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What’s Your Staffing Firm’s “Story”?

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Here is the short and sweet: You need a compelling brand story to stand out from your competitors.

Why?

You need to break through the noise of the 5,000 ads the average person sees a day.

And?

At the end of the day, when buyers must decide between service A or B, they are going to choose one based on emotion.

Still Skeptical?

You probably don’t even realize you make buying decisions daily based on the way you feel towards a product or service.

Here is a simple test:

What is the first phone brand that comes to mind?

Chances are most of you thought of Apple because Apple has created a story that resonates. They brand themselves as a company on the cutting edge of technology looking to make an impact on the world. And by purchasing their products, you are also part of their movement.

Their story grabbed your attention, and you bought into it.

Want to replicate Apple’s success for your staffing or recruiting firm? Here are four easy steps to begin creating your story.

Step 1: Start with a Clear Vision

Lexico.com defines vision as “the ability to think about or plan the future with imagination or wisdom.” What is your company’s purpose? Think about where you would like to be in 5 to 10 years and dream big. The best vision is one you can share with others. Make sure your vision is understandable because the clearer your final destination, the easier it will be to get others on board.

Step 2: Humanize Your Vision

How can you make your vision come to life? You must create an emotional appeal for your story. Refer to the image below of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (1). At what level are you trying to connect with your audience? You will often see companies use actual people or mascots to try to get their humanized vision across.

Step 3: Messaging

Next, decide how you are going to communicate your humanized vision to your audience. Start by understanding your core values. Are you trying to appeal to an audience based on status (esteem needs)? Maybe your core values are professionalism, loyalty, and innovation.

You should create copy and imagery that reflect those core values. You also need to decide which channels (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.) are most appropriate for you to deliver your message.

Step 4: Unified & Consistent Approach

Finally, you want to keep your messaging both consistent and clear. If you push multiple, competing messages across your platforms, your audience is likely to be confused by who you are and what you stand for. To have the most impactful fan following, keep your messaging simple, consistent and aligned with your vision.

My favorite example is Colgate. When you think of Colgate’s story, what do you see? I see people smiling with white teeth and imagine having minty-fresh breath. Did you know that Colgate came out with a product line of frozen food items? Probably not, because it flopped. WHY? Because their messaging was inconsistent. Here you are, imagining Colgate as clean and minty; now imagine a chicken and garlic mashed potato frozen dinner. EW! The two don’t fit. Consistency is your final key to storytelling success.

Need Help Determining Your Company’s Story?

At Haley Marketing Group, we specialize in helping staffing firms build their companies’ stories. Want to talk to the experts about your company’s story and brand? Contact us today!

Learn more by watching these free, on-demand webinars:

Creating Your Staffing Firm’s Core Story

Positioning 101: Make Your Staffing Company Stand Out

Sources:

(1) Smith, P. R. (Paul Russell), and Ze Zook. Marketing Communications: Integrating Online and Offline Integration, Customer Engagement, and Analytics Technologies. KoganPage, 2020.

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