We were invited to speak recently at a marketing training event for recruitment business owners on the topic of email marketing.
The conversation developed into how to communicate with a database of clients and candidates through email.
Often recruitment directors will tell us that they send out a newsletter quarterly to their database or that they are thinking about sending out an email ‘blast’; in other words, a one-off email.
Our response is always the same; don’t bother.
The facts: Infrequent communication like this is a waste of time. The year is 2016 folks, not 1996. Even I remember how way back then receiving an email was still quite novel and competition for recruiters was less fierce. Today its about competing in the ‘inbox’ to get noticed and position yourself as a trusted advisor whose emails get opened.
Today it’s about connection, nurturing and building a relationship with your target clients and candidates, throughout the buyer’s cycle- not just when they are desperate for your services.
When you’re emailing people so infrequently, like once a quarter, you’re out of their mind. Then suddenly your email drops in.
Here is the thing – so often that email is pitching your service, only. In todays connected climate people (your candidates and clients) get annoyed by that. You only have to think about your own behaviour and how you react when you are treated that way.
Last week I unsubscribed from 3 or 4 newsletters lists and it’s purely because it came out of nowhere. I haven’t heard from them for several months and there it is; it’s a pitch straight away!
How to do it differently
Based on published research about the buyers cycle and the number of touch points needed to create a sale, in today’s market place it’s important to develop a different approach.
As B2B buyers, we need to experience about 7+ touch points before we decide to purchase an offer. This is especially so when it comes to expensive ‘items’; candidates or recruiting services especially.
It’s all about value
Think about building a relationship with your candidates and clients. As a business owner, of course you want to be able to make an ‘offer’ that will be accepted.
The easiest way to do this today is to build value first then make your offer e.g. your recruiting service or to represent a candidate exclusively.
Think about the title people use in recruitment – recruitment consultant. Consultancy is about giving advice, adding value, getting businesses to think differently.
When you can deliver the consultancy approach through your email communication and then balance it with a logical offer then you will build and nurture relationships in a more powerful way, and at all levels.
This approach will involve sending several strategically written emails, so that when you do offer your services it’s more likely to be met with a positive response.
Good news
With the access to email automation services that we have today and the sophistication they bring its now possible to know who has opened your emails, when and how often. How cool is that?
Some services will allow you to send an email especially to these people only. Technology is amazing; isn’t it?
Ready to take action? Here is something that will help.
Important Grab A Place On Our Complimentary Email Marketing Webinar.
As an ambitious recruitment organization, THE marketing strategy to master is email marketing.
It will consistently deliver both candidates and clients.
In a special complimentary training Webinar, we give you the template for writing emails we use for our clients and the exact 4 campaigns that are working now.
