Marketing remains an important consideration for recruiters seeking to remain top of mind with clients and applicants as the increasingly competitive job market in Vancouver rebounds from the downturn.
Drawing on his marketing education and almost 20 years of experience, Richard Johnson, president of recruitment firm R. Johnson Corp., recently launched a brand-building campaign named Flourish, which saw floral displays in round terrariums placed at businesses and distributed publicly downtown .
“It was about brand awareness and a campaign that could perpetuate itself,” he said. “This campaign is multi-level; you’ll be seeing it unfold in the next six to 12 months.”
Johnson said he wanted the campaign to focus on those individuals toward whom the company gravitated or who were attracted to the company.
“Meaning, we needed to market ourselves in such a way that we are positioned in the marketplace very differently,” he said. “The clients that we work with often go hand in hand with the applicants who are attracted to us. We end up attracting the ideal applicant database for the clients that we have on hand.”
Most agencies are passive in their marketing efforts and trumpet that they are the best choice for clients and applicants, he said.
“As soon as you say you’re the best, you’re not.”
The Flourish campaign is not that obvious in its messaging, he added.
“It has been a long time in the making to come up with all these different layers so that it wasn’t the standard brochure that went out. It was this long process of getting people to interact with something that on the very small scale is a beautiful terrarium that we actually gave out to random people on the street. Whether or not we ever place them or their client was really irrelevant. It’s not about what we are about.”
The ultimate goal is to get people in the community to buy into the ideology that everybody can flourish within the right environment.
“It sounds hokey, but we truly believe that,” said Johnson.
In an effort to better connect with clients, David Aplin Recruiting is instituting new video technology with which search consultants create a video profile that can be viewed by clients so they have an idea who they would be engaging with, according to Vancouver region vice-president John Perry.
“As an employer of choice in our industry, we have some of the best search consultants in Canada, and the video technology is a new way that we are showcasing the talent in our organization to the marketplace,” he said.
David Aplin Recruiting also has an educational marketing program where it offers free seminars to clients in the seven cities across Canada where it has offices. The company also conducts surveys on Canada’s labour market and provides the findings to clients and the media.
David Aplin Recruiting is celebrating its 35th year in business this year, 10th in Vancouver, said Perry, adding that business has come back “fairly well” and will improve in 2011. He said he is currently hiring recruiters for next year.
Recruitment is a competitive industry, according to Jackie Burns, Western Canada vice-president for Hays.
“But interestingly enough, there are few examples where one company and one brand stands head and shoulders above the rest. If we are to position ourselves as the leader in our industry, our challenge is to stand above the crowded marketplace and be seen by our customers as the go-to company for their recruiting needs.”
She said Hays views marketing as an integral part of its business and is committed to a huge global rebranding exercise that went ahead despite the challenges it faced during the recession.
“The driving force that unites our business and describes the difference we make to our customers is clear – we power the world of work,” she said. “We refined our core values, the things that make us who we are and guide how we behave – we are experts, passionate about people, ambitious and inquisitive.”
One key attribute that makes Hays different is the depth and breadth of its expertise, she added.
“These are the building blocks of our brand, and by bringing our brand to life with clarity and consistency, we can set ourselves apart as the leader in our industry.”
Burns said to ensure Hays is top of mind, it has an ongoing client marketing and candidate attraction strategy that involves speaking and networking with individuals throughout the industry on a regular basis.
“Aligning our brand promise with the customer experience – delivery of a client-focused, consistent, high-quality and consultative relationship – is fundamental to our approach to marketing ourselves effectively.”