Frequently, recruiting firms and staffing agencies ask themselves, “how do I find more clients?” As a recruiter, you won’t need anyone to tell you that your business won’t survive long without a regular supply of new clients. Outreach can be time-consuming; in an ideal world, clients will approach you for their recruitment needs. But with a globally interconnected marketplace and a mountain of competition, that is unlikely to happen in most cases.
You can, however, improve your own outreach, use a better approach and streamline your business using some of the methods we discuss here. Alternatively, many recruiting agencies are turning to Reflik – one of the web’s top hiring marketplaces. Reflik’s technology platform allows businesses to post job orders and select candidates while Reflik’s independent recruiters and recruiting firms source top talent. Below are several sources you can use to find new clients for your recruiting business:
1: Job Posting Websites
Some recruiters may be put off using these because of a perception that they are for “low hanging fruit.” These fears are unfounded; they are now an essential part of the global employment and recruitment marketplace. You’re missing out on some potential big clients by ignoring or underusing them. Conduct regular searches; if the same business names come up repeatedly, they may be struggling to find the right candidates for their roles or they are going through a period of rapid expansion. Such businesses may welcome your services with a direct approach to take on the burden of finding their new talent. As well as general job boards, consider industry-specific sites too, especially in areas where you might have experience hiring.
2: Social Media Searching
There is no getting away from the fact that social media is here to stay. Sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and especially LinkedIn are not just for social use. Businesses use them as recruitment advertising platforms. That’s a large number of followers and potential clients for you to reach out to in building your client list. Also, ensure you join professional communities such as pages and groups on Facebook and LinkedIn. They can be great sources for making contacts and clients in the modern age, even those not looking to hire now. In a recent study, 90% of professional marketers believe social media is vital for many aspects of their businesses.
3: Email Marketing
In the age of social media and instant communication, it would be a mistake to assume that email marketing is dead. On the contrary, if you use a CRM and its analytics to plan and monitor email marketing, it can still be an effective method of acquiring new clients in most B2B markets. If you specialize in a certain industry, then spend some time on internet searches for businesses in that field – everything from small to medium businesses (SMEs) up to those with a large market percentage. This is the fastest way to grow a marketing list in little to no time. With the right software, you can send mass marketing emails with a standard template.
4: Follow Up Calls
One area that recruiters neglect is in the follow-up. Email marketing is a useful tool, but many emails are read and ignored or deleted unread. In some cases, the business may intend to contact you to inquire further but the day-to-day business activities mean this falls down their priority list. In some cases, they even forget they ever received your email. Therefore, a follow-up call is important. With a polite inquiry, ask if they received your email and would they like to know more? If they refuse, that’s one client off your list. But if they ask for more information, you can take their query to the next stage. Follow up calls should also include querying existing clients about how happy they were with your service.
5: Ask for Referrals
There is no better or cheaper marketing or outreach method for finding clients for your recruiting firm than word of mouth referrals. Simply, this is when customers or clients have such a good experience working with you that they tell somebody else about it. In turn, you hope that those other businesses appreciate the referral and will seek you out to inquire. While many businesses will tell their contacts about you, others may need prompting about the importance of referrals. Don’t be afraid to ask for them, either during one of your regular communications or in email marketing or communications with your main contact.
6: Networking
Regardless of if you are an executive or junior-level employee, everyone can benefit from networking. The first thing most people will consider is the industry or local networking event. But networking can mean far more than this. It’s your college friends, your former colleagues, bosses, and subordinates, fellow contacts, even the local businesses nearby that are not in competition. They may know people or other businesses who may require your services. That’s why keeping a strong network and maintaining good rapport with everyone that you maintain contact with is vital for your outreach.
7: Cold Calling
This is, perhaps surprisingly, the most popular method for all recruiters. It includes high cost and little return when done incorrectly. Cold calling may have a bad reputation in other areas, particularly in B2C marketing outreach, but in recruiting it is one of the most successful methods. It is important, however, that you use it at the right time and place. Some success is achieved by applying the other methods stated here. For example, searching through job boards will give you names and contact details of hiring companies. In your contact, refer directly to the job posting for which you may have a candidate (or could find a candidate). This shows you are paying attention to their actual needs; a positive response is more likely. If you don’t have the bandwidth to cold call or do sales outreach, learn more about how Reflik can become your perfect sales team.
8: Content Marketing
It’s likely that your blog is a part of your business that you don’t invest a lot of time on. It’s a passive method that relies on trial and error and visitors coming to your site. Too few businesses in many industries use their blog, digital downloads or regular newsletters as part of their outreach. That is precisely why they and you should consider it. We have two examples, including our “Talent Crowdsourcing: The Quick Guide,” and our “Recruiter Success Stories.” Creating high-quality content and producing it regularly may not be easy, but with the search engines increasingly promoting valuable content that web users will read and share will become more important in the future. Position your business as an authoritative and knowledgeable web resource and your chances of clients approaching you will be much higher.
Have You Considered Reflik To Find Clients For Your Recruiting Firm?
Business interactions, whether they are B2B or B2C, are about building and maintaining relationships. This is the common mistake that new recruiters make and even some who have been in the business for a while. In a world of seemingly unlimited competition, it’s a buyer’s and not a seller’s market.
Reflik allows recruiters to focus less time chasing down new clients, invoicing, and maintaining business relationships. Independent Recruiters and recruiting firms turn to Reflik so they can spend more time helping candidates find jobs and placing them with a variety of companies, including those such as J.B. Hunt, Interactive Brokers, Canon, and more.
Click the banner below to learn more and create an account on Reflik today:
