Market Research Goes Hand in Hand with Designing your Marketing Plan
The die is cast! It’s time to develop a marketing plan for your staffing firm, but where do you start? Sometimes market research is purchased from an outside agency and sometimes it takes the form of easy-to-administer online surveys. In either case, the data collected provides valuable insight for your business. Market research and designing a marketing plan go together like peanut butter and jelly, and attempting to create your marketing strategy without the proper analytical data is a mistake that must be avoided at all costs.
Hone Your Target Audience
Marketing costs increase exponentially when you attempt to reach the masses, so it is important to make use of market research to hone your efforts and focus in on those who are most likely to benefit from your staffing services. Define your staffing niche by identifying those specialty areas that are underserved by your competition. Adjust your staffing firm marketing plan by directing future campaigns to target distinct sectors of the candidate pool.
Online Surveys
Today’s professionals are never far from their cell phones, so take advantage of this by conducting online market research. Create surveys that are aimed at soliciting key analytics and use the information to design your staffing firm marketing plan. Segment your target audience and send out specific online surveys containing customized questions. After recording their direct feedback for use in your future marketing efforts, be sure to collect their contact information and enter it into your applicant tracking system (ATS).
Keyword Research
The secret to boosting your website’s search engine optimization (SEO) ranking is using the most searched for keywords in your online content. Form focus groups and conduct market research to discover topics of interest to your target audience. Make adjustments to the featured keywords on each website page as needed. Create your editorial calendar with these keywords in mind and integrate them into your weekly blog articles.
New Business
Have recent developments in the staffing industry left you wondering about possible areas of new business for your staffing firm? Is it time to consider opening a new office or offering new services for your clients or candidates? Purchase market research reports that are focused on the staffing industry and specific topics of interest to your target audience. Help to protect the return on your investment (ROI) by using market research to predict any possible downturns in the staffing market.
Set Goals
Building a successful staffing firm marketing plan requires establishing attainable short and long-term goals and then holding your team accountable for achieving them. Conduct market research by interviewing current clients and candidates to determine whether you are appropriately meeting their needs. Use the data collected to set new service goals and reward your team’s performance.
Key Takeaways to Market Research Goes Hand in Hand with Designing your Marketing Plan:
- Define your staffing niche by honing in on your target audience
- Segment your target audience and conduct online surveys
- Make adjustments to your staffing firm website keywords in order to boost your SEO
- Discover potential areas of new business for your staffing firm
- Use market research to establish attainable short and long-term goals
About S.J.Hemley Marketing
S.J.Hemley Marketing is a marketing and sales consulting firm focused on driving tangible results for professional services firms. Brand matters, but not without ROI. With over 20 years of sales and marketing experience within staffing and recruiting, we have helped to drive successful branding, sales training, lead generation activities as well as defining marketing strategy for top organizations.