Whether small or large-scale, getting clients to start a staffing agency essentially comprises the same steps. Just a few loyal clients might be enough. But even that might feel like a hectic task! Don’t worry!
Whether you’re just starting your agency or planning to expand, we have surefire ways to improve your client base. Let’s dive in!
Unforgettable Tips for Building Your Staffing Agency Clientele
There are several stages you might be stuck in to increase your client base. Whether you are opening your agency, searching for new clients, struggling with negotiations, or trying to retain and enhance your loyal client base, these tips will help you with that:
1. Identify your ideal clients
Clients of staffing agencies are usually one of the following three:
- Mass recruiters
- Companies seeking specialists
- Companies with regular staffing needs
Define your ideal client. Each client needs to be dealt with differently. Mass recruiters might bring in more employees, but their prices might not be competitive. Meanwhile, companies that require experienced candidates might be willing to pay more. Keep your long-term goals in mind before you go about selecting clients for your staffing agency.
2. Job boards
Job portals aren’t just for candidates looking for employment or companies wanting to employ them. Recruitment agencies can proactively explore them to find their own. Get in touch with both ends of the spectrum. Companies would be willing to outsource their recruiting work to staffing agencies and lessen their burden. At the same time, eligible candidates would want to contact staffing agencies to broaden their chances since such agencies would be in touch with more companies. Win-win goes both ways.
3. Event marketing
Hosting offline job fairs can bring more clients together in one place. Offer companies stalls in your event and send out brochures to promote it. This way, companies seeking employees will have a chance to gather them on a larger scale and candidates can have a better chance of getting a job. The companies you allow in your fair would seek a further relationship with your agency and might even stay on for a long term as loyal customers.
4. Cold outreach
Cold emails and calling might seem primitive, but it has proven to give good results. Acquire an email list of companies you would wish to collaborate with so that even with cold emailing, you can ensure that you have communicated on a better plane. With proper communication, cold calling and emailing are effective in gaining clients. Connect with the top decision-makers of a company directly so that you are sure the job of how to get clients for a staffing agency will be done.
5. Follow up
Several studies over the years at different locations have shown that 80% of non-routine sales happen only after five follow-ups, at the very least. Make sure that you keep in constant touch with your potential clients. Build a relationship with your clients on a personal level. Communicating directly on a regular basis via phone calls and emails makes your client feel valued and heard. This communication is an art that must be perfected for positive results. By directly connecting with C-level executives, you establish a solid relationship with the company. Give clear-cut objectives, and remember to receive criticism and feedback that will help you improve.
6. Referrals
Have a proper referral program so the referrer can gain along with the referred client. This will also help spread the news about your agency by word of mouth. With this method, you can access a more expansive pool of clients. Remember to provide proper incentives.
7. Powerful social media presence
Be the most active you can be on social media. In order to connect with the younger demographic, you must be open-minded to accept them and communicate on a medium they relate to. Run social media campaigns. Post your success stories. Deliver content in all formats, like videos and infographics, to please your potential clients visually. Provide proper CTAs to your website from your social media pages and vice versa.
8. Be knowledgeable about your niche
You can understand your clients better if you understand their niche. Learn about the industry you will to hire employees for. Learn about the companies you want to gain as your clients with proper research methods and communication. Find out what challenges they face so that you can assure them of solving their hiring problems. Be up to date with the industry trends.
9. Transparency
Maintain transparency when discussing money matters with your clients. This will help you gain their trust, which will lead to more word of mouth and referrals. Always make sure that your charges are documented and conveyed properly. Your clients should be able to understand any breakdown via document or otherwise to avoid conflicts at a later stage.
10. Attend industry events
Attending industry events shows you are in touch with the latest industry trends. Speak with business and company owners about their staffing needs. Actively participate by setting up stalls or speaking in panels to make your organization visible to the attendees.
11. Content marketing and advertising
Even though content marketing costs 62% less than traditional marketing, it is found to reap 3x more leads. Cater to the challenges that organizations face with staffing. Create content on how your agency can help them overcome staffing problems. Make sure that your content relates to them and engages them. Creating powerful content for your agency might not be enough. Find ways to publish it in a medium that would maximize your reach. Find out which platform your target audience connects with most. Try out different forms of content, not just textual (blogs, articles, guest posts, whitepapers) but visual (videos, infographics).
Winding up
Finding clients can be quite a task for staffing agencies, even if it’s just the first few. But it isn’t impossible. Don’t worry about how to get clients for a staffing agency. Find out which techniques we have given here work the best for your agency and try them. If tweaking is required in any step of the process, be willing to change your plan. By implementing these effective strategies, you can definitely build a strong client base.