Marketing strategies for recruitment business Archives - Superfast Recruitment

Let’s discuss reasons and excuses that might stop you from jumping on the marketing ideas we have shared over the past few weeks.

Here is the thing; while we notice that many business owners now see marketing as important, whether that is because they are up-levelling or they have been doing different aspects of marketing, but it’s inconsistent, or whether people are not getting the referral business they used to;…..

They still aren’t jumping into action  

It’s fascinating because only last week, I was chatting with an owner who wants to implement some email campaigns and make their social media much more consistent with value-added content.

That all sounds great, doesn’t it?

Now, what’s interesting, though, is as soon as we talked about what they could do, how they could get started, and what to begin from an implementation point of view, this owner started talking about what they needed to do before they could begin!

I have no doubt that many of you will relate to some of these examples I will share with you because they are incredibly common.

The first thing that needed to happen (from their perspective) before any active marketing could occur was to wait for it; we needed to clean up the database.

Now we all know how important a really good quality database is. We know it’s an ongoing project. Keeping our database clean. Now, the other thing that often comes up as a reason not to start immediately is making website changes.

That could be adding some new pages; it could be changing some of the copy on it; it could be just doing some general updates because some of the technical parts perhaps need updating with plugins and a whole variety of things.

The reality was, as we were chatting with this owner and myself, it became apparent that while marketing was important. They wanted to put these email systems in place, et cetera; it would take several months before the database had been sorted out before the website updates had been done with the backing and forth between themselves and their website designer.

Before that could happen, there were several key assignments that this individual wanted to make sure that they’d brought into the business.

We were probably looking at another three months before any marketing would start, which is quite a time. It’s a full business quarter

Now, let’s think about this, okay? 

Let’s look at what can happen in that time while all these other things are going on. First of all, there’s a huge lost opportunity, if not several lost opportunities, because what it means is that because those new email systems are not going to be put in place for at least three months, there are 90 days of building pipelines and funnels that will create demand for services and opportunities for conversations, meetings for that individual’s teams, and potentially jobs that will be lost.

They’re going to be playing catch up in terms of the time they’ll require to build a funnel to get business.

We’ve probably all heard the data that it takes 60 to 90 days to build a pipeline. Without realising it, that particular business owner was pushing back on building their pipeline and funnel.

Sadly, this is so common.

The other issue is that not only was that individual holding back from starting cold outreach, and of course, when you’re reaching out to a cold audience, it will take longer for that audience to get to know, like, and trust you before they start engaging, they weren’t contacting their current database either #missingthelowhangingfruit

What I mean by that is if we look at our database and LinkedIn connections, we will have people we can put our recruiting offer in front of now.

First, let’s talk about it from a client lead gen point of view.

We have people in that CRM system that we know hand on heart that we haven’t reached out to for quite some time because we’ve been busy working with existing clients if you’ve been busy filling existing roles.

Those warm relationships you’ve had in the past have now cooled off, and yet it’s easier to warm that relationship back up again and create potential opportunity.

Again, a lost opportunity to create some quick wins for this business.

Those quick wins could have been conversations; they could have been meetings. It could have been new jobs on the board.

The final loss for this organisation was around value-add content which was something they wanted to action.

They wanted to make their content more consistent because they realised that while they posted jobs frequently, as many of you do, their value-added social media was quite inconsistent.

So over a business quarter, potentially, that organisation will have another 90 days where all their connections on LinkedIn, both client and prospective candidates, will see more jobs, but they’ll see less value-added content, which people need to see before they say yes.

Another delayed opportunity to nurture connections who are not ready to ‘buy’ yet.

I understand you have to work on assignments; it’s a priority.

Yet, when there are other marketing activities you know you want to get in place, rather than saying, “Well, I can’t start because of….; I need to update my website and clean up my CRM; these are excuses to procrastinate.

What was great about this conversation was, as I was listening to this particular business owner, I think they had been listening to themselves talk because once they’d stopped talking, there was this big, long pause, and then they burst out laughing.

That laugh was, “Of course, Sharon, let’s be honest about it; they could just be reasons, too, couldn’t they?”

I said, “Absolutely,”

Because what often happens is when we want to do something outside our comfort zones or new, we can all relate to this professionally and in our personal lives as our well-that brain goes into overdrive. It is a part of our brain that drives what you and I do; it loves to keep you and me in our comfort zone.

It’s the habit part of our brain; its job is to keep us safe and comfortable.

If things are new to us, such as implementing an email campaign when you haven’t done it before.

Or creating more content, sharing more value-added advice, or perhaps a personal branding post you are stepping out.

These aren’t things that come naturally for many people.

It kicks in when it is outside our comfort zone, that old habit brain.

It will say, “Hang on a minute here. Before you start doing something that’s new and is going to be a bit different, well, just let’s hang on a minute here. Let’s look at what else we could do that’s more comfortable and safe, like cleaning our database.”

