5 ways start-ups can compete with established recruitment businesses
5 ways start-ups can compete with established recruitment businesses
The recruitment industry and competitiveness go hand in hand. Unfortunately, as a start-up agency, your competition will inevitably have a more significant presence than you within the sector, especially if they are well-recognised, established recruitment businesses with solid client relationships and an extensive database of candidates. Unfortunately, these recruiters don’t tend to have intentions of sharing their contacts
For start-up recruitment businesses, the most important thing to help you compete is to create a level playing field. To do this, you will need to demonstrate what you offer. In addition, this includes showing how you differ from others and why you are better than your established competition. So the first step is to create a new image.
The following are some of the most effective ways to raise awareness of your profile as quickly as possible and become the recruitment agency of choice.
LinkedIn is your friend
LinkedIn is the primary platform businesses have an account on, including senior individuals you will be working alongside. Therefore, it is imperative to have a significant presence. In addition, you want to be perceived as being at the forefront of your sector, specifically in industry knowledge and the understanding of current matters. Don’t be afraid to participate or start group discussions as it demonstrates you are keen to learn and be involved. Also, this will place you above your competition, especially if the debate regards industry news.
Make use of LinkedIn’s self-publishing feature. Uploading a blog enables your work to be viewed and read across your network. Furthermore, if a connection shares or likes your post, it is noticed across another network. Consequently, maximising your audience reach and increasing your profile visibility. Finally, repost into a relevant LinkedIn group for further audience reach. You are likely to reach target clients and candidates involved in the group – expanding your network yet again.
Increase your appearance on Twitter
More often than not, companies whom you desire to work with have a Twitter account. You should follow them. Support the businesses by retweeting their posts that are relevant to your business, including launches or contact wins. Then, go that step further and follow the business CEO/director. These businesses will easily recognise you, helping you move up their listing for the next available vacancies.
Following accounts covering your industry sector news and recruitment updates can aid your development. Furthermore, only post relevant and valuable content for your audience; this demonstrates you are up to date and involved with your industry. Finally, ensure you regularly post/retweet; you risk going unnoticed if you don’t. If you do, you will raise your ‘discoverability’ on Twitter and Google, as the search engine now includes your most recent Tweet in its results.
Don’t forget Facebook
The platform on which everyone spends the most time is Facebook. Every day, almost a billion individuals visit Facebook. So it is inevitable that you create a company Facebook account.
Facebook is a great platform to get in front of prospective talent by pushing outposts for job openings. But your organic reach is limited to friends and followers. The number of truly qualified people for an open position is extremely small. It’s doubtful that your present audience will be connected with someone who is just right for the job - and even if they are, that individual could easily miss it in their news stream.
If you’re serious about attracting top talent, you’ll need to invest in Facebook Ads. One of the most affordable methods of social media advertising, you can target ad campaigns to specific audiences, such as; locations, industries and even job titles, all within a set budget and time period. Facebook ads are a great way of competing with your more established competition without breaking the bank.
Don’t be afraid to show off your achievements
Prepare a brief case study that includes important assignments you have worked on. Give detail about the challenge and the way you approached the challenge. Talk positively by describing methods how you saved time, reduced costs etc. Clients are more compelled to work with you after seeing what you can offer them. However, watch out for how you portray yourself. You will not yet have the evidence to name yourself a ‘leading provider’ as a start-up. Instead, outline your strengths, whether you have a unique recruiting style or offer support to candidates even after starting their job. Differentiating from the norm will make you stand out!
Get your opinion out there and write blogs
If you are passionate about topics and can express your options – do it. Start writing blogs to upload onto your website, and you’d be surprised how many people agree with you. Blogs that people can relate to and are attracted to will draw more attention. Alternatively, writing a blog that repeats content elsewhere will not be noticed or stand out. You need to give a unique perspective on topics to increase your awareness and obtain the impression that you are someone with sector knowledge.
Simplicity is the answer
When talking about recruiters, ambition is more likely than not a trait to possess. Therefore, you will need to think outside the box regarding your business approach for faster, smarter growth. One way to do this is to keep a steady cash flow, resulting in extra time for the all-important fee-generating tasks.
Here at Simplicity, we offer market-leading solutions to recruitment businesses with one main goal in mind – to help them grow. Our recruitment finance solution provides recruiters with 100% funding, including paying your workers and releasing your profit margin each week, improving your cash flow. Leaving you to focus on getting ahead of your competition.
Keep it simple. Get in touch. Call us today on 01594 888518 or email sales@simplicityinbusiness.com to find out more about our market-leading financial and back-office support services.
Read our previous blog here.