Executive recruiting firms have a unique challenge in today’s market.
Well, they have two of them:
- How do you effectively reach potential clients? Cold call? Email? LinkedIn messaging? Between technology barriers and remote work, prospects have become harder than ever to contact.
- Once you reach them, how do you create search assignments? As the job market softens, convincing people to pay for recruiting services becomes a bigger challenge—many employers either don’t need to hire or (falsely) think that finding candidates is easy in a down market.
Yes, you can make more calls. Or you can improve your marketing!
A long-time ago, prior to founding Recruiters Websites, I was an executive recruiter. And I worked for my father, who was an old-school “get on the phone” search consultant.
Then, one day, my dad took a vacation.
So, I took the opportunity to put down the phone and work on improving his website (and some other digital marketing) to boost my book of business.
And guess what? I had my best week ever!
Here’s what I learned:
- A well-designed recruiting website and digital marketing strategy can absolutely drive sales leads.
- The key to success is in using the right content to tell your story, build relationships, and generate sales (see below for more on this).
- Your website has to be designed from the start to get people to take action (most recruiting websites are not!)
For an executive recruiter, the best content is all about storytelling.
An effective content strategy starts by understanding the needs of potential clients and how you can best serve them. Through the creation and curation of content that addresses your target audience’s most critical needs, wants, and pain points, you can increase brand visibility, create a positive perception of your services, and demonstrate your expertise in the field.
But good ideas are not enough.
Your content needs to tell a story. It needs to show people how you, as a professional recruiter, can help them to solve some of the biggest challenges they face. Demonstrate not just your skill and experience, but how your talents help clients to achieve their objectives by finding candidates they never would have found on their own, filling critical roles with A-level talent, and enabling their businesses to thrive because of the talent you referred.
Beyond demonstrating your value, your content needs a distinctive voice—one that matches your personality, fits your target clients, and separates you from other executive recruiters. Be bold. Be authentic. And speak directly with your audience.
When it comes to content, one size does not fit all.
Some people like to read. Some like to listen. And other like to watch. Ideally, your content will include a mix of blog posts, articles, whitepapers, infographics, videos, webinars, and more.
And you don’t have to create everything yourself. Part of your value as an industry expert is finding great content and sharing it—curating content from other sources and then sharing via your website, email, LinkedIn, and other media.
To increase recruiting sales, use content to drive web traffic.
Great content becomes a destination. Great marketing is about getting people to figure out where they need to go.
For executive recruiters, the best digital marketing will consist of a mix of tactics that can include SEO, social media, PPC advertising, email, and more. The idea is to use these channels to promote your content and drive traffic back to your website.
SEO is all about getting your website found by search engines. Through careful keyword research, you can ensure your content targets the words and phases people use when looking for a recruiter with your skills.
Another way to improve SEO is to write about important issues that matter to your target clients. What questions are your clients asking? What problems are they trying to solve—not just about recruiting, but in all areas of their business? The more you create content that addresses the needs and wants of your ideal clients, the more your website will show up in search results.
On social media, it’s about connection and continuity. For most recruiters, your main social network will be LinkedIn. You want to be sharing content on LinkedIn via company updates, updates by individual contributors on your team, sharing in groups, and possibly paid advertising targeting your ideal clients.
To maximize the value of social media, create a monthly content plan and sharing calendar, so you know what you plan to share, when to share it, and where to share it. Yes, this can be a lot of work (and you can outsource this if you want help), but by consistently building your network of contacts and regularly sharing high-value content, you will increase your visibility, build your brand, and drive more visitors to your website.
For recruiters, content marketing is a key differentiator.
Recruiting is a tough business. It’s hard to stand out, prove your value, and get clients to sign a fee agreement.
Content marketing can make all of that easier. Use it to:
- Get found by more people (employers and talent)
- Demonstrate your expertise
- Prove your value
- Nurture relationships
- Build your personal brand
- Stay top-of-mind
Through thoughtful storytelling, targeted content, and effective distribution, you can ensure that your message reaches the right people and gets them ready to talk about their next hiring need.
Need help with your content marketing?
Contact Recruiters Websites if you’re an executive recruiter, or Haley Marketing if you’re a staffing professional. Let’s talk about your needs – and how we can help.