Hi everyone, this is Denise, and welcome back to the Recruitment Marketing Sales Podcast. Today, we’re talking about something that’s probably causing many of you stress – the complete chaos that may pass for marketing processes in your recruitment business.

I suspect if you’re reading this, you’re juggling LinkedIn outreach, content creation, candidate nurturing, client relationships, and about 15 other marketing tasks. Then there’s managing your team and growth on top of that.

Here’s what I know about the majority of recruitment business owners – you’re incredible at finding talent and closing deals. Still, when it comes to systematising your marketing processes, you’re winging it. In the UK, we have this saying about “flying by the seat of your pants” or making it up as you go along. This approach is costing you time, money, and probably your sanity.

In today’s environment, there’s always another piece of software you could use or another AI tool you absolutely must try. It’s easy to get overwhelmed thinking you’re losing out if you don’t buy 30 different domain names or use every new platform. That’s not the case.

What you need is to focus on the basics and have systems and processes around them. You build from there. That’s what we’re talking about today – standard operating procedures, a paint-by-numbers system that literally anyone can follow and implement.

Standard operating procedures have been around for years. The earliest documented SOPs were from the British Royal Navy, which needed consistency and reliability in its operations. They needed tasks completed within a specific timeframe with documented processes for onboarding tasks.

SOPs became widespread during the Industrial Revolution, and the military adopted the formalisation of these procedures. As small business owners, we use them now for workflow and getting things done in a timely manner without losing our minds.

An SOP is fundamentally the basics – it stands for standard operating procedure. It’s simply a step-by-step guide that documents how to complete a specific task or process in your business. Think about it logically – it’s like a recipe. But instead of making a cake or apple crumble, you’re creating a repeatable system for onboarding a new client or creating LinkedIn content.

Over the years, SOPs have grown in their use, particularly with remote work. For marketing SOPs, there’s another element you can add – creating a video of the process. This is quite nuanced for marketing because you can record yourself doing something, and that video becomes a training resource.

Here’s where most business owners get it wrong – SOPs don’t need to be fancy. They don’t need lots of workflows and fancy formatting. The best SOPs are simple, clear bullet points: Step one, Step two, Step three, Step four. They work well when you have a video to watch simultaneously.

Simple Word document processes work particularly well for slightly more technical processes. Something I do is screen grabs using the snipping tool. You can paste these into your recipe if that works for you.

As a recruitment business, SOPs are particularly crucial because your marketing activities are relationship-based and require consistency. When you’re building relationships with candidates and clients, you can’t afford to be inconsistent in your approach.

If you stop posting or a random post goes out that doesn’t follow your format, such as the wrong colour or imagery, it can impact your brand.

Let me give you examples of marketing SOPs that every recruitment business should consider:

Content creation SOPs could include how to research and write LinkedIn posts that generate leads, how to create video content for candidates, how to create video content for clients, and how to repurpose one piece of content across multiple platforms.

Lead generation SOPs might cover how to identify and research potential clients, how to implement a LinkedIn outreach campaign, and how to follow up with prospects.

Imagine having all of these that your team could follow, so you know things are getting done right. Using and implementing these systems is important with your team because you want to support them. SOPs do that and minimise the number of questions you get.

I often say to team members, “Have you watched the SOP video and followed the SOP? Go back and look at them.” They’ll come back saying they worked it out because they’d missed step five or six. People often think they remember things, but even I use SOPs.

For our email marketing, I know how to do everything, but I haven’t done it for a few weeks because a different team member has been handling it. So, I go back to the SOP to remind myself which button to click. They’re helpful as memory joggers for people implementing the process.

Let me share about Sarah, who runs a recruitment company. Every week, she posted on LinkedIn ten times at completely random times whenever she got a spare minute. Sometimes she posted about industry trends, sometimes personal branding posts, testimonials, or just something interesting she found.

Her engagement was inconsistent. She wasn’t getting many views and wasn’t sure what was working.

I had a conversation with Sarah about creating an SOP for LinkedIn content creation. She now has a system: Monday is industry insights, Wednesday is success stories, Thursday is a poll, Friday is career advice. She has templates for each type of post.

Once she started doing this, her engagement shot through the roof because she was doing something consistently. We’ve all experienced looking for something on a particular day. Most people listening to this podcast know that every Friday, you get a short email from us saying, “Here’s our latest podcast, you might find it useful.”

It’s consistency. By knowing what to do when, people start looking for things. We’ve all watched soaps on TV and know they’re on at certain times. The BBC has news at 6:00 and 10:00 every night. I’m wired to look because I usually work till 6:00 in the evening and time it to one minute to six.

That’s how people are wired – they’re looking for things from you. Having that SOP makes a huge difference.

Let me share more benefits of creating SOPs that might convince you further.

Consistency builds trust. In recruitment, consistency is everything. Your clients need to know they can rely on you. Your candidates need to feel confident in the process. When you have SOPs for marketing activities, you ensure every touchpoint with your audience reflects your brand, values, and standards while getting people excited about working with you.

SOPs save you time. Have you ever thought, “Do I need to do this first, or that first?” only to spend time looking for passwords? You can waste hours each week on this. With your SOP, you may have saved it on your system with a search string to find it in Dropbox. That saves hours.

Scalability without chaos. This is huge. Right now, for many of you, the business revolves around you, particularly if you’re new to creating content. What happens when you want to grow, hire team members, or take a holiday? SOPs help because people just need to follow them.

If you’re working with a virtual assistant in the Philippines, South Africa, or anywhere remote, they can get consistent results. You become less of a bottleneck and more of the strategic leader you’ve always wanted to be.

Increased quality and reduced errors. When you’re rushing through marketing tasks without a systematic approach, mistakes happen. You forget to follow up with leads, miss essential details in client communications, or publish content with errors. Having an SOP reduces these errors.

One benefit I mentioned with Logan, one of our team members, is better training and onboarding. People feel included in the process. You can’t just hand someone something and say, “follow that step by step,” but having that SOP means you can go through training quickly and support your people.

Documented systems mean improvement opportunities. Having a documented system means you can identify and implement improvements. If you see something that could be done more efficiently, having an SOP gives you something to examine and modify.

There’s something valuable about peace of mind that’s hard to quantify. When you’ve got systems in place, you can take time off without worrying that your marketing is falling apart. You can focus on strategy rather than constantly putting out fires.

