We’re all aware of the current difficulties facing the staffing industry: historically low unemployment rates, budgets stretched thin, and fierce competition. Small and midsize agencies have a wide range of marketing strategies available to combat these issues, but there’s a powerful tool many firms frequently overlook: search engine marketing, aka Google Ads.
Here are three reasons search engine marketing is a great tactic for marketing your staffing firm:
1. It’s an Effective Branding Tool. Whether you’re trying to break into a new market, or build awareness in your current one, search engine marketing is an effective way to reach both candidates and clients in your desired area. Google Ads enable you to target very precise geographical areas, so whether you’re in Memphis, Tenn., or San Francisco, Calif., you can specify the locations you want to serve ads in.
SEM is also a highly effective strategy for firms looking to break into new markets, for these very same reasons. You can set one budget for your current market, another for a new market, and see which performs better (based on the results you’re looking for.)
2) It Puts You Where Candidates are Searching. During this time of low unemployment, your firm needs to be where your ideal candidates are searching most. And according to the most recent data from Statista, 90% of all search engine traffic runs through Google. The takeaway? Ads that show up at or near the top of a Google search results page when people search “jobs in my area” are going to get attention.
Even if your website search engine optimization isn’t the greatest, Google Ads enable you to get your business in front of more eyes, quickly. As an added bonus, using the correct keywords and ads can boost your site’s SEO by making landing pages (on your website) more popular destinations than with organic conversions alone. Since the ads drive traffic back to your website, those pages rank better in organic searches.
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3. You Control Your Spend. When it comes to marketing, every company has a budget. Search engine marketing allows you to stay within a set amount of spend, and to adjust it on the fly. Have a month where your firm has less positions to fill, and therefore might need less candidates? Move some of your budget into branding ads instead of candidate-focused ads. That way you’re still top of mind with potential future employees. Having the flexibility to change on the fly is a true advantage of paid search-engine ads.
So yes, search engine marketing can not only work for your staffing firm, it can even take your marketing plan to the next level. It’s effective for branding, candidate outreach, and keeping costs predictable as part of your business’s budget. That’s a true win-win-win.
