send them out.  

The great thing about doing something like this is that not everybody else is doing it. Bear in mind these are your hot prospects that will be receiving your mail. How different will your brand come across compared to others?  

We write campaigns for clients in our membership programme, and they also receive a report that we write every month. They’ve got multiple options, and one is to get it printed up and send it out.  

There are other types of collateral you can send out, too.  

It could be a mug, a pen or a pad of paper. You could even send a USB drive containing some value-added pieces or videos.  You can send all of these different things, but the critical thing here is to make sure it’s branded up. 

Secondly, make sure you send it to people as part of an ongoing process and those key clients you want to bring on board, and this would be something you would spend your money on with regards to clients rather than candidates.  

Now the second thing we want to talk about when it comes to campaigns is email campaigns. We get quite a lot of questions about this because email provides you with one of the highest ROIs of nearly any marketing strategy that you can use.  

It would be best if you had multiple campaigns going at the same time. People often say, “Well, where do I start?”. We often ask several questions, such as:  

First of all, if you are short of clients, then you need to have a client emailing campaign. If you are short on candidates, then you need a candidate emailing campaign.  

We recently covered the topic of conversions in this video which might interest you. Sharon talks about how it takes time to nurture people, and not everyone converts straight away. At an absolute minimum, you need to have a client campaign and a candidate campaign.  

It’s always good to keep everything moving along and to always have plenty of options open. 

Also, you will have a database, and you will have lapsed clients. You never know what’s going on in somebody else’s world at any point in time. Maybe they didn’t work with you at one point, but now they’re in a completely different situation, and now they do need your help.  

As a given, make sure that you have a lapsed client campaign to utilise and your current client and candidate campaigns; that will have you covered.  

The final question here around campaigns is about social media.  

It depends on your definition of a campaign, but you need to have social media promotion going out into the market to build brand awareness. 

Because often, this is where people will come across you for the first time. It depends again on what market you’re in; for example, I know some people love Twitter because it works well for them.  

At a minimum, I would suggest being on LinkedIn. I would also test out Instagram because it is growing well, and almost definitely, I would go onto Facebook too. Use these different options because all of those platforms will allow you to advertise on them too.  

Now, the new kid on the block is Clubhouse. Yes, I even have a Clubhouse login and account, but I don’t know what the market is for recruiters there as it’s brand new. At the moment, it’s full of online marketers and entrepreneurs, so watch this space.  

Remember that you need to prioritise what you’re doing as you don’t have an endless supply of time. When it comes to campaigns, have consistent social media going out daily, and you can do that in a campaign type of format. 

So, to recap, use direct mail for those key clients and think about if it’s worth investing some extra time and resources on additional collateral to send in the mail.  

Use email campaigns consistently to engage with current clients and candidates, and utilise social media to run campaigns aimed at your followers.  

Do you have client and candidate email campaigns ready to go? What about social media updates – are you regularly posting to keep your brand awareness up? 

If you know you need to create some new fantastic campaigns but don’t know where to start, we can help. Our email marketing campaigns have been working for our clients successfully for years – click here for more information on how one of our email marketing campaigns could work for you. 

Alternatively, if you need help creating a new marketing plan for your recruitment company that works and don’t know where to start, book a free no-obligation call with our marketing experts today; click here to book your call at a time that suits you. 

This is Denise from Superfast Recruitment saying bye for now. 

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