This is a guest post from Yasmin Bibi, Account Director of HYTN, as part of our Recruiting Weekly Series. Yasmin shares her thoughts on how to find your USP.
When there are almost 40,000 Recruitment Agencies in the UK, how do you differentiate yourself to become the industry leader?
We’ve put together this four-step process to help you find the WHY behind your business and create a USP, tagline, and summary to help you win more clients and create an authentic brand.
Why did you start your recruitment agency?
When you first started your agency, there would’ve been an underlying fire in your belly for doing it, so take yourself back to the inception of your recruitment business and share those reasons and the story. This is not only beneficial for finding your USP; it is also a great way to share a personal story with your following and evoke emotion.
What do you do?
Nine times out of ten, you do more than just recruit. It’s important NOT to undersell yourself because a Recruitment Consultants job is more than just the end goal of a successful placement.
Most Recruitment Consultants manage the whole process, meaning there’s project management, headhunting, process management, industry knowledge, and consultation involved.
You must be clear on the steps you take to create hires on behalf of your clients; because somewhere in that process is the reason your clients chose you.
Once you’re able to identify the exact steps you take in your role, it’s essential to add a value point to each part of your job. This exercise will not only help you differentiate yourself but will put you in a better position to sell your services at a higher rate and find your competitive advantage.
As Ben Browning, Founder and Director of Resonate Recruitment Development, says, “Once we’re able to develop the behaviours, beliefs, and understanding of our value, it empowers us to win more business, with higher fees.”
Understand your clients and candidates
Your clients and candidates are the core of your business, so it’s important to understand and keep up to date with their needs. For example, if your client is a major Financial Services organisation with a diversity and inclusion agenda to meet this year, ensure you’re aware of this and offer them services that will tackle their current problems.
A great way to understand your clients is to create client avatars, including their needs and matching them to your solutions.
Speak to Your Clients and Customers
There is a reason your clients and candidates use your agency when there are thousands of competitors at bay. To help you find your competitive advantage; it’s important to speak to your current clients and candidates to ask them for their reasons why they chose you.
These four steps should give you a clearer understanding of your business, the reasons it has been successful to date, and the selling propositions that you’re able to take forward.
Author, Yasmin Bibi – Account Director of HYTN – The Social Media Agency for recruitment agencies. 
She is passionate about utilising branding, technology, and marketing to create efficiencies and profitability. With four years of experience in recruitment and sourcing and personal passion projects in marketing and technology, Yasmin is an expert in bridging the gap of understanding within marketing and recruitment.