I’m going to share the simple process for creating a marketing SOP. Here’s something that’s not popular but necessary – you need to do it, not somebody else. You want the business done your way.

Our team members have training videos and resources. I’m talking to people creating SOPs themselves. The important thing is you know what you want and how you want it delivered.

When we had our bigger marketing agency writing content, I used to drive people mad because I wanted things delivered in a certain way. I wanted our clients to get a great experience, and I wanted the documents they received formatted the same way – same font, same point size. We used Calibri 11 point with subheadings at 16 points. I wanted consistency. I didn’t want it looking like what we call in the UK “a dog’s breakfast.”

Creating that SOP fell to me. Yes, it’s time-consuming, but things get done your way. You can ask for feedback and adapt things – people might add something to the conversation. However, doing the SOP yourself works well.

Here’s how I create an SOP using a simple three-step process:

First, record yourself doing the task. A great way to do this is using Zoom. In Zoom, there’s a button you can click that will transcribe your audio from the video, which is brilliant.

When you record doing the task, and this has to be said, don’t mumble, don’t speak fast, don’t be clicking rapidly. Someone doing this process may not have done it before. Go through the task painfully slowly so they understand every part of the process.

Second, get the video transcribed. If you’re using something other than Zoom as a video recorder, you need to get a transcription. This is where it becomes amazing because AI is so helpful.

Third, use AI to create your SOP. If you have the transcription from your video recording, you can use your favourite AI tool – there are multiple ones out there. The paid ones are always better, whether it’s ChatGPT or Claude (one of my favourites).

You get your transcription and put a prompt into your AI tool. Give a detailed prompt like: “I have a transcription of myself performing writing a personal branding post. Please create a comprehensive standard operating procedure based on this transcription. Please number it from one to the final number. Leave spacing. Start with a capital letter. Please make it practical and easy to follow for someone who hasn’t done this task before. Here’s the transcription.”

AI will work its magic and usually come up with something more than usable. You must read through it all and check the nuances because sometimes AI tools can produce ridiculous things. Make sure you go through and tweak anything needed.

Then I test it by following it to the letter myself to see how it works. I can tweak it if I’ve missed something during the recording. Remember, AI can only work with what you give it. If you forgot to mention clicking somewhere or saving something, AI won’t pick that up because you missed it in the video.

That’s something anyone can do when creating an SOP. Record yourself doing the process. Use the transcription given to you or use a tool to transcribe it (there are Otter, Sonix, Descript, and multiple AI transcribing tools that do it almost instantly). Then, you’ve got your SOP.

We have a folder with different people accessing it – a secure business version of Dropbox with a training folder inside. Every single process is listed out with videos recorded and SOPs from those videos.

Imagine by the end of summer having SOPs created for key functions in your business. If you have a marketer, you could ask them to make an SOP on their process. Then, if they’re on holiday or you become busy, one of their colleagues can use the same process.

SOPs aren’t just for marketing. They could be for sales too. I was brought up with sales scripts, and they’re brilliant despite what anyone tells you. They put multiple six figures into my bank account over the years.

Consider the value and beauty of how you can use SOPs in other parts of your business. This is a foolproof process I’ve used that works incredibly well.

Thanks

Denise

Creating effective marketing SOPs is just one part of building a scalable recruitment business. If you’re ready to systematise your marketing processes and stop winging it with your business growth, we can help. Our programmes give you the frameworks, templates, and step-by-step guidance to create marketing systems that work for recruitment businesses. You’ll get the SOPs, the training videos, and the ongoing support to implement them properly in your business.

The post Why Marketing SOPs Save Recruitment Business Sanity appeared first on Superfast Recruitment.

Hi there, everyone. This is Denise. As we move through July, it’s the perfect time for a six-month review of your recruitment business. This year has been anything but predictable, and if you’re wondering what’s happened over the past six months, you’re in the right place.

The landscape has been challenging. We’ve got new governments with different approaches, tariffs in the US creating global uncertainty, and constant changes to employee and employer costs in the UK. All of this is significantly impacting recruitment.

What’s been labelled a “white-collar recession” is reshaping how we source talent. Clients are demanding more for less, and it’s been a tough six months. But here’s the thing about challenges – they create opportunities too.

Today, we will examine the numbers, what’s worked in sales and marketing, face some hard truths, and give you actionable ideas.

You’re correct if you feel like it’s been tougher than usual. I recently used AI research for a client, and the global trends show the UK market is more depressed than the US market. Australia is having an unusual time, but is predicted to bounce back next year.

This “white-collar recession” is a strange phenomenon in which corporate profits remain strong but hiring has dipped. However, there are several interesting contradictions. Twenty-three per cent of UK workers are planning to quit their jobs in 2025—that’s higher than the US’s 19% and Australia’s 18%. There’s movement, just not the kind we’re used to.

Meanwhile, over 80% of companies report skills gaps in specific areas. Nearly nine out of ten companies are struggling to find the right talent. The need is there – it’s about how you sell your service to these companies.

The professional services sector is experiencing a staggering high turnover rate. This isn’t just churn – it’s opportunity knocking loudly on your door. You’re not alone if you’ve been struggling with new client acquisition. However, if you’ve positioned yourself as a solution to skills gaps rather than just another recruitment company, you’ve likely seen some wins.

Your clients aren’t looking for bodies on seats. They’re looking for predictability and recruitment partners who can anticipate their needs. Finding the right skills is five times more predictive of job performance than traditional degree-based hiring. As a recruiter, this is where you excel.

Marketing and sales are different functions. Marketing creates demand, and sales convert that demand. Are you reaching out to a wider audience, going deeper with your current audience, or focusing on a vertical? We often realise we’re not doing as much as possible during challenging times.

I spoke with a client recently who’d been following our strategies. His LinkedIn connections had grown significantly, but he went quiet when I asked about his outreach messaging. He admitted he hadn’t been reaching out like he normally would. Remember, you must convert the demand you’re creating at some point.

Don’t base expectations on what happened post-pandemic. The years 2021-2023 were exceptional. As a business owner, you must consistently market more because markets change. Then you convert that demand by selling and making offers.