This part of our brain will always pull us back to our comfort zone.

Similarly, if you want to grow your business, that growth will not come by being comfortable. Our success will come from the degree that we are willing to be uncomfortable and step outside our comfort zone.

Here’s a suggestion for you.

When you are looking at marketing in the coming months, and you look at what’s a priority for you, what is new, and what timelines have you got in place, is to be mindful as you then map out that slightly more detailed to-do list this month, this quarter, maybe you’re mapping out your 90-day plan; Be very mindful as you start moving into action, if that voice inside your head starts kicking off, as soon as you notice it saying, “Ah, but you need to do this first,” just put it back in its box and take that step.

Whether it’s 20 or 30 minutes, or however long that day you’ve set aside to do that particular marketing activity, do it because what that will mean is that you are taking action to start building and nurturing the pipeline that will deliver the demand, the opportunities, the conversations, the jobs, and ultimately, the cash flow into your business.

The longer you delay taking those actions, the longer you wait to create more opportunities for yourself, your team, and your business.

Remember that even if you’re not taking action to move marketing forward, you can bet your bottom dollar a lot of your competitors are.

It is a competitive market, and certainly, we are seeing more and more businesses realising the importance of marketing and acting on it.

Don’t get left behind; watch out for that habit brain telling you that list of things that need doing before you can start levelling up or starting your marketing.

Put that voice back in the box and act.

Thanks

Sharon

As part of Superfast Circle, we will support you in pushing through the barriers that come up for you as you move forward so you can start getting results like our clients do, which you can read and watch in their case studies here.

Not only do we help direct you on your marketing, we are also qualified business and life coaches that will help you manage your mind too.

The post Reasons and Excuses That Keep Us Stuck appeared first on Superfast Recruitment.

Today we are talking about marketing systems and what you need in your recruitment and

We’ve just come off the back of Recruitment Marketing Week at the end of last month and had a lot of positive feedback.

Potentially, we will run it again later on in the year, definitely after the summer, because I think people found a lot of value in it.

One of the things that came out of the five days that we spent with, I think it was just the best part of nearly 100 people, is what systems do I need?

Now, we have done a deep dive into all the different elements. I thought it would be a good idea to record this podcast today and share with you seven marketing systems that you need to have in your business if you want to be successful if you want to maintain the clients and the candidates that you’ve already got and if you’d like to make more placements.

Let me go through all of these each in turn.

I want to start with what is critical: creating a marketing system to I.D. the right clients and candidates you want to work with.

One of the questions we often have for clients when they start working with us relates to data.

Sometimes people haven’t done the math related to their numbers.

What they’re hoping to achieve from the candidates they want to place is probably not going to happen because; the data does not add up. They want to deliver deals that are not going to happen with the current clients and candidates they are working with

The first thing you need to do is have some form of a system so that you can identify the best clients for us to work with and the candidates we want to place.

Now, you’ll have heard us talk in the past about your ideal client avatar, your ideal candidate avatar. If you are listening to this on the Superfast Recruitment website, go onto the blog and put in the search bar “avatar.” I know I’ve recorded several podcasts on that, which will help.

That’s the first thing you need to do because if you are marketing, you want to create demand. The important thing is creating demand with the right people. It’s about having a system to identify that, which is number one. You’ve got the right people then, so you’ve got the right type of companies you want to target, the right candidates.

The second thing is you must have a process for establishing your authority and credibility in the market. This is something where many people miss out on the opportunity building a brand presence, can bring.

This big chunky bit of marketing starts the whole process moving.

Some of the things that we’re talking about are, firstly, your brand and how you stand out in the marketplace, how you capture attention, how you continue to grab attention, and how you become the authority because when you work in the recruitment sector, you are working in a B2B environment.

I know you work with candidates, so it’s slightly different. However, you are working in a space where you have to establish authority and credibility because when it comes to recruitment, and for many B2B services we’re a B2B service as well, you have to build a much higher level of trust with potential clients before they say yes.

Now I can go onto Amazon. I went onto Amazon the other day. We were looking for one of these robot hoovers. Our nephew suggested it might be a good idea for us to get a robot, Hoover.

Off-topic fact, and do you realise you can get robot hoovers that will mop the floor as well? How amazing is that?

We’re probably not going to do a huge amount of research; we will look at a couple of reviews, I’m sure we’ll look at the price point, and then we’ll click purchase.

It’s different when you’re talking about human capital because we don’t do that. We think a lot more before we start working with another service supplier. That is why establishing your authority and your credibility is key.

The good news is that in today’s marketplace, as a small business owner, you can compete online if you are a micro-business or you’re a small S.M.E. The internet, the Googles have made that more than possible for you, whereas maybe in the past, it wasn’t quite as easy to get in front of your clients.

