The concept of the typical workplace has changed to encompass virtual offices, remote and home-based employment, and nomadism as the new norm. As a result, the job market shifted towards a more employee-oriented mindset, with more brands competing for the best candidates, rather than the candidates reaching out to employers. In highly competitive regions that are developing rapidly, such as Singapore, Hong Kong, and Australia, the rush to find, woo, and retain qualified and talented employees is all the greater.
As the backbone of your business, and the lifeblood of your reputation, your employees do indeed deserve to be your focus. As an employer, you need to make sure that you do everything within your means to provide a desirable work environment, competitive salaries, and perks to match and exceed those of your competitors. That becomes even more vital in industries such as digital marketing, since agencies like your own sprout around every corner.
If you’re eager to refine your own agency’s presence, look no further than the following recruiting methods perfectly adapted to meet the needs of the digital marketing industry. Let’s take a closer look, so that you can start off with a proper hiring strategy in your hands, and ready to inspire loyalty in your staff.
Think remote thoughts
Yes, there are and there always will be perks of working with on-site staff. No need to worry about time zone differences, potential internet connection troubles, and the like. Still, limiting yourself to local candidates also means limiting your business from ever unlocking its true potential.
While this may sound like a cheesy slogan, it’s actually the truth in all of its glory: a global talent pool means you can diversify your workplace, hire exceptionally talented, educated, and dedicated people, and grow in the process. As a digital agency yourself, you need to embrace this trend on the rise and expand your hiring options by simply expanding your reach.
Social recruiting
Social media might be your forte when it’s time to craft brilliant strategies for your own clients, but how well would you grade yourself in terms of your ability to promote your brand on these platforms in the role of an employer? Unfortunately, too many digital marketing agencies stick to hiring ads and website-based applications to wait for those ideal candidates to appear. Today, the vast majority of your potentially most talented workers can be found on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn (of course), and their profiles serve as perfect sources of information on how they would fit your agency’s culture.
It’s time for your own agency to start using your social media presence to appeal to your potential employees. Empower your current workers to create content pieces for these platforms and let them publish their own reviews, experiences, and comments. Their point of view is invaluable to all talented people out there, and chances are, this transparency will be one of the most attractive features of your brand to inspire someone to get in touch with you in the first place.
SEO in the service of hiring
As a digital agency, you might be working with web design professionals, content writers, graphic design experts, you name it, but chances are that you also work with your fair share of SEO gurus, as well. Naturally, you understand the value of optimizing your digital presence for greater visibility in the SERPs, but too many agencies developing their business in oversaturated Asian markets fail to utilize their own finest resources for placing themselves at the very top of the search results in front of their potential candidates.
The simple truth is, you can utilize search engine optimization in Hong Kong and other thriving Asian regions to position yourself above your competitors when you’re eager to find your new employees. For starters, creating employer-focused content consistently helps increase your value as a leader in your industry. You should no longer limit yourself to selecting keywords that only appeal to your customers. Instead, craft an SEO strategy and a dedicated content strategy that will help you build up your agency’s presence in the results as well as the eyes of your candidates.
Employer branding
Customer-centric companies understand the incredible power of utilizing their brand to impress their audience and create the basis for an emotional bond to grow. The very same branding principles can come in handy for all of your hiring strategies, as well. Nowadays, branding your agency in the role of an employer has become more vital than ever. Let the world see you in this role, let your employees speak for you, and above all, provide consistent information about what your business does to serve and grow its employees.
The very same values you stand for and proudly share with your customers should be the basis for this form of branding, too. A brand known well across the world not only for their incredible tech-driven contributions but also for their hiring practices, Google is the prime example of employer branding done right. A glance at the company’s New York office, and you get a glimpse at the investments they make to ensure the happiness of their staff. Although your agency might not be on par with Google, you can certainly build your employer reputation over time.
You no longer need to limit yourself to hiring local talent, as you have access to a global pool of candidates eager to build a career in digital marketing. Add to that, you can leverage your own expertise, current employees, and other tried and tested methods to pick the best of the bunch and hopefully help them stay true to your brand for years to come. Much like all other aspects of your business, you should never let your hiring strategy stagnate, on the contrary, use these and other techniques to grow your business one devoted employee at a time.
About the Author
Jacob Wilson is a business consultant, and an organizational psychologist, based in Brisbane. Passionate about marketing, social networks, and business in general. In his spare time, he writes a lot about new business strategies and digital marketing for Bizzmark blog.