If you haven’t listened to my podcast about the lead generation triad, go to superfast.co.uk/LGT and watch the video. I discuss three key areas: leveraging your current database, content marketing, and cold outreach. Recruiters are doing well and utilising all these elements.

Content is a huge win for recruitment business owners because it appeals to candidates and clients. It works ahead of time and continues working for you. B2B content marketing costs significantly less than traditional marketing methods and can generate up to three times the leads – check HubSpot’s research reports for verification.

Very few people buy on a whim. They research, check people out, and determine if someone can help them. Content is your route to establishing this trust. The recruitment businesses that are winning are adapting, using content, understanding the market, and appreciating that hiring cycles are longer.

They’re investing in educational and thought leadership content distributed through social media and email marketing. LinkedIn is a golden channel—nearly a billion people are on LinkedIn, but less than 4% post regularly. If you post twice daily on LinkedIn, you’ll stand out as someone who understands their market.

You’ve likely seen increased views and interactions if you’ve been publishing thought leadership content, industry insights, and information about skills-based hiring. We run personal branding challenges with our clients, and they all report significant differences in engagement levels.

You can use reports, white papers, and case studies—all of which are proving particularly impactful. People go through a buying cycle, from unaware to aware to considering to deciding. Throughout this process, they look for information and check if you’re consistently present.

Email marketing remains incredibly effective. Even in the UK, you can still send cold emails. Open rates are increasing in B2B because Google and Microsoft’s cleanup campaigns have removed inactive users. Open rates between 40-50% aren’t uncommon now, compared to much lower rates 4-5 years ago.

Classic data shows that for every pound spent on email marketing, you get an ROI between £30 and £40. You leave money on the table if you’re not nurturing your database with valuable content.

Companies getting results now are actively implementing solutions rather than focusing on problems. They’re not sitting in pity parties complaining about the terrible market. They say, “This is what’s happening globally – what solutions can I implement?”

My strong recommendation is to go back to basics during challenging times. Ask yourself: Am I doing cold outreach? Am I picking up the phone? Am I sending direct messages? Am I making more offers? Am I listening to my market? Am I adapting what I’m offering?

Consistent business development (bd) is key. Those who consistently do BD are successful and continue to be successful. Regular outreach, relationship building, and promoting your services make a significant difference.

The most successful businesses combine the lead generation triad – content marketing with systematic outreach processes. If you haven’t checked our YouTube channel, there’s a video recording from one of our events where Sharon goes through the six-step process. Search for “Superfast Recruitment” on YouTube.

AI is incredibly useful in recruitment for administration, sorting, and sifting work. Over 30% of recruiters now use AI tools for grunt work, freeing themselves for strategic work and business development. AI helps schedule appointments and screen CVs, but remember—educational content positions you as a strategic partner.

Combine marketing with business development and use AI for productivity, and you position yourself as a business worth working with. You need all these elements to work together.

If you haven’t listened to Sharon’s belief podcast, please do. Our brains run riot with untrue thoughts, particularly in group situations with people having tough times. Our brains are wired for negativity to protect us, so remember that when planning forward.

Be clear and data-driven. What were your numbers for the first half of the year? Be honest – don’t just say the market’s bad. How many outreaches have you made? No wonder you’re struggling if you’re doing the same things as 2019.

Do you need to double your figures? Send more content? Set up a cold email marketing system? You’ll hear about being resilient and adaptable—these aren’t just advantages but essentials moving forward.

Be resilient because there are challenging times, but also adaptable. Ask yourself: Am I open to this possibility? Could this work? It’s easy to dismiss ideas—”they won’t read that content” or “that won’t work in my sector.” Sometimes, it’s about dropping the ego and looking at what could work.

A coach told me years ago to always think, “Am I open to the possibility that this might work for me?” When we started, we began with cold emailing and phone calls. I’d always worked in pharmaceuticals and had never done a cold email before. I was open to trying, and that’s how we got our first five clients.

If you haven’t tried something, be open to the possibility that it might work in your sector. Marketing is about testing different things and looking at the results. There’s a saying that more millionaires are made in recessions than at any other time. Market challenges create opportunities for agile business owners.

Content marketing and thought leadership help you stand out as a brand. The future belongs to recruiters who can balance AI tools and technology with human connection and understanding.

I spoke with Cheryl Wang from GSR recently, and she said, “The market is changing. We need to do a bit more.” That’s exactly what’s happening. Think about what you’ll do differently. What were your main problems in the first half of the year? What are the solutions you could use moving forward?

You might not like sending direct messages or setting a KPI of 20 LinkedIn invitation requests daily, but it works. It feeds your family and makes a difference as you move forward.

Thanks

Denise

If you’re ready to implement these strategies and want guidance on where to start, we can help. Our Superfast Circle program provides recruitment business owners with the content, systems, and support required to build effective lead generation strategies.

We help you combine content marketing with systems that work whilst developing your brand to stand out in today’s competitive market.

The post Your Mid-Year Recruitment Marketing Reality Check: What’s Working in 2025 appeared first on Superfast Recruitment.

This week’s post and podcast discuss the most common marketing misconceptions holding recruitment businesses back. I see these myths everywhere, and they’re stopping talented recruiters from growing their companies. Let me set the record straight on what’s working in 2025.

After 18 years in recruitment marketing, I’ve heard every excuse in the book. From “marketing is too expensive” to “good work speaks for itself,” these beliefs keep brilliant recruiters stuck. The truth is that the recruitment landscape has changed dramatically, and your marketing approach needs to change with it.

Whether you’re a solo recruiter or running a small agency, these misconceptions could cost you clients and candidates. Let’s tackle them head-on and give you the real facts about what works in today’s market.

This is probably the biggest mix-up I’ve encountered. Business owners constantly confuse marketing and sales, believing they have identical purposes and can be used interchangeably. They absolutely cannot.

Marketing is about creating demand for your recruitment service, and sales is about converting that demand. Think of marketing as setting the stage, and sales as the performance.

When both work together, magic happens.

The brilliant thing about using both within your business is that marketing makes the sales process so much easier. People already understand what you’re selling. They know the benefits of using your service. You’ve handled objections ahead of time, and you’ve created genuine interest.

Your business development recruiter then uses all the information people already have about your recruiting service. All the marketing that’s happened becomes a way to convert prospects. When it comes to recruiting, marketing helps attract more clients and candidates.