You are listening to a podcast. We do not pay to promote this podcast at all. There isn’t any paid advertising around it currently. Yet you come, and you listen to this every week. Many of our clients listen to this; for many people, that’s the first place they found us.

On top of that, you’ve got every social channel on the planet. You’ve got LinkedIn that doesn’t pay you to be a member. You have Facebook, Instagram, and all of these places you can get your message out in front of your customer.

You can write blog content, our Superfast Circle of clients, and get their content from us. You can write blog content; you can put it onto your website. People can find you; you can demonstrate your expertise. You can upload information to LinkedIn. All of this is going to establish your authority and credibility.

You can write a report, and that report, someone can give you their name and then give you their email address. We’ll come onto that in the next system later on.

You’ve got all these different things that can establish you as an individual who knows and understands hiring and the sector.

That is a system you must have because consistency was one of the challenges many people talked about last week on Recruitment Marketing Week, and they know that sometimes they weren’t as consistent as they could have been. That’s because sometimes they weren’t sure what to do.

Consistency is key. If you actually can nail this around being credible and being out in front of your environment– When I say your environment, your business environment, your candidates, and clients make a massive difference.

Next is creating a lead generation system. If you haven’t watched our on-demand training, you can access it here.

How are you going to attract these leads? Where are you going to get them from?

You can mine multiple places, including your own database and every social channel. A task for you go and access this free training where we give away the system our clients use.

The lead generation triad.

Number 4, and I know this sounds probably a bit different, but this is your sales system because you’re thinking, “I thought we were talking about marketing here, Denise.”

Yes, we are, but marketing and sales work together. Remember that when creating leads, what’s the next step in the process? Then you have to convert these leads.

Of course, as we know, unfortunately, people rarely say yes straight away.

That is why you need a sales system. If you haven’t listened to the last podcast, number 387, which is around follow-up, then you need to have a sales system so that your consultant, and maybe you, can follow up with people consistently.

That will create your sales system that uses marketing collateral to help them convert.

Now, number 5 is you need a client onboarding and a candidate onboarding process. As recruiters, you all know when onboarding goes awry, often when a candidate doesn’t stay in a job or a client comes back to you and doesn’t like the candidate.

The fact is that onboarding is key to your candidates and clients getting the best results out of your service.

Imagine that you have a candidate that’s uploaded their CV, nothing happens, or their resume. They’ve put the name and email address into your webpage and uploaded the document; they don’t hear anything, crickets, or even get an email.

Maybe they get an email acknowledging, “We will be back to you should your CV or resume fit any opportunity. If you haven’t heard back from us the next month, assume it doesn’t–”

I’m sorry, that is outrageous to be doing that when you have so many other options.

I know we’re all busy, but it doesn’t take much to set up a system so that people get a bit of T.L.C. and feel good about the process.

Even if they don’t get a role with you, they still talk to friends about, “Do you know what? Acme Recruitment was amazing. I didn’t get the job, but oh, the process I went through, and they gave me lots of help and support.”

It’s the same with clients. When a client comes on board– You know what it’s like when you’re a client, and they’ve contacted you, maybe you’re on a contingency basis with them. They’ve given you a job, but then they start thinking, “Do you know what?

I’m not getting much conversation here. Nothing’s happening; nobody’s getting in contact with me. I think I might also give this to another recruiter and see how that works.”

These examples happen consistently when you have not created a system related to working with candidates and clients.

Next one number 6. This is all about upselling and outreaching your current clients and candidates because who knew that these individuals might know many other people? It might be that you’ve got, in the nicest possible way, a foot in the door with a particular company.

What if one of the M.D.s or one of the directors happens to know somebody else in another division that you could also help?

Think about what you will do about upselling all the different elements of your service and how you will use this with the people you are with so they continue working with you. I’ve already alluded to it around the client and candidate onboarding, but how will they continue to work with you for the longer term? What marketing, what continual demand experience can they have from you as well?

Then the final one is you need a system for measuring your actions. Now, depending on how new you are to marketing or how long you’ve been doing it, I think starting with your input is good.

We were talking with one of our Superfast Circle clients about inputs. She wanted to measure some different things, and we were giving her some input suggestions.

You need to create a marketing system around that, so you can analyse all your hard work because this isn’t about beating yourself up emotionally; this is about data.

We don’t want drama; we want data.

We want to look at the data and think, “Is this up? Is this down? If it’s down, I wonder why it’s down. I wonder what part of the process we might have dropped the ball on.”

There are no guilty feelings here. It’s about, “What have I done right, or what else could I have done?

I remember we had a landing page earlier this year, and it was like we were getting people to the landing page, but when they got to the landing page, things were going awry. The number of people that normally put their name and email address on the landing page was much lower than normal.

When I checked the landing page, some of the copy was wrong. We changed the copy around. We removed some of the copy and added some slightly different things. I think we added a new colour and a bigger button.

