Every staffing firm likes to think that their agency is the best at doing what they do. What is best about you? What is different about your firm? What makes one firm stand out above their competition? Why would clients and candidates be inclined to do business with one staffing firm over another? Therein lies the importance of differentiating your staffing firm, but you must be careful how you attempt to do this. It is impossible to be the best at everything, so take the time to sit down and find those areas of your service delivery where your team really goes above and beyond. Design a marketing plan to highlight your strengths within the industry and be prepared to work at building up your brand image. When beginning the process of differentiating your staffing firm, don’t expect things to happen overnight.
Find Your Niche
While it is extremely difficult to be the best recruiting agency in the world, it is much easier to excel within a limited market. Focusing in on a specific niche of the staffing industry allows your agency to target a precise audience and identify the right clients and the most qualified candidates. Do you want to be known as the top recruiting agency in your area for a particular type of position or within a specialized profession? Do your recruiters have the background and technical expertise to locate the best IT candidates? Are you a leading source for talent within the health services or clinical sectors? Matching your experience with specific client needs is a great way to develop your competitive edge and to provide highly targeted services that other agencies are not prepared to deliver. But keep in mind that there are several areas of differentiation and you need to determine what is yours.
Communicate Your Story
Effective marketing is all about telling the story of your company. Show clients that your dedicated team is ready to provide superior service. Demonstrate to candidates that you are interested in finding them a career, not just their next job. Highlight the low turnover rates in your sales and recruiting teams as well as the strong relationships you have established within the industry. Talk about your established network and the ability to customize your services based on client needs. Your staffing firm’s story must make potential clients and candidates confident in their decision to do business with your team.
Anticipate Client Needs
Analyze typical client issues and let everyone know why contracting with your staffing firm is in their best interest. Send qualified candidates to interview with your clients and make sure they are properly experienced and prepped. Sending dozens of resumes to a client may show that you have a big talent pool, but if none of them are qualified you are simply causing frustration for your client and not building their confidence in your staffing firm. Demonstrate your ability to deliver great candidates in a timely manner and tell them what to expect in terms of your process. Potential clients want to know what you are bringing to the table and what your recruitment agency is prepared to do that the client is unable to do internally.
Strengthen Your Brand
An important part of differentiating your staffing firm is strengthening your brand. Take a look at your staffing firm’s brand and how others perceive your agency within the industry. Check online review sites such as Glassdoor and Indeed to get a feel for what people think you are doing well and those areas that are in need of improvement. Build credibility in your brand by providing testimonials and recommendations on your website and in your marketing collateral. Provide high-quality content on your site to demonstrate your industry knowledge and strengthen your brand.
It’s In the Data
Clients worry about their bottom line and want to know that you are able to fill their requirements with talented candidates in a timely manner. Compile data to illustrate how you are prepared to help clients control their expenses and increase the return on their investment (ROI). Differentiate your staffing firm by showing that you have better information and market insight than your competitors. Encourage your recruiters to search out additional sources of information in order to build more complete candidate profiles. Successful placements and decisions regarding candidate suitability depend on gathering the most accurate client and candidate information.
Key Takeaways for Differentiating Your Staffing Firm:
- Target your efforts (industry, skillsets, technology) and excel in that area
- Effectively communicate the story of who you are and what you do better than your competitors
- Identify who your ideal client is and determine how you are going to address their specific needs
- Strengthen your brand by sharing client and candidate testimonials
- Make use of reliable data in order to demonstrate your industry knowledge and build complete candidate profiles
About S.J.Hemley Marketing
S.J.Hemley Marketing is a marketing and sales consulting firm focused on driving tangible results for professional services firms. Brand matters, but not without ROI. With over 20 years of sales and marketing experience within staffing and recruiting, we have helped to drive successful branding, sales training, lead generation activities as well as defining marketing strategy for top organizations.