This dual approach is unique. Many consultancy businesses focus solely on client acquisition, not candidate acquisition. Having a really honed marketing system and process will make a difference for you.

You can create demand consistently across both parts of your business.

Recruiting is a relationship business built on trust, credibility, and understanding. It’s about demonstrating to people that you can help them by actually helping them before they start working with you.

This approach makes a huge difference to your recruitment company’s success.

I referred to this earlier, and it’s worth repeating. When your business is struggling, yes, you do need marketing. But, like anything worthwhile, it takes time to build. This is where many recruiters shoot themselves in the foot. They only start marketing when they’re desperate.

We’re living in uncertain times, which will continue for some time. Everything happening in the political arena impacts how businesses create revenue. If you haven’t been doing any marketing, you’re starting from zero.

When marketing is consistent, you will never have a problem with leads. You will always have leads coming into your business.

Then you can choose who you work with.

Many recruiters have worked with companies that weren’t ideal for them, but they did it because they needed placements and revenue. Imagine having a marketing system in place all the time.

You can focus on attracting the exact type of clients and candidates you want to work with.

Reactive marketing causes fragmented messaging. Your brand identity gets confused because you’re almost willing to work with anybody and everybody.

This makes a huge difference to your long-term success.

Starting marketing only when you’re desperate is like trying to drill a well when you’re already dying of thirst.

The smart approach is to keep the pipeline flowing before you need it.

This misconception still crops up regularly, particularly when I talk to solo and micro recruiters. The belief that marketing is far too expensive for small businesses, that you’ve got to rely on word of mouth and small networking groups, is completely outdated.

We live in a digital world. It’s amazing what you can do online at an incredibly cost-effective rate. This is one of the reasons we created Superfast Circle for smaller recruitment businesses.

They can implement marketing that makes them look much bigger in such a cost-effective way.

With digital marketing today, the available platforms and AI tools you can access speed up all the processes.

It’s an amazing opportunity for small businesses. You may have attended our Lead Generation Triad training. There, I talk about three areas that work for marketing: cold outreach, content marketing, and mining your current connections.

All of these are easy to implement with marketing, and they’re incredibly cost-effective. Content marketing costs 62% less than traditional methods. Imagine creating brochures, sending out brochures, and attending trade events.

All of these things cost more money.

You’ve got an iPhone, Word or Google Docs, and you can create content. Grab a Canva membership, and you’ve got virtually everything you need.

The tools are there, and they’re affordable.

Depending on your company size, having a large marketing budget can help. But it’s not necessary for most small business owners’ success.

Marketing doesn’t have to break the bank to be effective.

Here’s something that comes up constantly. The belief that good work speaks for itself, so you don’t need to promote it. This is the misconception that quality service will always lead to referrals and word of mouth, so you don’t need active marketing.

I wish that were the case. We get referrals that come to us, and our clients get referrals, which is always brilliant. However, it’s unpredictable. Have you noticed how referrals tend to dry up in uncertain times?

That’s exactly what we’re experiencing now.

You have to promote yourself because people can’t work with you if they don’t know who you are. Complacency can be anyone’s worst enemy.

I fell foul of that back in my days as a sales rep.

Just because you have a sizeable list of repeat customers doesn’t mean they won’t pick up and go elsewhere at the first sign of a better deal. Other recruiters who are more active with marketing will grab your business eventually.

I’m certain of that.

The market is competitive, and standing still means moving backwards. Your competitors are out there right now, building relationships and creating awareness.

If you’re not doing the same, give them a head start.

Quality work is the foundation, but promotion gets people to discover that quality.

Even the best-kept secret is still just a secret until someone shares it.

I often hear people say they don’t want to be on social media. They don’t want to share what they had for breakfast or post personal updates. Of course, that’s your choice. However, when you look at the number of people on the planet, over half of those in the Western world are on social media.

You are missing out. This is where people will find you for the first time. We strongly encourage our clients to be active and present on social media. Post content, share insights about yourself, and create personal branding posts.

Do all of these things where your potential market hangs out.

Your market is active on all the main channels: LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. People are there looking for solutions to their problems.

If you’re not visible, they’ll find someone who is.

Think about your behaviour. When considering working with someone new, don’t you check out their social media presence?

Don’t you look for signs that they’re active, engaged, and knowledgeable in their field?

Your absence from social media isn’t just a missed opportunity for visibility.

It’s a missed opportunity to demonstrate your expertise, build relationships, and stay top of mind with your network.

The key isn’t sharing breakfast photos.

It involves sharing valuable insights and industry knowledge and building genuine connections with people who could become clients or candidates.

Something that frequently arises is people leaving marketing to the last minute. They only start marketing when desperate, believing that marketing results should be immediate.

Results can be quite fast if you mine your current database and look at the strategies we teach. If you have good LinkedIn connections and a strong database of connections and past clients, you can usually get results within weeks.

You can mine those for business as part of the lead generation approach.

Most people underutilise it. But content marketing, brand building, and lead nurturing take weeks and months.

Our clients have been working with us for years, and they continue because they know it works. We’ve had clients who get great results initially, and then it starts to build.

Their business has become completely different within a year of working with us.

Because they are seen everywhere, people recognise them, respond to their outreach requests, work with them, and gain new clients.

Think about your buying behaviour. When you make a significant purchase, do you buy from the first person that connects with you? Rarely. You start to research them online. You look at their website, check their social media, and look for reviews.

All of these things happen over time, and that’s how marketing works.

It builds your presence in front of people, and it takes time. But the compound effect is worth the wait.

Each piece of content, each interaction, and each touchpoint builds on the last.

As we finish up, something that still happens is people saying digital marketing doesn’t work in their industry. “It’s all about relationships. It’s all about hitting the phones.” Hitting the phones is fine – that’s part of your sales process to convert demand.

But digital marketing is amazing.

It’s amazing for smaller businesses because you can compete for the first time in a long time without spending a fortune. You can get yourself and your brand in front of people you never thought possible.

Do a couple of Google searches and use your favourite AI tool. You’ll discover that over 70% of B2B customers consume some form of content before purchasing.

That includes candidates and clients.

Even relationship-based industries like recruitment benefit from having a digital presence. Candidates research employers online before they apply, and they research recruiters they work with.

