Digital and mobile technologies have already transformed the recruitment world. 15 years ago we had no idea what SEO meant and we certainly weren’t blocking off chunks of our week to monitor the business Twitter page. From the candidate perspective, we know that more people than ever are using mobile devices to search for jobs. From the recruiter perspective we’ve seen a huge rise in colleagues attending teleconferences from far-flung destinations and suddenly we’re using data to inform us on basic tasks like the total time that we spend sending emails, crazy!
The most exciting part about this rise in technology usage is the way we can use it to build our businesses over the coming year – and even better, most of it is free. Take a look at our idea on how to scale your business using technology in 2016.
Go Global with a Strong Team
Digital and mobile technologies have already transformed the way some businesses work. Advertising agencies are known to outsource their web development arm to individuals who no longer work in the same office, updating task lists through Google Docs and carrying out meetings via Skype. This is only going to continue in 2016, so it’s time to use technology to your advantage and hire the best talent – globally. Expanding your business into global markets is always a good idea; you’re not solely relying on local markets so your business has added security and longevity. Trying to expand in the global recruitment industry can be tricky; we need networks and people we know to really get to grips with the market. Hiring people in these new markets and ensuring they’re part of the team through teleconferencing and social media can make all the difference.
Look Bigger Than You Are
Leading on from hiring the best individuals from the global talent pool – looking bigger than you are can make a huge difference when scaling your business. By giving the impression that you’re kind of a big deal, clients will be more likely to answer your calls and work will come to you instead of you going out to market yourself. Invest in a decent cloud-based phone system; this will give you all the big company features for a relatively small price.
Automate and Allocate Time-Consuming Tasks
Sweet-talking potential new clients over lunch, pulling in new jobs and ensuring your existing clients are still on board with you takes time and effort. The fastest way for you to free up more of your time for business development opportunities, is to automate the tasks that you spend time doing. If you can’t automate a task and you don’t have time to do it, it’s time to allocate it – Ask around the office and see if anyone's looking to take on new responsibility. When you’re next hiring it might be time to take on new employees that can wear a variety of hats so you can pull together as a team to cover business requirements. Things like social media are easy to automate for the week ahead, and getting your content management system to send out emails and marketing campaigns for you can free up a few hours a week to allow you to focus on your business growth.
Data is the Secret of Successful Marketing
Marketing analytics can revolutionise your business. Begin with large public data sources to figure out where your business has the biggest market and most potential. Information on population demographics, common skill sets, volume of business deals and quantity of companies in your sector will all help you get to grips with your market. These data can inform your branding decisions, market positioning, and could even give you a good idea of which recruitment branch to expand into next. Once you’ve cracked your market you can begin to see how your website stacks up against it and tweak your SEO accordingly. Where do your website visitors come from, what time do they usually visit and which page do they usually exit from? Use this information to change your website; for example, if most people exit the site through the same page it’s likely you need to change things up.
Build your team to build your business in 2016; expand through hiring the right employees for your business – don’t be limited on location. Learn to automate time-consuming jobs that don’t actively work towards driving the business forward, and always, always develop a marketing strategy that has some evidence behind it. Get to grips with technology and your business could reap the rewards with very little financial investment.
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