There’s a large amount of staffing firms competing for highly-valued talent. Staffing firms must know their differentiators and how to stay ahead of the competition to win the talent war. Strong brands hinge on a clear understanding of what sets them apart from their competition. Their differentiators are easy to understand, target a defined audience and are relevant to that audience.
To be competitive in the staffing industry, brand awareness and differentiators are of the upmost importance. As a leader in your company, you need to be asking yourself questions like, what separates our company? Why do our clients do business with us? Why do our employees work for us? Are we a purpose driven company? Do our employees understand our short-term and long-term goals? What is our “Power Niche”?
To help you answer these questions for your company and properly define your differentiators, start by focusing on these three areas:
- Employee Engagement
All human beings have one major commonality: our dignity. Through our labor and work we find the source of our dignity and contribution to society. We’re able to earn an income to provide for ourselves and our families while following our passions. As employees we feel best when we’re serving a purpose and making a difference in the lives of others while making an impact within our company.
Various surveys have shown that most employees want recognition and growth opportunities over higher pay. Companies that engage with their employees and recognize their great work help increase and support their dignity which results in positive employee engagement.
Your employees are your visible experts and a big part of communicating your brand. And not just your internal employees but your external employees too. Your clients see your external employees a lot more than your internal staff. Bring these employees into your company culture. Take care of them and engage with them so they can be better ambassadors of your brand and help with client satisfaction. Emphasize work-life balance to ensure both are receiving adequate attention and update your offices to create spacious open areas of collaboration and engagement.
- Great Candidate Experience
Staffing firms are investing a lot of money in recruiting, from job board subscriptions to radio advertisements. It’s critical to capture each candidate’s response and make it clear why they should trust you. From the moment a candidate calls or comes into your office, their experience must be quick and easy. Don’t let candidates sit in your lobby wondering what’s going on. Communicate a clear path and checklist so they stay fully engaged in the process. Lastly, remember the best communication is not about speaking, it’s about listening.
Candidates want to serve a purpose and feel dignified, and they’ve turned to your company to help them fulfill this mission. As brand ambassadors your internal staff are helping to improve the lives of the candidates that come through your doors. A strong differentiator is creating a way to portray this sincerely so that it flows through to all aspects of your company.
- Embrace Technology
It used to be that we could place a “Now Hiring” A-frame sign on the sidewalk and have walk-in candidates all day long. Now, the majority of your candidate pool own smart phones and live in a hyper-connected world where instant gratification has become the norm. Staffing firms are embracing technology and working toward ways to communicate through texting and video applications. These new digital strategies create opportunity for firms to differentiate themselves faster and more effectively.
Technology can be used to create a strong brand and properly communicate your firm’s differentiators all while improving your candidate experience. For example, simplify the application process by skipping forms that aren’t required for the position the candidate is applying for.
Keep in mind this is a focused strategy and you are narrowing your appeal to a defined target audience. By doing so, you will begin to enjoy the advantages of standing out from your competitors instead of competing on mark-up alone.
Want to learn more about how your staffing firm can stand out from the competition? We’re here to help! Contact an MMA advisor today.