Clients evaluate recruitment companies through the digital touchpoints you’re putting out there.

Professional networks increasingly operate online. Remote work and hybrid working mean that digital presence makes a real difference.

People are always consuming content; if you’re not creating it, someone else is.

The companies thriving in today’s market aren’t choosing between relationships and digital marketing.

They’re using digital marketing to enhance and scale their relationship-building efforts.

Digital doesn’t replace the human element in recruitment.

It amplifies it. It helps you reach more people, build stronger relationships, and demonstrate your expertise to a wider audience.

I’ve shared quite a few things to challenge your assumptions based on extensive data and our experience working for over 18 years as marketers in this space. Marketing is about continuous demand generation. It’s about marketing and sales working together.

Small recruitment companies can now compete in this uncertain market, and they are in a much better position than ever before. Digital presence amplifies your relationships. Consistency with long-term thinking beats perfection every time.

Differentiation is key, and you do that by standing out. Marketing has many misconceptions, and it’s time to nail them on the head and consider your next steps.

We’re entering the second half of the year. For those in Australia, this means entering your new financial year. For everyone in the UK, this means entering holiday time. You’re also reviewing what’s happened in the first six months and considering what you need to do differently.

Hopefully, this has given you some reasons and ideas on what to look at.

Review all the different Superfast content on the website, and you will see ideas you can implement and consider as we move through the summer.

Then, as you move into September, which is an important period for generating business for most recruiters, this will significantly improve your results.

Thanks

Denise

If these misconceptions ring a bell for you, we can help.

Through our Superfast Circle program, we work specifically with recruitment, search and staffing companies to implement effective marketing strategies that work.

We’ll help you create consistent service demand, build your digital presence, and attract the exact clients and candidates you want to work with. Give us a call and we can explain how.

The post 7 Marketing Myths Killing Your Recruitment Business appeared first on Superfast Recruitment.

This week’s post and podcast are about the power of social proof in recruitment marketing. In today’s competitive marketplace, candidates and clients check you out before deciding to work with you. I want to share why social proof matters, the data behind it, and practical ways to leverage testimonials and reviews to grow your recruitment business.

We live in a society where many personal and professional decisions are shaped by what other people think and experience. The internet has expanded the availability of reference points. Whether buying sports socks on Amazon or considering a new business partner, you likely check reviews first.

This is particularly true in recruitment. People want validation that they’re making the right choice before making significant decisions about their careers or hiring needs. They don’t want to make mistakes in something as important as their work or team building.

Trust and validation are crucial in today’s crowded recruitment marketplace. Your expertise needs to be validated by others, especially when clients and candidates are entrusting you with their careers or hiring needs.

Social proof works because we’re all influenced by others’ experiences. Candidates and clients want to know they’ll get results, particularly when deciding something as important as their career or team. Our work and purpose are among the most significant aspects of our lives, so people don’t want to make mistakes in these areas.

What puts marketing on steroids is combining your positioning and messaging with real experiences from people who have used your service. I like to call it hearing it from the horse’s mouth.” If you’ve done a great job for someone – helped them build their team or secure a role in their dream company – they’re typically happy to provide a testimonial.

If you want evidence of our “Review Society,” here’s some data to consider:

70% of job seekers check reviews before making a career move. They examine the companies you’re sending them to, so ensure you work with clients on their employer brand.

According to a LinkedIn survey, nearly 60% of people turn to social media, with employee testimonials being the most trusted source.

According to LinkedIn’s Global Trends report, 79% of recruiters consider LinkedIn recommendations a significant hiring factor when looking for candidates.

The benefits of social proof extend beyond validation—it builds your brand authority, helps differentiate you from competitors, enhances your credibility, removes perceived risk for potential clients, and even helps with SEO and online visibility.

There are four main types of social proof I recommend for recruiters:

Google reviews appear when someone searches for your company, providing immediate validation. They’re easy to get – you need to ask for them in a structured way.

Once you have Google reviews, you can share them in emails, on LinkedIn, or wherever your clients spend time. That little star rating with multiple reviews gives potential clients an unconscious tick of approval.

Many recruiters overlook LinkedIn recommendations, yet they’re incredibly valuable. LinkedIn makes it easy to request recommendations from satisfied clients and candidates.

These recommendations appear on your profile for all your connections to see, and you can also use them across your different marketing channels. For those with many connections who have helped numerous people, cherry-pick some and ask for recommendations.

Testimonials have a low barrier to completion, making them easy to collect and share. Ask every placed candidate and satisfied client for a testimonial.

If they’re unsure what to write, send them specific questions to answer. Video testimonials are powerful because people can see and hear the authentic experience.

Structure your questions to elicit the information you want to convey to your market. What differences did you make to their business or career? What problems did you solve? How was the experience of working with you?

Case studies offer more in-depth social proof. At Superfast Recruitment, we create case studies by interviewing clients, recording video calls, transcribing the content, and formatting it as video and PDF documents.

When we have sales conversations with potential clients, we include links to relevant case studies in our follow-up emails. The key is getting case studies from your ideal clients and candidates—the ones you want more.

People look at who’s providing the testimonial and unconsciously connect with those who resemble them. They think, “They work with people like me.”

One important caveat: always clarify that you’re requesting testimonials for marketing purposes. While you can anonymise testimonials if necessary, using names, titles, company names, and photos makes them more impactful. Just ensure you have proper authorisation.

You can share testimonials and case studies across all your marketing channels. Follow what we do at Superfast Recruitment—we share testimonial snippets highlighting various aspects of our service.

Use Canva to create visually appealing testimonial graphics. Post them on social media, include them in emails, and feature them on your website. On our thank-you pages, we display numerous testimonials and case studies visitors can access.

Don’t be nervous about sharing testimonials. Your recruitment services significantly improve the lives of many people—both candidates seeking new opportunities and clients building their teams. After a conversation with a prospect, send a follow-up email with links to case studies of similar clients showing the results you’ve delivered.

Thanks

Denise and Sharon

At Superfast Recruitment, we provide our Superfast Circle members with training and templates to help them gather and leverage social proof effectively. We guide you through the entire process – from requesting Google reviews and LinkedIn recommendations to creating compelling case studies that showcase your expertise.

