Online Presence

If you take away one thing from this whitepaper, let it be this: your website is all important when it comes to marketing!

A good website is the first thing you must have before you start any marketing efforts. This is because the vast majority of hiring managers and job seekers will take to the internet to learn more about you and your competition before making the decision to work with you.

The facts support that: according to recent iCIMS reports, 83% of millennials, 68% of Gen-Xers, and 53% of Boomers use Google for job searching, while 79% of job applicants use social media in their job search.

We’ll now take you through the basics of a good web presence, from your website to social media to your online reputation in general.

Website

It’s hard to overstate how important your website is to your business and to your marketing efforts. A good website is absolutely vital to your business, and it’s the backbone of your online presence. It’s probably also your best salesperson.

If you're a fairly tech-savvy small business owner, you may want to build your own website. If not, use a web design firm or freelance web designer. If you spend money on one thing when it comes to marketing, make it a good website!

To determine if you website is “good” or not, ask yourself these questions. Does your website:

  • Pass the “5 second test”? (Aka, where someone can look at your site and know exactly what you do in 5 seconds or less.)
  • Have clear Call-to-Actions on each page?
  • Have testimonials? Recent placements? Project examples?
  • Have content like blog posts or web pages that provide value?
  • Look modern and have visual appeal?
  • Load in 2.5 seconds or less? (based on SEO page speed best practices)

Online Listing

When you are looking for a product or service, what’s the first thing you do? Google it. The same principle applies to your potential customers and employees. How credible your firm comes across online plays a pivotal role in the modern buyer decision.

Do a test – type “<Your niche> staffing in <location>” in Google. Where do you come up?

If you’re not coming up or want to get further up in the search results, it’s important to complete a listing for your business in search engine local directories and other important directory sites.

Search Engines:

  • Google My Business
  • Bing Places for Business.

Popular Review Sites:

  • Yelp for Business Owners. Note that Yelp for business can be free or paid. To get started, register or claim your business, add your location, post some pics of your product/service, and begin responding to customers’ reviews.
  • Glassdoor for Employers will allow you to control your Glassdoor account for free. This site is where employees can leave review for companies they have worked for.

B2B Staffing Sites

  • G2 Crowd is a software review site, but is also used for staffing services.
  • ClearlyRated is a B2B directory of businesses that your clients use to find staffing services.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

When people use the term SEO, they are referring to the process of making sure your website comes up high in organic (aka, non paid) search results when your prospects type relevant keywords into a search engine.

How to Boost your Google ranking with SEO There are a lot of factors that play into why a certain site or page appears in the top spots on the Google (or other search engine) search engine results page. While the Google algorithm is constantly shifting, some important factors to remember are:

  • Relevant pages that clearly explain what you do
  • Relevant keywords (and their placement on your site)
  • High-quality content that is updated regularly
  • Mobile-friendliness
  • The length of your content
  • How fast your pages load
  • How often you post content
  • High quality author
  • Consumer generated reviews
  • Having backlinks on authoritative pages

Tip: When you are writing pages for your website, think keywords – aka, the search terms that people will type into a search engine to find you. You need to determine what the pivotal keywords and phrases that your target audiences are using when seeking recruiting and staffing solutions.

Learn more about SEO here: What is SEO blog by Hubspot

Online Reputation Management

This is a no brainer, but data shows that your candidates trust online reviews of a staffing firm 8x more than an advertisement for the firm. Google is also weighting their algorithm to prioritize “consumer-generated content” — ratings and reviews that they deem to be credible and relevant representations of your brand.

All this to say, it’s very important to actively monitor your online ratings and reviews. The “Big 3” when it comes to reviews are:

  • Google
  • Yelp
  • Glassdoor

Be Proactive and Ask For Reviews

Reviews are extremely important, which is why you should be asking your clients and candidates for reviews. Strike while the iron is hot – if you just placed someone and they are thrilled, ask for a review! Here’s how to make it easy:

  • Send them links. Make it easy for your reviewees and provide a direct link to the site you would like that person to leave you a review.
  • Offer them a preview of the experience. When you send the link, as a courtesy also let them know many questions will it be, how long will it take, etc.
  • Prompt them. It can help to offer up a few prompt questions to get them thinking: What are they happy with? What did their recruiter or account manager to do go above and beyond?
  • Make it a regular thing. Recency is important to candidates and potential buyers, so request online feedback regularly. Aim for a steady drip of ratings and reviews to be published across your online profiles.

Social Media

While organic reach on popular social networks is declining on popular platforms like X and Facebook, social media marketing is far from dead. LinkedIn remains strong, and newer video based platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels offering intriguing new ways to market.Social media marketing is effective for building brand awareness, developing community, and getting your content and products in front of new people. Here are some social media tips:

1. Set up profiles

Decide which social networks make sense for your business and set up profiles on those sites. LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, and TikTok are all major options.

2. Fill out your profile

Include an engaging, detailed description of your business, complete with keywords and a link to your website. Broadcast your firm’s unique story and values, so your audience can learn who you are—beyond the services you sell.

3. Join groups on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Discord

Find ones that talk about your type of products or services, and join the discussion. However, refrain from “spamming” with constant promotional posts that aim to sell or you might get booted.

4. Post helpful content to your pages

Focus less on selling in your posts and more on posting about interesting and helpful industry information. Tips on how to improve a specific area of one’s life or business, for instance, will garner likes and shares. Oh, and always include a picture or video.

5. Use tools to help you schedule posts

Online tools like Hootsuite help you post in advance across all your various platforms, in one place.

6. Get your recruiters active on LinkedIn

Chances are they are already on LinkedIn, but if not, get your recruiters a profile there stat.