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Becky Crowther is an experienced marketer and is in the unique situation of being a Superfast Circle member on two occasions. Originally pre the birth of her daughter, working with a recruitment company with over fifty employees and now as a part-time marketer.
In this case study, Becky shares her experience across both companies.
First, let’s discuss the amazing KSB Recruitment Becky’s current employer.
KSB Recruitment Background
From its humble beginnings in a cramped office in the centre of Birmingham thirty years ago, MD Dawn Bannister and KSB Recruitment have grown to one of the leading hospitality and catering recruitment specialists in the Midlands.
Offering a tailored service to the needs of each client, KSB has a varied and distinguished list of clients, including the West Midlands Police, Barclaycard, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Mercedes AMG and Marriot.
KSB Recruitment is unique, having first supplier status with two major, government-sanctioned catering companies – one in the UK and one in the States.
KSB Recruitment
Rebecca Crowther has been working in marketing for eight years. In Becky’s own words:
I started my career in a large global company with a big marketing team. Then in 2017, I entered the world of recruitment marketing when I joined my previous company. Being the only marketing person in a business, when you’ve come from the support of a big team, is quite scary and very challenging.
That’s where I met you guys and found out about Superfast Circle. Earlier this year, I joined KSB Recruitment, wanting to work part-time, having had a baby girl.
What was “it” like as a marketer before you joined Superfast Circle?
It was very lonely. As you can imagine, coming from a big team of people with specialist expertise, you could bounce ideas off to suddenly have no one.
You are the person who is in the know; you’re the expert. You’re the person that people go to. Then, you’re in a situation where you’re thinking, “Is what I’m doing okay?”
You start questioning yourself because you’ve no one to bounce off. That’s quite scary and challenging at times.
In my previous company, the business didn’t have much going on in marketing. It was quite fragmented internally, and the external messaging needed work.
The challenge was to get the messaging right before diving straight in and doing the tactical stuff, especially as the company had two distinct brands and over fifty consultants.
What specific marketing problem were you looking to solve?
Then I think the biggest challenge is educating the consultants on marketing because they are the people who deliver the relationship building.
Yes, you can create the brand; you can make that consistent impression that people see and build trust in the brand itself and the company, and we always have to remember that people buy people first.
The consultants are the ones that talk to clients and candidates. Many consultants have always done what they’ve been told to do and held on to the view, ‘Well, it works, so why would I want to try anything different?’
Not realising how much the way people market and how individuals make ‘buying’ decisions has changed.
How did you find Superfast Recruitment?
I felt I needed a sounding board. I needed somebody I could get feedback from because I wasn’t sure how to prioritise things, and I couldn’t see the wood for the trees.
I needed more clarity.
While I found that there were many things out there to help you with marketing in general, there wasn’t anything specific about recruitment marketing, which is a slightly different beast, I think, compared to the marketing that you deliver in other companies.
Some of the generic marketing advice didn’t always fit with what I was trying to achieve. I wanted somebody who understood the industry, so I came across you guys when I thought, You know what, I wonder if anybody has done a podcast on recruitment marketing.
I thought, “I bet I won’t find anything,” Then I came across you guys and binge-listened to your podcasts and then got in touch.
What made you decide to join Superfast Circle?
I think it’s the fact that I would get consistent, ongoing support rather than a one-off training session, a monthly call, or some email support here and there. Instead, it was a constant support in terms of:
Question and Answer calls a couple of times a week.
The Facebook group is an amazing community where you can drop in a file, pop in a question, ask an opinion, and get advice.
Not only will you personally respond to things, but other guys within the group will add their opinion. There are quite a few marketers now, which is great because it’s valuable to hear other marketers’ opinions.
On top of that, there is the Recruitment Marketing Blueprint, full of tutorial videos. You can learn about different elements; I’ve found them useful. If I’m doing something, I’m like, “I wonder if I’ve forgotten something, let me just go over this video again,” and you can keep dropping in and out of them.
I think my previous MD bought into that because it was not only supporting me in building my skill set and my knowledge, which will help the company, but they are also getting something. As I’m sure anybody knows, as a recruitment marketer, time is of the essence, and you don’t always have the time to do everything.
Also, you create monthly templates for us that we can utilise for our clients and candidates. That saves so much time because I have marketing collateral that I can use in multiple ways. I have content and a campaign that’s been created for me rather than to do it myself.
There were so many benefits to joining SFC; I could also pass on whatever I learned to the consultants. It was like double benefits; I suppose it wasn’t just upskilling me; it was also upskilling the consultants and educating them through you, if that makes sense.
What has exceeded your expectations while working with us?
I think it’s around constant support and feedback. This sounds bad, but I didn’t expect it to be as good as it is.
I’m in many Facebook groups, and sometimes you can put something up, and nobody bothers answering you at all. It may take days to answer you, but this is almost immediate. It’ll be a couple of minutes most of the time before someone will come back to you if not half an hour. When you’re doing something, you’re getting that sort of support straight away rather than waiting for it. It has exceeded my expectations.
Also, the training you offer is such good training. You and Denise are constantly keeping up to date with what’s happening in the industry regarding marketing trends. If things change, you’ll update us. That’s invaluable because you’re not just sticking to what you know; you’re constantly learning and keeping up to date as change is so fast-paced.
What would you tell someone who is considering joining Superfast Circle
I would say, “Yes, go ahead and jump in with two feet and enjoy”.
Don’t struggle on your own. When I started out in this industry, I felt like it was my responsibility to get this done, and I had to do it on my own; I shouldn’t have to help. Asking for help was a bit like failing from my point of view. It felt as though I had been recruited to be a magic bullet. I would think, “I need to prove I can do something here.”
They always say two heads are better than one. I think ten heads are better than one.
Invest in Superfast Circle because you get that team vibe and access to expertise.
Thanks
Denise
P.S. Superfast Circle could be exactly what you are looking for if you are a business owner with a marketer. To find out how book a call with one of us here.