Our marketing resources help you position yourself as the go-to recruiter in your sector. Social proof is a key component of building trust with potential clients and candidates. If you’d like to learn more about how we can help you implement a social proof strategy in your recruitment business, book a call with us to discuss how Superfast Circle can support your marketing efforts.

The post The Power of Social Proof in Recruitment Marketing appeared first on Superfast Recruitment.

This week’s post and podcast are about content marketing, particularly the differences between evergreen and just-in-time content for recruitment businesses. As we move into summer, it’s an ideal time to review your marketing strategy, especially with many Australian listeners starting their new financial year in July.

Suppose you’re new here, welcome! Reviewing your marketing approach becomes even more crucial as we progress through a challenging year for many businesses worldwide. I recommend doing so if you haven’t completed our interactive scorecard yet. It takes 3-4 minutes and provides a personalised report based on our 18+ years of experience working with recruiters.

If someone held me at gunpoint and forced me to choose between evergreen and just-in-time content, I’d always select evergreen. Just-in-time content can quickly raise awareness in your market, but it’s rarely sustainable or long-lasting. Evergreen content, however, remains relevant and valuable for months, even years.

For example, several of our clients still have blogs I wrote about interview skills and talent pipelines that remain their highest-performing website content, ten years later! That’s the power of evergreen content. It addresses fundamental questions that people consistently ask over time.

Evergreen content requires minimal updating. We have a post about lead generation on our website that’s been there for nearly 14 years. I update it annually, and it’s still our highest-performing blog and podcast. Examples of evergreen content include how-to guides and foundational concepts around interview skills, workplace confidence, employer selection, and interview performance.

Just-in-time content is different—and I’m not saying you shouldn’t create it—but consider your time investment versus the impact. Given our turbulent times, you might write something about current political events or economic tariffs. While this might generate a traffic spike, will it remain relevant in a year? Probably not.

Just-in-time content has a much shorter relevance window, capitalising on trends, searches, and timely interests. Examples include industry news analysis, trend reports, and seasonal guides. Depending on your market, some topics might be considered either evergreen or just-in-time. For instance, if people in your region typically look for new roles after summer, that could be an evergreen topic.

According to the Content Marketing Institute, ideally, 70-80% of your content should be evergreen, with just 20% being just-in-time. This gives you the optimal content split for maximum effectiveness. I occasionally write about things like Facebook or LinkedIn algorithms, knowing they might change completely in 2-3 years. However, they’re important topics now, making them valuable just-in-time content.

Before getting excited about creating your content plan or jumping into AI tools, consider who you want your content to reach. Think about the buyer cycle—people are at different stages of decision-making. We’re taking people from being unaware of you to being aware of you, and then through the consideration process before they decide to work with you.

Different types of content have an impact at various stages. If you go to our website and search, you’ll find several podcasts with ideas on where to start. For additional guidance, check out the “Standing Out on Social Media” post or our YouTube channel.

Generally, there are three content themes to cover all your bases. First, positioning content helps you stand out as an expert in your competitive market. Second, promotional content showcases your jobs, services, and results through case studies and social proof. Third, personal and company branding content helps people connect with you and your values.

Planning is so much easier now thanks to AI tools. I use Claude (the Pro version), but many people use Chatgpt effectively. I’ve created a prompt that asks the AI to generate a content plan for me based on the types of content I want to share and when I want to share it.

This is particularly important if you have clients across different time zones. For example, if you’re in the UK but work with clients in the US and Australia, you’ll want your content to reach people waking up in San Francisco and others getting ready for bed in Sydney.

The more specific and detailed your prompt, the better output you’ll receive. I ask the AI to create a plan with different content types for other days and times, then I follow that plan. It’s remarkably simple and effective.

While everyone wants more clients and candidates, measuring the inputs that lead to those outcomes is important. One of our Superfast Circle clients recently increased his LinkedIn posting frequency and saw his impressions jump from a few hundred weekly to nearly 4,000 in just one week.

Key areas to monitor include:

Interestingly, the more emails you send in a structured campaign, the better your open rates. I’ve noticed that many people who eventually become our clients have been watching our content for years without ever commenting. Don’t worry too much about engagement; focus on impressions—how many people are seeing your content.

Thanks

Denise and Sharon

At Superfast Recruitment, our Superfast Circle programme has helped hundreds of recruitment business owners implement effective content marketing strategies.

From providing ready-made content resources to offering personalised guidance on content planning and measurement, we give you everything you need to position yourself as an expert in your field. I

If you’d like to learn more about creating a content strategy that works for your recruitment business, book a call here.

The post Content Marketing: Evergreen vs Just-In-Time Planning for Recruiters 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.

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.

Hi everyone, this is Denise here from Superfast Recruitment.

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

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

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

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

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

Branding spans various elements elements, including:

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

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

Some key areas to consider include:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Consider factors such as:

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

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

Here are a few things to consider.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks

Denise

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

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

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

Marketing funnels in the recruitment and search sector? Let’s discuss why they’re important in recruitment and some of the things that you could be doing differently to get better results.

Let’s start with a definition.

What is a marketing funnel?

A simple top-line overview takes somebody from unawareness about you and your brand to awareness, to a level of engagement, to having a conversation, and to consider working with you.

Finally, hopefully, I will work with you and shout all about you on LinkedIn and everywhere else about how good you are and that you are the recruiter or search pro of choice to work with.

That is fundamentally what a funnel delivers for you.

One of the reasons it’s called a funnel is because we are funnelling potential clients and candidates. We want to work with them from a big area to a smaller one because not everyone who comes across us will want to work with us and vice versa!

Some people will come across you, and they will like you, what you’re about, and your approach, and they will start working with you.

Now, that number will be much smaller than those you first start interacting with.

That’s the reason it’s called a funnel.

That is why it is so important in the current market that you have several marketing funnels where you are conversing with your market. You are funnelling them down to conversing with you and working with you.

It’s pretty straightforward. Let me share with you some of the many benefits of using funnels in your marketing and then explain how they can help you.

Firstly, they help you to avoid sales resistance.

Let me share an example. It has been interesting that we’ve been talking to several people recently who are considering working with us.

We’ve talked about why what they’re currently doing isn’t working.

As recruiters become ‘desperate’ to bring on new clients quickly, they are ‘over pitching.’

