Is anyone still a fan of new year’s resolutions? Inevitably, with or without these resolutions, there will be a part of you that will certainly evolve. Be it learning from a new experience or gaining a different appreciation for the usual things, everyone still goes through a level of evolution, whether minute or enormous.
Can the same thing be said for your staffing agency’s brand identity? Of course, staying loyal to how you want your branding to manifest in various channels is still paramount. However, with the ever-changing marketing landscape, new challenges may come your way and shake up your commitment to staying true to your agency’s brand. You’ve probably experienced these hurdles before, but it’s never too late to learn something new.
Through this post, let’s strengthen your commitment to brand cohesion and further dissect how small changes for a cohesive brand strategy can make a fundamental difference in helping you stay true to your brand image. As people evolve, so do brand identities, and identifying keen steps in maintaining a strong brand in any medium means brand loyalty from your clients and staying power in the recruitment market for the years to come.
A Commitment to Brand Cohesion Means Constantly Adjusting Yet Keeping What Matters.
There can be a lot of influences when it comes to an organization’s brand. Changes such as developments within the industry and shifts in customer behavior and preferences have to be factored in to see when the brand needs some tweaking. This is just the start. Any changes in the brand must be reflected in all aspects of your business strategy and platforms. In effect, whenever a potential hire engages with you or a prospective client reads through your social posts, they will feel a fresh brand identity, even in the smallest details.
In building this commitment and strict adherence to a strong brand identity, let’s narrow down how branding consistency can be done through three basic aspects:
- How is your brand seen?
- How is your brand heard?
- How is your brand felt?
Rounding Up Visual Representations of Your Branding: How Is Your Brand Seen?
How you represent your staffing agency’s branding through visual elements is integral, particularly in initially introducing your organization and its services. In other words, visuals account for first impressions. Take note that people remember what they see more than what they hear or read, so saying yes to a commitment to present your brand cohesively means meticulously looking at the visual elements of your communications and various platforms. Take the time to review your agency’s logo, font, and color scheme that can be linked to your branding.
But it doesn’t stop there. Paola Bustos, Senior Graphic Designer at Allied Insight, would like to remind staffing agencies that branding is more than just logos and color combinations. She recommends looking at all visual elements and understanding how they “behave” together. Experiment by putting all these elements together and digging deeper into your brand story.
Has your staffing agency created its own brand guidelines yet? A brand guide is a foremost requirement if you are truly devoted to cohesion in presenting your branding. This brand guide explains how your logo will be presented, what colors should be consistent in your agency’s communications, and other visual elements like types of photos to use, what font should be present in all your text, and so on.
Related article: Brand Guide 101: Components That Define Your Brand Aesthetics
Polishing Your Brand Image: What’s Heard About Your Brand?
The visual representation of your branding is only one side of the image you wish to portray. A big part of your brand is how the rest of the market or the industry sees you. Coherent branding is also about making sure that the image you want potential clients and hires to see is consistent with what is being presented out there. This is particularly challenging because you don’t have any control over what is being said about your agency’s services. Fortunately, it’s only challenging but not impossible.
Ninety percent of customers are influenced well by online reviews before making a purchase. This fact also holds well for staffing agencies. A former employee or client who had a bad experience with your recruitment firm may have said something about your services in a social media post, job board, or even when you asked for reviews about how your staffing agency performed. But on the other hand, they might be happy applicants or clients who found your staffing agency accommodating and superb. These are two ends of the branding spectrum but don’t just settle for good reviews. Acting on both will aid in promoting cohesion in all platforms where your staffing agency was mentioned.
Do a brand search once in a while to see if your recruitment organization is being mentioned elsewhere. Once you unearth a negative review, gauge the situation on how to intercept the complainant. Part of the best practices in handling these reviews is to comment directly on them. Apologize for the inconvenience, offer to rectify the situation, and open communication lines by asking them to contact your agency. These simple words show everyone that your company is proactive in handling such reviews.
As for positive reviews, thank the reviewer, and ask if you can use the review for other purposes, such as content in your online platforms. Putting up rave comments about your staffing agency in various communication fields helps promote a cohesive brand.
Committing to Positive Change: How is Your Brand Felt?
Brand commitment should not stop at making sure your hires and clients write only the best praises about your services. While making them feel great about how you assisted them is one thing, bringing it to a greater scheme of things is another. To start, evaluate if your company values are well-communicated in all your platforms and services. If some of these values include integrity and good customer service, are your recruiters able to practice them well during the hiring process? Bear in mind that the best customer service transcends human experience.
Furthermore, your brand identity can also be linked to your social impact as a recruitment agency. Nowadays, human resources efforts are under scrutiny if they are adhering to inclusivity sensitivities and if following new rules to promote diversity is out of wanting to uplift society and not only for mere profit. Being mindful of the social aspect of your operations as a staffing agency contributes well to the cohesion of your brand identity because it bridges how you envision your brand and how the public accepts it. The best way to achieve this is to keep your practice consistent. Remind your team members that recruitment is not only to provide jobs but to uplift lives.
ACHIEVE COHESION IN YOUR BRANDING AND MORE WITH ALLIED INSIGHT.
Looks like you have your entire year cut out for you. It appears that brand cohesion is not just about consistently applying visual cues but also about walking the talk and adjusting to the demands of the times. If you want to improve your brand cohesion and find out more ways to market your brand, why not try it out with Allied Insight? We are a marketing firm dedicated to improving how staffing agencies present their brand and more. Let’s find out what makes your brand unique and turn that into your value proposition. Contact Allied Insight now.
