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Though marketing is finally working it’s way up the agenda for many recruitment organisations, there are still a few misconceptions out there about marketing and the value it brings.
Who should and shouldn’t ‘do it’ and whether its better to just add more recruiters onto the team rather than invest in upleveling your presence in the market.
Of course these are all valid questions hidden as an objection to stay where you are. Today we are going to cover 8 frequent questions we get and what the real answers are.
- Why starting where ever you are is a good idea
- Why marketing today is easier than five years ago
- How SME recruitment companies can finally compete with the 'big guns'
- Business growth 101: More recruiters will need more leads
Fanatical Prospecting: Download on Amazon
Marketing Training : Superfast Circle
Here is the direct transcription of this podcast. Apologies in advance if there is an odd typo. There has been a real shift in the recruitment sector as companies realise the value of marketing in creating a standout brand which then attracts the candidates and clients they want.
As in many other sectors, there are several preconceived ideas about marketing . Not everything you watch on TV or read on Facebook is true!
Over the last few weeks we have had a number of conversations about marketing with business owners and these classic misconceptions have been raised more than once.
1. I Need to do A, B, or C Before We Start Marketing
With the recruiting sector more competitive than ever in an ideal world you might want everything perfect before you start; lets get real this isn’t going to happen.
An old mentor of mine said; “ start where you are with what you’ve got”- and she was spot on! It’s all to easy to wait till the new website is ‘done’ or the database has been cleaned out.
There is so much you can do to start creating demand through marketing now. A short email campaign making an offer. Social posts across all your platforms.
2. Marketing Is (Too) Expensive
Many recruitment companies shy away from marketing their businesses out of the preconceived idea that marketing is too expensive.
Compared to what?
Yes, marketing incurs an investment and when that cost ends up generating revenue for your business, is it still a negative? The answer is no.
Look at your average placement fee ? Imagine the marketing you invest and what it will deliver for your business; rather than the cost it occurs. One of the first email campaigns we ever wrote for a client in the recruitment sector produced an ROI the first time she sent it.
She is still using it to this day and it’s working…
3. Marketing Takes Too Long
The wrong way to think about marketing is that you implement your marketing strategy and you instantly get more clients and candidates and if this doesn’t happen, then it has failed.
Effective marketing is a process, not a one-off occurrence, and the best marketing strategies are constant and continuous.
At a recent Rec Expo event Sharon presented on the content marketing funnel and how all of us go through a buyers cycle.
The truth is the majority of people are rarely ready to buy now. In fact this is a low us 3-5%. The remaining 95% are going through a process from being cold to sold.
This is why marketing will produce results for you across all of the buying cycle and will nuture candidates and clients by promoting your brand.
Familarity then leads to potential prospects becoming leads because they have started to; Know you which then eventually leads to trust and money changing hands.
4. We Don’t Have Time to Market our Recruitment Company
Corney I know and you don’t have time not to!
The ‘time’ reason only means you don’t see it as a priority. In today’s market you have many options available to you.
· Sorry to be blunt and: Stop whining and take action
· Learn what is involved so you can make an informed decision to then;
· Invest in a marketing executive and or
· Outsource
This is why so many recruitment companies decide to outsource their marketing to companies like Superfast Recruitment. From the content we provide, our clients tell us that we are indispensable, and the demand for an even more in-depth marketing programme led to the birth of the Superfast Circle – members of which enjoy increased traffic and custom fo their recruitment companies.
5. Content and Social Media Marketing Doesn’t Work
Marketing insider group published these eye-opening findings on how effective content marketing is. Content marketing typically generates three times as many leads as traditional marketing and costs as much as 62 % less.
Here is the thing; content is one of the most cost effective ways to get in front of your market consistently. Last week we were on a Superfast Circle Call and one of the members commented how just a simple brand awareness campaign he has run had delivered placements.
Candidates and clients can’t work with you if they don’t know you are there.
6. We Already Market Enough
Really? I doubt it. The face of marketing has changed drastically in the last few years.
With over 40,000 recruitment companies in the UK alone, adverts and Job boards and sales calls are not enough to stand out in the busy recruitment market anymore.
You need to use everything at your disposal.
7. We Are Too Small to Need Marketing
If you are a smaller recruitment company, you might not think that you need marketing. The truth is that all recruitment companies need marketing, especially the smaller ones!
Marketing = demand creation.
The good news is that today marketing is easier to action than ever. You don’t need to do a print run of your company brochure or pay for an advert in the Telegraph.
The WWW has made it easier than ever for smaller companies to market.
8. It’s Either Investing in My Team or Marketing
Ummm. Even I was shocked when I heard this last week. Remember marketing creates the demand and sales convert it. Having originally started life as a sales woman I appreciate the value marketing brings. It’s so much easier to convert someone when they have at least heard of you! Go and have a look at what Matt Finch has to say about this here.
We are expanding here at Superfast and increasing the sales team. So in our marketing plan we have increased the number of campaigns we are going to run and I have upped the budget on our ad spend. It’s critical to help our sales people as much as we can.
At Superfast Recruitment, we create content tailored to every aspect of your recruitment company from the type of content to the amount you need with your client and candidate needs in mind. Contact us today to find out more about our bespoke content packages.
Our testimonials and case study pages are where we have documented the positive results our clients have experienced from working with us, if like some people you are convinced of the misconceptions outlined in this article.