I know, crazy. A bigger button. That made a big difference.

Sometimes it’s asking the uncomfortable question; “Are we doing enough?” I know I was talking to another client about the recent shifting market. If you look at cold outreach, which works incredibly well, you still need to do more than you used to do.

There you have seven marketing systems that will make your marketing work better.

You need to be able to identify who’s your ideal client and candidate; then, you can create your messaging around that. You need to establish your authority and credibility as the go-to person in the market.

Number 3, get your lead generation, and qualification system dialed in.

Then you need your sales system, which will include marketing collateral because, remember, very few people say yes, the first time you talk to them. Client and candidate onboarding make that work, and then we’ve also got upselling, creating more demand and referral, and measurement.

Thanks,

Denise

As part of Superfast Circle, we help our clients design and develop marketing systems for their businesses and provide all the collateral they need.

If you want to find out how we can help you stand out and deliver more move-ready candidates and job-ready meetings, then book a quick call with us here.

The post 7 Marketing Systems Every Recruitment Company Needs appeared first on Superfast Recruitment.

As a recruitment business owner, it can be challenging to manage and direct all aspects of your business, especially when it comes to marketing, a skill set that many leaders in the recruitment and staffing space haven’t developed yet.

Yet the truth is marketing is critical to the growth and success of your business, especially in the uncertain and strange times we are now experiencing.

• What strategy could work best for you in your sector and where you are currently?

All logical questions and one a marketing director is best placed to help with.

What are your options? Enter your outsourced virtual marketing director. So let’s talk about their many benefits, where and how they can help, and how you can find someone ideal for you.

One of the primary benefits of using an outsourced virtual marketing director is that they bring expertise and experience to the table.

Marketing is complex.

Made more so in the last few years as digital marketing, tech stacks in recruitment, and A.I. have made marketing more powerful yet even more challenging to get your head around.

Even the best marketing exec, manager, or director can occasionally struggle to get their head around creating demand with two separate groups: clients and candidates.

Hiring a full-time or even part-time marketing director can be costly. For micro and small SME recruiters, this type of headcount is expensive. Factor in a salary of around £/$ 50-80k plus benefits depending on where you are in your particular country, where you are in the world, and their experience level.

Common sense says it’s not viable.

It’s a huge salary drain for a company that might only be currently turning over less than £/$500k, and yet the inputs from someone like this will be pivotal in taking you to your first million.

First, they are not another employee that needs to be managed by you, yet you can have their input on a call or Zoom/Teams meeting at a fraction of the cost exactly when you need them.

This is one of the reasons we set up Superfast Circle in the first place. We knew our clients wanted more clarity and direction on their next steps, and this was where we could help them when they needed some quick input.

Recruitment businesses are dynamic, and marketing strategies need to be flexible to keep up with changes in the industry and the market in general. Your outsourced marketing director will keep themselves ahead of the game, always!

They have to that is how they make their living. They know you need their support and advice, so they make sure they take part in additional training and conferences, so you don’t have to factor in the resource to make this happen; that is both time and money. Because they are ahead of the game, you will be too.

More recruitment and staffing companies are recruiting marketing executives, marketing apprentices and administrative assistants to support their marketing efforts.

Marketing Executives are often individuals in the early stages of their careers with less knowledge of the complexities of the recruitment industry and what strategies do and don’t translate from mainstream marketing.

Apprenticeships are a great thing. The challenge is they are theory-based rather than practical and simply are not recruitment marketing-focused, making it difficult for junior marketers to learn their craft.

Having worked with many marketers over the past few years, we have seen them struggle with a lack of direction, not understanding the client and candidate marketing dynamic, and not knowing where to prioritise their time to get the best results for their manager, you.

Did you know your outsourced marketing director can help here too?

They can give direction on what strategies to use, usually how to do them, and they act as a mentor to your junior marketer, giving them support, training, and direction.

Effective marketing that creates demand with candidates and clients can help you get a higher return on investment (ROI) for your recruitment business.

Fact: An outsourced virtual marketing director can help you design, plan, and create strategies that work in your sector.

Some might even have template campaigns you can use; they have tested that work. That way, you stand out from the competition; You can read about our tested campaigns and how to access them here.

Marketing is a busy discipline that creates results, and it also takes time, especially for you as a recruitment leader when you aren’t sure you are heading in the right direction.

What if you could have access to the two of us as your virtual marketing directors like other members of Superfast Circle? We have 15 years of experience delivering marketing services and strategy in the recruitment sector, plus over twenty years before that in our corporate director roles.

Have a look at our case studies and testimonials and then book a quick call here and let’s have a chat about how we can help.

The post The 5 (Key) Benefits of Using An Outsourced Marketing Director For Small SME Recruiters appeared first on Superfast Recruitment.