By David Searns
Co-CEO
Haley Marketing
Selling staffing is never easy. But during a downturn, it takes even more effort.
A lot more.
And to make matters worse, recruiting is still a challenge. In many cases, it seems like you have to work twice as hard for half the results.
Need a better plan? Start with a better set of strategies – ones that will help your staffing firm succeed, regardless of what happens in the economy.

Differentiate your staffing firm through your mission, vision, and values (MVV).

To stand out in a competitive industry, clarify your unique mission, vision, and core values. By articulating why your company exists, the problems you solve better than anyone else, and your guiding principles, you can attract ideal clients and motivate the right employers and job seekers to work with you.

Craft compelling messaging.

Position your services based on the business problems you solve and the economic value you offer. Instead of focusing solely on recruiting, salespeople need to consult with clients on how staffing can be used strategically to control labor costs, improve productivity, and mitigate employment risk. Effective messaging should address critical pain points and present staffing as a strategic tool.

Optimize websites for conversion.

Conversion rate optimization (CRO) is the art and science of designing and writing a website to get people to respond. Consider the different audiences visiting your site (and what information and outcomes they want). Offer compelling calls to action (CTAs) and remove any barriers to response. Lowering bounce rates and maximizing website response can lead to increased engagement and conversions.

Improve your sales process.

Rather than relying solely on cold calling or referrals, adopt an Integrated Direct Marketing (IDM) approach that integrates sales and marketing efforts. IDM leverages multiple forms of outreach, such as email, social messaging, phone calls, and direct mail, to capture attention and generate interest. IDM campaigns address pain points, demonstrate expertise, position your company as a trusted advisor, and warm prospects for initial calls. IDM can significantly improve your sales call-to-appointment ratios and shorten sales cycles.

Use asynchronous selling.

The toughest part about sales is that there are only 24 hours in a day. How can you sell to someone who’s already pressed for time and doesn’t have “15 minutes for a quick conversation?”

Try asynchronous selling. Asynchronous selling involves using one-way communication tools, such as video, email, and social messaging, to facilitate conversations with prospects at their convenience. By incorporating video into the sales process, staffing companies can introduce themselves, walk prospects through proposals, follow up after sales calls, and provide additional content and tools to accelerate the sales process. Asynchronous selling allows prospects to consume information in less time and makes the sales process more efficient for your salespeople.

Use automation to turn your salespeople into SUPER salespeople.

Automation can enhance sales effectiveness by streamlining follow-up processes. Marketing automation platforms like HubSpot and ActiveCampaign enable the creation of sophisticated sequences of actions triggered by a salesperson's activity or a prospect's interaction.

These platforms can engage prospects who are not yet "sales ready" and integrate with customer relationship management (CRM) systems. ATS automation platforms like Sense and Bullhorn Automation can be used for nurturing relationships with warm leads and existing clients and improving communication in service delivery.

Use digital marketing to sell.

To stand out in the competitive staffing industry and generate sales leads, focus on building a strong digital marketing system:

• SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is crucial for driving more sales leads from search engines. Understand what your clients are searching for and create keyword-focused content that provides valuable information.
• Develop a content strategy that targets your desired audience, addresses their challenges, and demonstrates your expertise. Consistently produce detailed, unbiased content that is relevant and authoritative on key topics.
• PPC (Pay-Per-Click Advertising) can help you reach the right audience at the right time. Choose the right advertising options based on your goals, niche, and target audience. Consider search ads, matched audience ads, LinkedIn ads, Facebook ads, and retargeting ads.
• Content marketing is an effective way to be seen as an expert and build credibility. Deliver value to your clients by creating content in various formats such as blogs, eBooks, videos, and podcasts. Use SEO, PPC, social media, email marketing, and other channels to promote your content.
• Integrate offers with your content to encourage action from your audience. These offers can include gated content, event registrations, email subscriptions, sales-focused offers, landing pages, and thank-you pages.
• Utilize social media to build your brand and sell effectively. Encourage your sales team to share content, join relevant groups, and participate in social conversations. Target specific individuals, use relevant hashtags, take advantage of platform-specific features, and integrate paid ads with organic social content.
• Leverage social sharing automation tools to provide your team with more content to share and make sharing easier.

Get on Other People's Stages (OPS).

Partnering with individuals or organizations that have an existing audience can help you reach your target audience more effectively. OPS strategies include being a guest on podcasts, presenting webinars for other vendors, holding offices in associations, teaching workshops at conferences, and writing guest posts for other blogs.

Maximize referral partnerships.

Instead of relying on chance referrals, formalize the relationship with partners who can refer potential clients. Offer incentives or integrate services to create mutually beneficial arrangements. This helps generate highly qualified leads and builds trust among the referred clients.

Invest in reputation management.

Implement a proactive approach to reputation management by surveying clients and candidates after every service experience. Encourage satisfied individuals to leave online reviews while addressing concerns of unhappy ones. Bury negative reviews with an abundance of positive ones and leverage automation platforms for consistent reputation management.

Seek out industry awards and recognition.

Strive to become an award-winning staffing company to build credibility and differentiate your firm from competitors. Awards such as "Best Places to Work," "Clearly Rated Best of Staffing," "Inc 5000," and industry-specific awards serve as proof of quality and reliability, enhancing your company's reputation.

Nurture sales leads.

Staffing is rarely a one-call close, and trust-building is crucial. Implement lead nurturing strategies to stay top-of-mind, build relationships, and increase demand for services. Examples include personalized emails, monthly newsletters, invitations to webinars and events, skill marketing top candidates, and retargeting PPC ads.

Master the 5 pillars of recruitment marketing.

Level up your recruitment efforts to find the best candidates quickly, without significantly increasing your budget. Focus on improving your:

1. Employment branding. Develop a unique employment brand by offering competitive pay rates, reviewing benefits, improving the hiring process, and optimizing candidate experience.
2. Career site. Make it easy to find jobs and apply.
3. Social recruiting. Use social media strategically for brand awareness and passive talent acquisition.
4. Job advertising. Write better job ads, test different job boards, and leverage automation tools for effective job advertising.
5. Recruitment automation. Implement campaigns to enhance communication, service delivery, feedback gathering, and relationship nurturing.

Need help LEVELING UP?

Here are four free ways Haley Marketing can help:

1. Download the eBook, Differentiation is Bullsh!t, a step-by-step guide to creating a more compelling mission, vision, and core values.
2. Download the LEVEL UP eBook for more strategies to stand out, stay top-of-mind and sell more.
3. Sign up for the Big Ideas Newsletter for their latest marketing insights, delivered to your inbox monthly.
4. Let Haley Marketing create a free list of marketing ideas just for your staffing or recruiting firm.

For more information, contact Haley Marketing at 1.888.696.2900 or visit them online at  www.haleymarketing.com.