We know that competition is fierce in every sector, and any business that rests on yesterday’s achievements is setting itself up for tomorrow’s extinction.
However, there’s one sector in particular where competition isn’t just fierce, but it’s ferocious to the point of “this gig isn’t for the faint of heart”. Yes, we’re talking about the staffing and recruiting industry.
The Biggest Challenge that Staffing & Recruiting Firms Face
While each staffing and recruiting firm is different and often specializes in a particular industry (e.g. tech) or type of client (e.g. mid-market organization), the fact remains that leaders in virtually all of them spend an excessive amount of time addressing – and worrying – about a big, scary challenge: how to deliver more VALUE.
Now, at first glance this may not look like such a big deal. After all, everyone who wants to be successful is interested in delivering more value, whether they sell coffee or toys for children. But staffing and recruiting firms are particularly concerned, because if they don’t establish their value proposition, then they risk being perceived as “job order fillers”.
And if that happens, then all of the important, valuable and indeed profitable things that good staffing and recruiting firms do gets overlooked, and all that prospective clients want to know is: how fast can you fill our job order, and how cheaply can you do it?
The Beginning of the End
This is the beginning of the end for staffing and recruiting firms, just as it is for any business – especially those in the professional services field – when they’re perceived as a commodity. Prospective clients don’t know what to look for and who to choose (because everyone looks the same), so they fall back to those old staples: time and money. Whoever does things faster and cheaper wins. That’s fine for the Wal-Mart’s in each sector, but it’s a nightmare for everyone else.
Fortunately, that’s where inbound marketing, like a superhero, comes in and rescues staffing and recruiting firms from the clutches of the evil Dr. Commodity.
How Inbound Marketing Saves the Day
Inbound marketing is PERFECT for staffing and recruiting firms, because it affordably and effectively allows them to:
- Establish their thought leadership, which immediately separates themselves from 90% (if not more) of their competitors.
- Convey all of their core value propositions – i.e. the things it does better than the rest – through professional, high-quality and influential digital documents such as ebooks, reports, white papers, and blog posts.
- Proactively reach out to prospective clients who may not necessarily need the services of a staffing or recruiting partner at the current time, but will need one soon (or will soon hear from someone in their network who does). This outreach can be done through impressive “shareable” content, such as those noted above, as well as Infographics, videos, and more.
- Personalize and customize interactions based on where prospective clients are in the customer journey. For example, those who are just starting a relationship can be engaged with high level content that covers an important, relevant issue – such as “the 5 most important things to look for in a staffing and recruiting partner”.
- Track and analyze analytics to better understand their target audiences and buyer personas, so that they’re reaching out and attracting high quality leads.
The Bottom Line
While inbound marketing works in almost every sector, it’s fair to say that the impact it has for staffing and recruiting firms who do it right is game-changing. Instead of being lumped in with the competition and forced to compete almost exclusively on time and price, firms establish their core value propositions, reach and attract their ideal clients, and put themselves on track for long-term growth and success.
Learn More
To learn more about reaping the rewards of inbound marketing in your staffing and recruiting firm, contact the team at Leap Clixx today. Your consultation with us is free.
Topics: Inbound Marketing
