David Searns | Co-CEO
CONFESSION: I stole this newsletter!
Okay, maybe borrowed is a better word.
To be direct, I'm a fan of learning…especially from people who are smarter than me.
This past Monday, I received my weekly "Soar With Eagles" newsletter from Rick Houcek, and while I always enjoy his content, this one was SPOT ON for me as a marketer.
And if you are struggling to sell staffing services…or get the right candidates to apply to your jobs, I think you'll find Rick's advice spot on too!
With 100% credit to Rick for ideas and inspiration, here's an amazing list of ways to get more people to respond to your messages (edited just for you…because you know I had to put a staffing and recruiting twist on the advice!)
Top 17 Ways Companies Screw Up Your (staffing) Advertising
- No target audience.
When I ask staffing executives who their ideal client is, the #1 answer I get is "everybody."
Well, when everyone is your target audience…no one is your target audience.
For your ads to resonate, you really need to focus on a specific type of staffing buyer (or candidate). The more you refine the bullseye on your target, the easier that bullseye is to hit!
- Not knowing the specific action you want a prospect to take before you start to write.
Ads (and all marketing) need a clear, concise call to action. And your CTA should be repeated multiple times in the copy.
Want employers to request talent? Candidates to apply for jobs? Tell people EXACTLY what to do!
- No hot, hungry target market.
Maybe you can sell ice cubes to Eskimos, but it's far easier to sell ice to someone dying from the heat.
Who is your target market?
What do they desperately need…right now?
What are they not getting from their current staffing providers?
Are there enough of them to be a viable market?
Your advertising is much more likely to work when your audience has a strong need!
- No differentiation.
This may be the toughest question in staffing—why should people buy from you?
In marketing-speak, we call this a unique selling proposition or USP. It defines key differentiators that make your services stand out from everyone else in staffing—or it can define how you provide value in a way that your competitors do not.
Without a USP, you'll be seen as a commodity—and then it is all about price.
- No headline.
This is the most critical element in any ad (or email or social post). The headline captures attention. It stops people in their tracks. It engages their mind.
A great writer will spend as long writing a headline as they do the body copy. Your headline needs to score a direct hit on your target audience…connecting with their hopes, needs, and fears, and making them want to read on.
- No compelling offer.
If you want people to take action, give them an action to take…an offer they cannot refuse!
Forget "More info," and "Learn more." Instead, offer something your target audience desperately wants—advice, information, a tool, special savings, freebies. If you've targeted your audience—and done your homework—you'll know what to offer because you know your audience!
Want a great book on crafting offers that sell? Check out Alex Hormozi's $100M Offers.
- Too much We. We. We.
People do not want to read about you. Let me repeat that, people do not want to read about you!
They want to know what you can do for them. Your marketing copy should talk to the reader. Use "you" at least 3x more often than "we."
- Irrelevant (or inaccurate) information.
Your audience needs to see themselves in the content you write...and trust you as the author.
Irrelevant content kills interest. Inaccurate content kills credibility.
To get people to respond to your marketing, you need to provide content (and offers) that are 100% on target with the needs, wants and interests of your target audience. You need to hit the right hot buttons!
- No reason to act now.
FOMO is real. No one likes to miss a deal.
When you state your offer, be sure to include a deadline and/or build in scarcity. Phrases like "offer expires next Friday," "call in the next 15 minutes and get…," and "offer limited to the first 8 people to respond" trigger an emotional response that motivates people to act.
If you don't give people an overwhelming reason to ACT NOW, most prospects will think "I'll do it later"…which they won't!
- Selling on logic, not on emotion.
Remember this adage: People buy on emotionally…and justify their decisions rationally.
If you are selling staffing services and focusing on things like your years of experience, industry focus, awards won and of course, excellent service, you are probably not connecting with prospects. That's all logic.
The real reason employers choose one staffing firm over another may be price, but more often, it's because the staffing buyers like the salesperson, they trust the company, and they are excited about the staffing provider's reputation, team and approach to service.
For advertising (and all marketing) to work, you must nail the right emotions in your copy.
- Selling features instead of benefits.
In staffing, we often see people selling "what they do" (their staffing services) instead of the impact they make (the problems they solve and value they deliver).
To your clients, staffing is a tool to solve a business problem. Maybe it's getting work done, meeting a deadline, controlling labor expenses, hiring faster, improving the quality of their hires or something else.
To create high-impact ads, focus on the problems you solve (and outcomes you deliver) before mentioning the services you offer.
- Playing it safe.
Safe is boring. Boring does not get people to take action.
Every sentence in an ad has only one mission: to get the audience to read, listen to, or watch…the next sentence.
Too often, staffing executives are so worried about the possibility of offending someone that they sanitize their words and images to the point where no one pays attention.
If you want your ads to sell, be bold. Take risks.
- Designing ads you like.
You are not the audience for your marketing. Your ideal clients (or candidates) are the target audience.
Write copy for them. Use the words they use. Use images that allow people to see themselves in your ads.
The more your target audience can relate to your content, the more they will trust you.
- Not including a freebie (or bonus).
Free is magic in advertising. Always give away something free with a purchase.
Freebies provide extra value. In an industry as commoditized as staffing, freebies and bonuses can tip the scales in your favor.
Ideally, your freebies should have a high perceived value and low cost to you to deliver. Things like information products (free training programs) or customized variations of your services (free custom onboarding or reporting) can work very well.
Bonus tip, when you give something away, put a price on it. Show the buyer the value of what they get!
- Not repeating your offer (particularly on webpages).
If you want to maximize your response, open with your offer and close with your offer. And don't assume people will read top to bottom.
In an ad, your headline might contain the offer or maybe a callout. Then you repeat the offer in the last line. In a letter, the first thing most people read is the P.S., so be sure to include a P.S. with your offer.
On the web, place your offer "above the fold," before people start to scroll—and then repeat the offer as they scroll down the page. You can even incorporate exit intent pop-ups to repeat the offer for anyone who has not filled out your response form.
- Lack of clarity.
This one seems easy, but it's not. Make sure whatever you are offering—or asking people to do—is crystal clear!
When you write copy, you know what it means. You understand the language you used…and the value of what you are offering. Will the reader understand?
Advertising copy should be written at an eighth-grade level. This is not to suggest that your target audience is dumb. It's just that people are busy and distracted. Simple words. Clear calls to action. That's what makes ads sell.
- Forgetting the sales funnel.
Staffing is not a one-call close. Neither is most advertising.
You need a calculated, preplanned, well-defined sequence of follow-up activities. When someone responds to your ad (clicks on a link, fills out a form, calls your office) you need a predetermined step 2…then 3…then 4...
Whether creating landing pages for your ads, training your salespeople and recruiters how to respond, or using an automation platform to create a multistep, multichannel nurturing campaign, you need a plan to stay in touch with every prospect.
Even the world's greatest advertising WILL DIE if there's no follow-up.
So, what should you do with this list?
Audit what you are doing today.
Look at your website. Your social media. Your sales emails. Your job ads.
Are you screwing up your advertising?
Don't feel bad if you are. Even seasoned marketing professionals make these mistakes.
The key is to find ways to improve. Increase your focus. Get a deeper understanding of your target market. Create more compelling offers. Try out bolder messaging and design. Experiment.
Now go have some fun and upgrade your marketing! |
