“I’m doing digital marketing, but it’s not working!” Lots of clients come to me with this problem; they feel like they’re investing a lot of time and money in their online presence, without seeing the results they’d hoped for. If you’re in that boat, it’s not your fault. You’re not a digital marketing expert; that’s where I come in. So here is the Warning: Don’t Make These Five Common Digital Marketing Mistakes With Your Staffing Agency. Let’s take a closer look so that you can avoid them.
Trying to be all things to all clients: not having a niche market
Very few staffing agencies are differentiating themselves from the competition. They think that by having a “We do it all!” approach, they’ll land more clients. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Your most important marketing task is to find a specialty niche and become the authority in that niche. Whether your niche is medical, technical, administrative, legal, conventions, or something else, your niche is your golden ticket. When you don’t have a clear target, you can’t grow. When you don’t have a niche, you can’t craft a message around it, because you don’t know who you’re trying to reach. So if you don’t currently have a specialization, that’s your first step.
A website built for no one
You know that you need a website, but many staffing agencies waste valuable online real estate by crafting the wrong kind of website. It’s amazing how many staffing agencies use their websites to talk about themselves, rather than about what they can do for clients. Look at your website and ask what you’re selling: information about your company that no one really wants to read, or information about the results that you get for your clients? “We were founded in 1980 and have been family-owned ever since,” (potential client thinks: what does that mean for me?) versus “Need reliable, pre-screened staff? We take the stress and hassle out of staffing” (potential client thinks: great, that’s exactly what I need!). Write your website for your target customers (now that you have a niche, right?) and stop wasting web traffic. It doesn’t matter how many hits your site gets, if they’re not from the right kinds of visitors, and if you don’t have the right pitch ready for them.
Not distributing content regularly
I see lots of staffing agencies that build a great website and then expect it to just sit there and draw tons of traffic and leads. That’s the wrong way to go about it: a basic but professional website that you regularly update with fresh content like current openings, tip sheets, educational resource articles and blog posts is a key part of your digital presence. Likewise, many staffing agencies go crazy setting up social media profiles…and then never update them. If someone visits your Twitter page and sees that the last post was from eight months ago, how impressive does that look? You’d be better off not to have the profile at all. What’s the number one issue here? You know what I’m going to say: lack of a niche. You’re probably not creating content because you don’t have a niche to focus on. You don’t know who you’re writing for, so you get stuck and don’t write anything. So again, we’re back to the niche: it’s everything!
Not balancing inbound and outbound marketing
Many staffing agencies think that they have a marketing plan, but they’re actually throwing spaghetti against the wall. Everything is a scramble because the plan exists only in the CEO’s head. There’s no clear goal or small steps to work toward that goal. You should strike a balance between outbound marketing—where you’re actively pursuing new clients and following up—and inbound marketing—where you’re pushing out content that will draw prospects to you.
Ignoring the value of video
Very few staffing agencies are leveraging video; it’s an area where you can really stand out. In fact, the web’s second-largest search engine isn’t even a true search engine; it’s YouTube. YouTube is also a very effective client engagement tool. When clients see you on video, they feel like they know you, and they’re more likely to do business with you, or to stay loyal to you. Many clients who come to me feel totally overwhelmed by video, so they don’t even try. But here’s the truth: someone in your niche is going to embrace video, so it might as well be you. Start simple, with basic videos about the results you generate for your clients, or typical mistakes your clients make and how you help solve them.
Now what?
Let’s look at a few key takeaways:
- Lack of a niche stalls all marketing efforts; if you don’t have a niche, you’re marketing to no one
- You’re a staffing expert, not a digital marketing expert. Don’t (for a second!) feel bad that you don’t know all of this.
- You need a true expert: that’s where I come in. I free you up to do what you do best, while I do what I do best—enhance your online presence and online messaging so that clients come knocking on your door.
If you’d like to make 2017 your most successful year yet, it’s time for us to talk. I’ll help you refine your niche, craft your website around that niche, create a marketing plan, and use new media to attract and engage clients. Click here to claim your free strategy session today! I look forward to hearing from you.