Yes, you can overpitch, and that puts people off.

They’re selling to people who are just not ready to buy yet. This is a normal phenomenon in the market because, at any one point in time, only 3 to 7% of people are ready to buy.

This is how we work as human beings. We go from unaware to aware, from thinking about our problems to wanting to solve them, and then to being in a position where we are happy to have that conversation.

This is one of the beauties of using a funnel: You can help move people through the buyer cycle from being unaware to ready to work with you.

I don’t think recruitment and hiring are any different. People have to go through a phase to get to know, like, and trust you before they’re ready to start collaborating with you.

That’s the beauty of a funnel.

Now that we’ve discussed this, 3 to 5% of people are ready to act; however, what about the other 93%?

The benefit of using a marketing funnel is that you can continually be on the radar of the other 93% of people who aren’t acting now and who will be your clients and candidates of the future.

Your particular marketing funnel can take a candidate or client from being unaware of you and your brand to collaborating with you when they are ready to do so.

The upside of having a marketing funnel in recruitment is you have two distinct groups that you need to work with, three if you’re also building your team.

Using marketing funnels in this way means you can nurture these different groups in multiple ways.

You can set your marketing funnels up very easily.

As an example, you might be in one of our marketing funnels.

You may have heard this podcast, encountered us at a networking event, or seen our content on LinkedIn. You might also have entered your name and email address into one of our funnels to receive our marketing checklist.

You are now on our email list, and you receive one or two emails a week from us about marketing, which adds value.

People on our email list will then contact us when they are ready. Of course, we will also reach out and speak to them, helping them make the decisions.

You can see the multiple benefits of having an actual funnel in place that works. Creating a funnel is easy. You can provide something of value. People get into your LinkedIn feed, they become a connection, and they join your email list.

Then, you can start connecting and working as they go through their own buyer cycle funnel about when they are ready to work with you.

Ironically, we were on a call with one of our clients today. Her business model is that she finds really, really good-quality candidates, talks to companies, and represents those candidates.

She has a 12-month funnel, as her market does not jump into action quickly, so she’s nurturing them all the time.

All this is happening in the background for her, and people constantly contact her.

We support her because she’s part of Superfast Circle, and we provide the marketing collateral and consulting she needs.

This is how using a funnel can work in your business, and it has done so for years.

We all know that people do not make snap decisions about career moves. Candidates and clients will work at their own pace, not yours.

A funnel supports this process.

People say, “Ah, but I want to stand out in the market, and funnels aren’t going to do that for me because everyone’s doing them.”

Fact: Let me share that everyone is not using marketing funnels.

Because of my role in our organisation, I will often enter my name and email address on a recruitment company’s website.

And it’s sad that unless I do it with Hays or Adecco or somebody like that, I put my name and email address into forms on several company websites that have significant numbers of recruiters, and I have Zilch.

Nothing!

I’ve not even got an email to say thank you.

I could be somebody that is looking for a job or is looking to hire.

You can see the difference that having a funnel will make and how most people aren’t doing it; they really are not.

They are missing out on so much by not being able to nurture candidates and clients who will get back in contact with you because you are the person who can help them.

Today has been all about funnels, which I encourage you to use.

Thanks

Denise

As a member of Superfast Circle, you can benefit from our support in building your marketing funnels. We provide all the email campaigns and reports you need, and our Tech genius can teach you exactly how to get your first funnel up and running.

If you want to learn more, call us at +44 (01524) 920 700 or book a slot in my diary here.

The post Why Marketing Funnels Are Important In The Recruitment and Search Sector appeared first on Superfast Recruitment.

Today, we will discuss marketing a new recruitment service or product to your client and candidate market.

This is all about launching a new recruiting service for you and your brand, which many people are considering at the moment. We are helping several Superfast Circle members launch different iterations of their service.

Today, I want to share the seven key areas to consider.

Let’s start with number one, and that’s validation. You probably think, “Denise, I want to launch this service.”

The question is, do you want to launch this service?

Is it viable?

Is it what the market requires, wants, or will buy?

Is it just an untested or validated idea?

A very short story, an amusing story. When I left my corporate job, I decided that I was going to create a product for sales managers.

It flopped because I didn’t validate my offer.

The questions I forgot to ask were, “Would people want this? Would they buy it?”

I was a very keen sales manager.

I was obsessive about studying and assumed everyone else was , learning new things, and always improving.

The course was only a couple of £100 at the time. I was teaching how to be a really good sales manager. I just thought, “This is going to fly off these shelves. I’m going to be a millionaire; everybody will want this.”

We had five people buy it.

Now, this was a very good product, I have to say. However, the market was all wrong because the market that I was approaching was corporate people who wouldn’t put their hands in their pockets.

They expected their company to do that for them rather than taking charge of their growth.

I hadn’t validated my offer or chosen the right avatar either.

That is the first thing that I would say to you when it comes to making that decision about the products that you want to launch because it could be, “Well, I’m going to have a consultancy arm to my business,” which is fine, and have you spoken to anybody who has shown interest?

Do people buy consultancy services in your sector?

I’m going to have a training part of my business, which will align well with a recruiting service, but will people buy it? Because there’s nothing worse than putting hours, days, weeks, months, and effort into something people won’t pay for.

When it comes to a recruitment service, maybe you’re going to have a new temp desk. Perhaps you’re going to launch a temp side to your business; maybe you’re going to establish a contracting side. Maybe you’re going to have a retained side to your business or a new exec search desk; that’s fine.

First, establish if this is solving a market problem that people will buy to solve.

If you are in the contingency space and it isn’t easy to get people over 12 or 13%, then maybe retained isn’t necessarily going to be the best thing for you.

As you validate your new offer, make it irresistible.

Here is a quick personal story to help you understand the products and services you develop.

As some of you will know, we had a complete service side to the business, content marketing, and social media in all its many forms.

It came with a price tag that was a challenge for many micro and small SMEs, which are our preferred markets to work with.

That is one of the reasons we created a unique product in Superfast Circle: we could provide virtually everything people need for their marketing, consultation and direction, training, and marketing collateral and campaigns.

A question?

Could something like that work for you and your market? What could you do so that your offer becomes irresistible? You’ve got a great promise, the price is right, you’ve got a vision for how that will work for clients, and the clients can see how that would work for them.

