If you’re in the business of finding candidates which are the right fit for your clients then you are probably using email to communicate with your clients and potential candidates.
In fact, with all the online job boards and agency sites, you probably spend more time with email than you like.
I’ve heard from executive search firms that the number one skill to a productive and profitable career in that industry is the ability to find qualified candidates for your postings.
Sure there are often many candidates in the market at any given time, but are they the best?
The best candidates are successful in their current posting and you never know when they are starting to look or get interested in a new opportunity if the RIGHT one presents itself.
So with that in mind. How do you, as a recruiter, find these people? For the purposes of this email marketing tip, I’m going to assume you are working with a resume or candidate management system or you have your contacts in an ESP like Aweber, Constant Contact, iContact, Mailchimp or something similar.
Today’s email tip is focused on segmenting your audience and targeting your message to match the audience.
Let’s start at the beginning
Do you send a monthly newsletter or bulletin to your contacts?
Many do.
The question is: do you send the same newsletter to both employers and candidates?
This is a mistake
The reason it’s a mistake is even though you may have contacts that are both employers AND candidates both, the information that’s valuable and relevant to them is different.
I know the argument is “Mitch, I don’t want to miss getting my message to EVERYONE in case SOMEONE is interested and I don’t know about their situation.”
This notion goes against some pretty fundamental marketing principles and ONE very fundamental email marketing principle.
Have you seen this before?
You’re on a newsletter list. And the newsletter is quite long. It has a wide range of stories that would suit anyone from a blue chip customer to a freshly minted prospect. Depending on which of those you are some stories fit and others are irrelevant.
In reality a newsletter to blue chip customers would contain quite different information from a newsletter for new prospects.
The same holds true for employers and candidates
Even though an individual may be both at the same time, you will be much more effective in your communication if you create TWO newsletters and send them both. It won’t matter if one of your employers is also in the market at the same time.
You’ll actually serve them better if you send one targeted message to your employers and a different targeted message to your candidates.
Here’s why
If you are to become known and trusted by the best in the business, those coveted A players, you have to be on your A-game too. You have to show you are a clear communicator, have valued information to share, and are speaking to them directly. In other words, don’t waste your employer’s time with information best suited to candidates–information that isn’t relevant to them.
Over time, you’ll demonstrate your value, knowledge, skill, and abilities so your clients become impervious from poaching by other recruiters and your candidates think of you first when they are ready to step into the marketplace.
If you have the time you may even break your audience down further into more segments. How about:
1. Your current and past paying clients (employers).
2. Employers you are targeting but who haven’t hired your search firm yet.
3. Candidates you have successfully placed.
4. Resumes submitted and potential candidates.
Now you can send a different message to each! Keep your messaging short and focused and you’ll become more effective at being the go-to search firm in your industry or area.
Learn 7 core strategies used by professional email marketers.