Weekly inspiration for the staffing industry.
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Creating a Killer Staffing Website **Full disclosure: we know this article is a little longer than you're used to receiving from us. But to be honest everything was so good we couldn't decide what to cut out. If you'd like to read it later feel free to hit the Print button in the top right.** On a scale of 1 to 10, how effective is your website?
So what is a "Killer Staffing Website?" Before we get started, let's define what a killer staffing website is--and what it is not. A killer staffing website is not the one with the latest whiz-bang technology. It's not the one with the coolest pictures, the best Flash movie or the most outrageous copy. And it's not the one that won the most awards or cost the most to build. A killer staffing website is one that gets the best results. What results? Well, that depends on you, and what you are looking to accomplish. Here are 7 possible goals for your website: 1. First impressions. Less than 10 years ago, a website was little more than an online brochure. Today, it's your online office--after all, more prospective clients and candidates will see your website than your actual offices. If your site does not instantly make the right impression, you're going to have a much harder time selling and recruiting. 2. Positioning. Your website should not just make a great impression, it should tell people what makes your firm better than the competition. A killer staffing website clearly and convincingly differentiates a staffing firm. 3. Credibility. Staffing is a relationship business. And relationships are built on trust. While your website will not replace your salespeople or recruiters, it can do a lot to prove your value and demonstrate that you run a trustworthy organization. 4. Education. No one wants to sell a commodity. To sell higher value solutions, you first have to educate people about the need for--and value of--the solutions you can deliver. Your website is an ideal vehicle to teach people when, why and how staffing can be used as a strategic tool to solve business problems. 5. Enhance/Streamline the service process. A killer staffing website is not just a marketing tool. It also makes it easier for people to do business with you. A killer site makes it easier for clients to place orders and candidates to apply. It saves people time--while also reducing your servicing costs! 6. Improve the customer experience. If you ask 100 staffing companies, "What makes you special?," 99 are likely to reply "Our service." But service can mean a lot of different things. Wal-Mart has one kind of service experience; Neiman Marcus has another. Your website can, and should, play a big role in delivering the kind of service experience you want to deliver. 7. Promotion & lead generation. For most staffing companies, lead generation is the number one goal for their website. A killer staffing website is an efficient machine that works for you 24/7/365 to attract prospects, enhance relationships with existing clients, and generate more candidate referrals.
The Five Elements of a Killer Staffing Website 1. Content 2. Functionality 3. Design 4. Conversion 5. Promotion  Content is the heart of your website. It's the information people want to know. It's what attracts them to your site, engages readers and keeps them coming back for more. Killer content is comprised of:
Killer content clearly defines how you want to be seen, tells a compelling story, educates people about your services and adds value for your clients and prospects.  Functionality is what your website does--or more appropriately, what your website allows visitors to do. Killer functionality makes it easier to do business with you, reduces the cost of doing business, delivers a "WOW" customer experience and makes your site fun and memorable. Here are a few examples of Killer Functionality:
 The design of your website is more than just the graphics. It's also about the physical structure of your website. A well designed website is:
Once the structure of your site is defined, then you can move on to the fun part of design--the motif, or visual design. To develop a captivating visual design, we suggest that you first look at other sites.
 Conversion is the art and science of turning website visitors into website responders. It may mean getting people to place an order or respond to a job opening. Or it may mean getting people to download a whitepaper, subscribe to a newsletter or just watch a video. To design a killer website, you need to: 1. Include compelling offers. 2. Make sure every web page has a clear call to action. 3. Make it easy to respond. 4. Minimize distraction. So what is a compelling offer? A compelling offer can be anything that has high perceived value for the people you are trying to reach. Ideally, it addresses the challenges and pain points of the prospects and candidates you serve. Here are a few ideas for offers you might consider:
Form design make response forms as simple as possible. Never ask for more information than you absolutely need. Also, be sure to include a phone number near all forms for people who would rather call. Landing pages a landing page is a single web page designed to sell an offer. It presents the offer along with a response form. Sending someone to a landing page for an offer will get much more response than sending them to either your home page or contact us page. Whenever possible, try to create unique landing pages to go with each offer you present on your website. (Want to see an example? Check out http://www.haleymarketing.com/marketingguide.)  Promotion refers to all the ways you get people to your website--and to specific landing pages within your site. While we will save website promotion for another Idea Club, here are a few things to consider when developing your promotional marketing strategy:
How Much Should I Spend? The simple answer to this question is as much as it takes to meet your goals! A killer staffing website does not have to be extraordinarily expensive, but most staffing companies err on the other side of the equation. They don't budget enough to accomplish the results they want. Think about it this way... How much would you pay to get a new sales lead every week for the next 3 to 5 years? How much would you save if you could eliminate paid job postings? How much would you spend to double your sales productivity? The value of a killer staffing website is measured in hundreds of thousands of dollars. Your investment will last for at least 3 to 5 years, and once it's built, the ongoing maintenance costs are very low. For some companies, an investment of a few thousand dollars will be sufficient. For others, it may take $30,000 or more. Want to know the right budget for your firm? Give us a call. We'll be happy to help you evaluate your goals and determine how to most cost-effectively create your killer staffing website. 1.888.696.2900 |