That’s important.

Think about your client, your candidates, and what’s in it for them because once you know that, it’s much easier to communicate what you have.

There is something else you must understand as you are validating your offer.

Remember that launching a new product takes time; It will not fly off the shelves as fast as we want and will take a lot of work.

It’s like when you first start your own company, you have never worked as hard in your life, and launching a new product can feel like that, too.

If you still want to proceed, let’s set up a beta test.

Next, let’s run a test of the product and service with some of our current clients.

There are three benefits to doing this that are going to help you. First, you get used to talking about this new service offering to a human being.

You’re talking to a real-life client or a candidate where money will change hands for what you’re selling. It is important to beta test with some people you have identified.

What this will do for you is it will help you iron out what is important to your customers and what they want when it comes to this new service offering because what you think they might want and what’s important to them might not be what you think it is.

The other thing that I would suggest that you do, and there are a couple of things here, is get case studies and testimonials from your beta users.

It might be that you’ve reduced the price of your new service offering. I’m not saying you give it away for free, but you might have a reduced price because you’re testing it in beta mode.

You might be talking to someone, and they would agree to give you a case study or a testimonial because you will do whatever the offer might be at 10% off or 15% discount.

Decide who would be an ideal client I would like more of, more of this type of client, because those are the ideal people you want to have in your beta testing.

We’ve looked at viability and beta testing, and now let’s look at creating a launch plan.

What gets planned happens.

Have you ever noticed that? If you don’t have your plan written out, your day sometimes seems to crash and burn.

Make sure you have your launch plan created so you know what your deliverables will be, have a target, and know your timelines.

Are you going to do a countdown?

What will happen at month one, month two, and month three? When I worked in the pharmaceutical industry, the machine kicked in when we were launching a product, and we had a plan that would count down the days.

When you plan your launch, consider your deliverables, timeframes, resources, and who will be involved.

That way, when you have a brainstorm about what are all the things that we need to do, and obviously, I’m giving you some things here, then you can put that in your spreadsheet.

You can put that in your launch plan so you don’t miss things like, “Oh, hang on a minute here, we haven’t got any case studies or testimonials as part of our marketing collateral. Oh, hang on a minute here; the web page isn’t loading.”

If you create a launch plan with dates, times, activities, and who’s responsible, that’s number three; next, who are you selling it to?

Number four really alludes to what we were talking about with the beta test: who is your ideal avatar? Who is the target list to which you will launch this new product?

Depending on the features of your product, the advantages for your clients, and the benefits they’re going to get from working with you will help you identify who is the ideal avatar for this particular product or service because it’s likely that it will be different.

That’s where many people make a mistake because they think, “Well, I’ll just launch it to everybody that I’ve got. I’ve got this great idea for a new service; everyone will love it.”

They might not.

It might be a sub-sector of your market that will be the ideal person for this.

That’s why it’s important to do your avatar work. Who’s ideal, and will they buy?

One character in the classic film Jerry Maguire says, “Who’s got my money!!!?

This, my friend, is key!

Who has got your money and is willing to purchase your new offer?

Make sure you do your avatar work based on the propensity to buy and the propensity for you to serve them in the best way possible.

Then that leads us to your target market because you will, I’m certain, have clients within your database that you could work with, so the first step is to create a list.

In addition, those of you who have watched The Lead Generation Triad will understand that when it comes to generating leads, there are three key areas you need to focus on: current contacts, cold outreach, and content.

What you need to do now with this is to look at, “Okay, I’ve got my current connections; I’ve pulled off a sub-list that I’m going to work on.” (I will talk about content next.) I also need to think about “I need a cold list to approach.

Get a cold list of contacts and start reaching out to them.

Fact: You need to have some new people in the pond that I’m fishing in with my new product to have conversations with and ensure that I’m selling my new product. Next, we need to craft our message.

Now, we need to create your marketing message.

I have already mentioned the holy grail: your product or service’s features, advantages, and benefits.

Remember, People need to understand what’s in it to consider working with you.

Let me remind you to reflect on when you first started selling and you had features, advantages, and benefits about your product that you communicated.

Ditto for your new product.

What’s the gap that they have? What is it that your product will do for them that fills that gap?

This isn’t a sales tutorial here, though you need to get your messaging right.

For example, our messaging is designed to attract solo, micro, and small SME recruitment and search companies.

We work with really good recruiters, amazing at what they do. They care about the clients and candidates they work with.

One of the things they’re not particularly good at is marketing themselves, creating demand and getting their message out there.

Look at our messaging on LinkedIn and how it communicates to a certain person.

Consider your particular avatar, ideal client or candidate and what will resonate with them.

Next, once you’ve got your marketing messages, you can start putting them in your collateral. You need to use marketing collateral consistently and constantly to bring people into your funnel and do some pre-selling.

For example:

Your social media.

Scripts and objection handlers are critical, too.

We have covered a lot today.

Number seven is to set a goal and go for it because it’s easy to say, “Oh yes, I want to do this.” Do all that work and then start to procrastinate: “Well, I’m not quite ready to launch yet, I’ve not quite tweaked this bit yet, not quite done this yet.”

There comes a time when you have to press go, and you have to go and get you and your product or service out into the market.

I was listening to a Gary Vaynerchuk video on YouTube the other night. I love Gary, and he was saying something so obvious.

It’s not that you haven’t got time to create the social media, it’s not that you haven’t got time to do, ……pick any excuse from 20, he was saying………… it’s the fact that you’re frightened of getting out there.

You’re frightened of standing out in the market and saying, “Look, this is what we’ve got for you. This is what a difference it will make in your life.”

Number seven is to ensure you implement the plan you’ve decided; these are the sorts of things to say to yourself.

“Okay, this is what I will do, and I will have a plan. This plan, I’m with it. I’m in this for the long game.

With the new service, I want to achieve this by Q1, Q2, and Q3, and this is where I expect to be in year three.”

The market needs great products and services, and let your service be one of them.

Thanks

Denise

Marketing creates ongoing demand for all your recruiting services and products, whether already established or about to launch, and this is where we can help you with your planning, messaging and collateral. To find out more, send us an email or drop us a message.

The post The 7 Step Marketing Plan to Launch a New Recruitment Service appeared first on Superfast Recruitment.