The latest data from Deloitte and APSCo have informed us that the recruitment sector is still growing; in fact, in 2016 over 4500 new recruitment companies were registered at companies’ house.
This is excellent news for our industry. However, with growth comes competition.
So, what is the link to branding?
It’s now more important than ever that you stand out in your recruitment sector and developing your recruitment brand will help you become the recruitment partner everyone wants to work for.
A recent customer impact report revealed that even in a downturn economy customer experience meant the difference between ‘consumers’ paying more for a brand.
We cover this in more depth at one of our workshops. If you want to know more get in contact here.
In the meantime, here are several upsides to creating a world class brand with your recruitment organisation.
Important to remember
Before I share some of the upsides of developing your brand, remembers it’s not about a fancy logo or amazing website; though that may form part of your impact. It’s about much more. Brands are about emotion.
A brand represents the sum of everyone’s perception of your organisation. It’s people, it’s service, what it’s known for.
When these parts of the business are working well, the overall brand tends to be healthy. On the flip side, we all probably know a company that offers excellent products or services but has an awful reputation. A certain incident with an American airline springs to mind here!
Let’s get into the upsides of creating your brand.
1. Branding=More Candidates and Clients
The reality is a strong brand attracts ‘leads’. Period. In our case that is more clients, candidates and let’s not forget talent.
It’s a common phenomenon that the better you get, the better it gets.
So, well-known brands get talked about more, their social presence is off the scale, and they start to appear in our general conversation. The good news is that this isn’t just reserved for the likes of Armani, it happens to recruitment organisations too.
I was chatting with an old friend recently, and we reminisced about one of her past employers. They were a pharmaceutical recruitment company.
In its heyday, all its business came through referral. It was THE company in that space. They worked hard on their ‘brand impression’, and it stood out a mile. This had a significant impact on its profits too.
2. Branding builds trust
This week I saw a post on Recruitment Grapevine about how awful some people think recruiters are; unprofessional, lazy, etc., etc. Though this is a huge generalisation. I can understand why that might be a valid observation when I see an organisation with a poor brand.
Here is the thing, in today’s interconnected world people purchase from brands they know like and importantly TRUST. Great brands build trust, don’t they?
Your professionalism builds both trust and makes you a credible recruiter. Clients and candidates are more likely to come to you when they have a recruitment or career challenge. You know that deep down, don’t you?
Fact: Emotional reactions instigate our purchasing decision.
3. Your strong brand will inspire your consultants
As human beings, we want more from work than the monthly pay packet and a P%%^ up at Christmas. We crave meaning and being part of something bigger. Your consultants are the same.
In our Centredexcellence programmes we talk about the importance of creating a vision and mission for your organisation, this is part of developing both your culture and your brand.
When employees understand your mission and reason for being, they are more likely to feel that same pride and work in the same direction to achieve the goals you have set.
4. Branding improves your ££value
In case what I have said so far doesn’t convince you this fact might. Strong brands are loved. They are also likely to be snapped up when they come onto the open market.
Though we are looking at different markets, recently Google knocked Apple off the top slot as the most valuable Brand in the world coming in at a respectable! $109.5bn, up 24%! From the previous year. The power of a brand…
Though your recruitment organisation might not reach these dizzy heights, the greater your company’s devotion to building its brand value, the better the financial return you will receive.
Want to find out more? Then join us for our next workshop in London where we will share what is involved in building a world class customer base.
High performing consultants are the lifeblood of any successful recruitment organisation. The challenge starts when your recruiters underperform. There is a solution and I cover it in-depth in my latest ebook; How to Convert Your under Performers to Consistent Billers in 14 Days or less. You can download it here.
