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New Recruiting Firms in the eyes of the Employers
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New Recruiting Firms in the eyes of the Employers
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I just started a search and placement firm in Richfield Ohio. What does it take to get companies to use my serves over the larger recruiting companies? My fees are 20% and the quality of my candidates
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Forums » Topic Forums » Recruiting & Staffing » New Recruiting Firms in the eyes of the Employers
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New Recruiting Firms in the eyes of the Employers
posted at 3/16/2000 8:34 AM EDT
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Posts: 5
First: 3/16/2000 Last: 3/16/2000 |
I just started a search and placement firm in Richfield Ohio. What does it take to get companies to use my serves over the larger recruiting companies? My fees are 20% and the quality of my candidates surpass any my competition produce, so why I am not getting new client companies? Is size of a search firm important or are quality hires important?
Regards, Chris Christen Career1 Employment Services Richfield Ohio 44286 Tel. (330) 659-2446 |
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New Recruiting Firms in the eyes of the Employers
posted at 4/7/2000 5:27 AM EDT
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Posts: 3
First: 4/7/2000 Last: 7/25/2000 |
Chris:
You need to market your business aggressively. Even if you don't have a cent for paid advertising, you can do it by using the media to get free publicity for your business. Here's an article I just wrote for a newsletter that explains how I market my business through free publicity and draw traffic to my website. I hope you find it helpful. Use Powerful, Free Publicity to Market Your Web Site By Joan Stewart Publisher, The Publicity Hound If you create a great web site, don't make the mistake of closing the door on traditional media as a way to market it. Newspapers, magazines, newsletters and even radio shows are excellent ways to capture the attention of people who find the search engines too frustrating and might not know where to find you. When I hired Websight Solutions to build my web site 15 months ago, primarily to market my print newsletter, The Publicity Hound, I was pleasantly surprised that the site was so attractive, easy to navigate and easy for customers to place an order. My web designer had done his job. Now it was time to do mine. So I vowed that I would write for as many print and on-line publications as possible. Since then, I've written about three dozen articles that have appeared in various forms in more than 70 publications, mostly for free. They have resulted in a steady flow of traffic to my site at http://www.publicityhound.com and-even better yet-lots of products sales. Three weeks ago, I got two product orders within hours from customers in South Africa. They said they read about me in a local newsletter for PR people. Apparently, someone there picked up my articles from another Internet site and reprinted them. A few months ago, when I published my new tips booklets on how to find and keep valuable employees, I quickly wrote two or three articles that I have started offering to HR web sites and others that deal with the labor shortage. Already, the booklet orders are starting to pour in. I've even gotten calls from print reporters who have seen my articles on the Internet and want an interview. If you're thinking to yourself, "But I can't write" or "I hate to write" or "I don't have the time to write," then hire a freelancer. It will be money well-spent. Here are tips on how to use traditional media to market your site: · Establish yourself as an expert by writing how-to articles that give away free advice to your target audience. Start by writing just one or two articles that help people solve their biggest problems. A CPA, for example, might write "11 Ways to Stay Out of Jail if You're Doing Your Own Taxes." A veterinarian might write about "9 Ways to Help Your Pets Beat the Heat." · There's something magical and compelling about using numerals in headlines. · Keep the content as non-promotional as possible. · Offer information in short bullets, such as the ones presented here. · Give one or two other resources where people can find more information on your topic. · At the end of each article, include an identifier paragraph listing your name, company, what you do and your URL. If you wish, you can also include your telephone number. But I've found it's much easier if I include just the URL. · Insist that editors who publish your articles include the identifier paragraph. Without it, readers won't know where to find you. If editors won't agree to do this (don't worry, most will), then don't give them free content. · In the identifier paragraph, you can also tell people that if they go to your web site, they will find a free report or a list of free tips on a topic that ties into your article. With just a little tweaking, articles can be recycled and customized to fit the needs of many different audiences. Print and online newsletters also are fertile territory for writers. My favorite resource for finding print newsletters is the Oxbridge Directory of Newsletters, categorized by subject. Most major libraries have the print version. A shorter and less complete version is on the web at http://www.mediafinder.com/nlr_home.cfm. A great online resource for finding newspapers and magazines is the All-in-One Media Directory by Gebbie Press at http://www.gebbieinc.com. You can find e-zines that serve your target audience by doing a search, or posting a question to Internet discussion boards and in chat rooms. Here are more tips for working with print and online editors: · Don't expect money in exchange for your articles unless you are writing a freelance piece in which you interview other sources. Most publications don't pay. But the amount of space you'll be getting for free is worth far more than what you could probably afford if you had bought an ad. · If you're bothered by "giving away free advice," get over it. This is one of the best ways to establish your credibility. If you don't want free newspaper space or valuable access to people all over the world via the Internet, there's somebody in line behind you who does. · Unless editors are paying you a standard freelance fee, make sure you retain the copyright and all reprint rights. An online newsletter I wrote for recently asked for "all rights" even though I offered the article for free. I e-mailed them and told them I wanted to retain the copyright. They replied, "That's fine" and posted my article the next day. You won't get it unless you ask. · Don't be shy about e-mailing editors of some of the better online sites and offering your articles. Often, the staffs are small compared to the print publications and they must work like crazy to fill all that space with fresh content. · Always offer a photo of yourself to accompany the article, particularly for print publications. It makes your article more immediately recognizable. If you don't have a good-quality business photo, invest $75 in a professional photographer and a half dozen prints. Nothing makes you look more like an amateur than an amateur photo. · If you have a really great site, submit it to print publications that "review" web sites. USA Today Technology Editor Sam Vincent Meddis, for example, is always looking for new site announcements. Visit the newspaper's web site at http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/ch.htm and send him an e-mail press release while you are there. New sites are announced every weekday, with a special expanded edition on weekends. Be sure to put "PR: (Title of Your Site)" in the subject heading of your e-mail. · Let the editors know what kind of response you receive from articles at their sites. They seldom get feedback from writers, and if they know your articles are attracting readers, they will be more inclined to run your stuff again. Here are other ways, besides the media, that you can promote your site: · Get yourself booked on as many radio shows as possible. Be sure to ask the host to let you mention your URL. · Include your URL on clever bumper stickers. · Put it in your print advertisements. · Mention it on your fax cover sheet and invoices. · Include it when you are listed in business directories and trade publications. · Print your URL on colorful stickers that you attach to the outside of product packages. ***Joan's bonus tip: Be sure to mention your URL on your voicemail message. I started doing this several months ago and have saved myself hundreds of dollars and a lot of time returning long-distance phone calls from people all over the country who want to buy my products but don't realize I have a web site. Give your callers an inducement to visit with a phrase like, "If you're calling about how to order my newsletter, The Publicity Hound, come see me on the web at www.publicityhound.com where you'll find dozens of free publicity tips." Now get going. There's an editor out there somewhere who is just waiting for you. Joan Stewart is a media relations speaker, trainer and consultant. More information about her newsletter and her booklets "113 Tips for Recruiting Valuable Employees and "107 Tips for Keeping Valuable Employees" is at her web site. |
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