How To Generate Leads For Staffing Agencies
The first online lead we generated set a new record for our staffing agency client. A really good record.
The largest deal in our client’s 15-year company history.
High six figure revenue, just off an inbound lead through organic search. (In North Dakota, of all places!)
Talk about setting the bar high.
In this case study, we’ll dive into how to generate leads in staffing and recruitment.
Overview: From Zero to Ten Leads Per Month
Some clients care about only one thing when it comes to marketing: the bottom line.
Are marketing efforts driving business? Or are they not?
Our client is one of those bottom-line types that is okay with spending on marketing as long as each dollar can be traced to an ROI.
With that said, when we engaged with our client they were not generating any leads through their website. In fact, there was very little traffic being generated at all.
To add more variables, the company was in the middle of changing their name and introducing a new brand.
So how did our agency help support the brand change, generate leads, and show a positive return on investment?
Challenge: Pareto’s Principle In Lead Generation
Pareto’s Principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, rings true in staffing more than any other industry. The principle is simple: Roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.
The challenge in generating leads for staffing agencies is that 80% of your lead generation efforts are going to be candidates. Not employers.
Go ahead, let out the collective groan and sigh. But the fact of the matter is that there’s no way around it. You are going to attract people looking for job opportunities as a result of engaging in digital marketing.
Why?
Both employers and candidates search for terms like “executive search firm.” A staffing company needs to be visible for universal search terms like this to generate leads.
How does a staffing agency get around this challenge? By avoiding paying for each click with something like Google Ads (where you’ll pay for the 80% of candidates who click the “executive search firm” ad). And instead, investing in SEO to rank organically for target keywords (so that you don’t pay for each candidate who visits your site).
Solution: Local Landing Pages By Industry
Staffing agencies deploy many different marketing strategies to generate leads. However, one strategy rises above the rest: SEO (search engine optimization).
Remember the six figure lead from North Dakota? That lead was generated through a local landing page targeting a specific industry.
In other words, content.
Here are more effective ways to generate leads in staffing:
- Blogging. Write about the staffing industry and the challenges employers face in hiring talent. Address employer FAQs, and you’ll attract employers who are seeking a staffing solution.
- Landing Pages. Create local landing pages that target an industry or role. Does your staffing agency specialize in temporary staffing in Phoenix? Or finding CFOs in Chicago? Narrow your specialties and create landing pages that reflect your focus.
- Directories. Submit your company information to recruiting related directories. Employers sometimes start their vendor vetting process at a directory. Have a presence there to be considered in the vendor selection process.
- Digital PR. Establish yourself as a thought leader in the industry through Digital PR. Get insights published to drive referral traffic, leads, and sometimes even speaking opportunities.
- Sponsorships. Podcasts. Blogs. Even social media updates. There are opportunities to sponsor influencers to reach employers who have hiring needs.
In addition to the solutions, it is also important to know what to avoid. Here are marketing tactics to stay clear of in the staffing industry.
- Paid Advertising. 80% of your budget will be spent on candidates. If your company is okay with burning 80% of the marketing budget on candidates to reach employers, then paid ads may work. But, most staffing agencies aren’t okay with this reality.
- Social media. LinkedIn works for some staffing agencies. But, LinkedIn and social media only works if you have a strong network offline. Expecting a junior business development associate to hop on LinkedIn and generate leads may be a little short-sighted. More power to you if your agency is successful with this approach. Our experience is that employers suffer from LinkedIn fatigue based on the volume of sales pitches.
- Email Marketing. Staffing is a timely business. When an employer needs your services, you want to be there for them. Sometimes, there is a long wait in between engagements. Email marketing can help bridge the gap. By sharing content through email campaigns, the hope is that you’ll stay top of mind. But more often than not, email marketing can burn out prospects if they hear from you too often.
Result: More Record Setting Leads
Our client continues to generate leads that are breaking decade old sales records.
We’ve received emails from our client with subject lines like:
- Best Sales Month Ever
- Best Sales Year Ever
- Great Lead Today
- Any idea how this company found us? Perfect lead.
This feels good. But it’s important to note that success didn’t happen overnight. In running a SEO company for staffing agencies, we’ve discovered that SEO takes about 4-12 months. Bridging that time with other lead generating activities gives an SEO initiative the necessary time to develop.
What now?
If you’re interested in generating leads for your staffing agency, here are three things you can do.
- Conduct a free SEO audit. Type in your keyword and website. Receive an “SEO score” and report on what you can do to improve your online presence.
- Schedule a consultation. Contact us for an initial 15 minute consultation. Our consultation will set us up to perform a more in-depth (but still free) SEO audit. Then, we’ll go over the audit to determine if Markitors can help drive the leads you need for your business.
- Determine if SEO is right. Once you have the facts and the forecasts, it’s time to make a decision on marketing. See if you can wait 4-12 months to see results from an SEO campaign.
