How to Generate Inbound Leads with Effective Content Marketing, with Mark Whitby and i-intro, Ep #196

The Resilient Recruiter

Ever find yourself hitting a brick wall when it comes to developing engaging content? Don't despair!

Recently, I was invited as a guest speaker on the Retained Recruiter Show, which is a weekly LinkedIn live hosted by our good friends at i-Intro. The topic was How to Get More Clients with Content Marketing. i-Intro told me that this was one of the most popular live streams that they'd ever produced, and they've given me permission to share the recording with you on this podcast.

You will hear me discuss with James O’Brien and Jo Gregory strategies to effectively and consistently post original content and how it will attract your target audience. You will know how content marketing can position you as a trusted authority instead of being just a vendor.

Episode Outline and Highlights

• [03:52] How content marketing transformed many recruitment businesses.

• [06:05] Mark shares the easiest way to get started with content marketing.

• [10:00] Authenticity is the key - leveraging AI platforms while keeping it original.

• [15:11] How much time do you need to put aside for content marketing?

• [18:30] How long would you give it to see engagement results?

• [23:26] The powerful returns of consistently posting content and sharing to your community.

• [30:27] How to measure and track your ROI from content marketing?

What is Content Marketing?

As a recruiter, content marketing is critical to continuously engage with your audience and remain relevant to clients and candidates. So what is content marketing? Content marketing is a marketing strategy that involves creating and distributing valuable, relevant content to your target audience on a consistent basis. It might be education-based marketing. In essence, you're providing market insight and thought leadership that will benefit your clients and your candidates.

An example is the consistent posting of original content on LinkedIn. This is the easiest way for people to get started with content marketing. There are three reasons:

1. This is a tool available for everybody, whether you are a small boutique search firm or an individual recruiter.

2. There is guaranteed measurable ROI.

3. It is fun! You get positive feedback and engagement from your network and can spark conversations with people you are already connected.

From personal experience, I can tell you that content marketing can transform your business. Aside from building you an audience, consistent content original, and authentic content can build trust for you as an expert in your niche and a credible advisor.

Time and Results in Content Marketing

How much time do you need to put aside for content marketing? It really depends on how frequently you are going to post. The important step you take is to commit to a schedule. It is important to be consistent, so consider a schedule that you can sustain. If for example, you will post 3x a week or 12x a month: spending 20 minutes per post will only require you an hour a week to write or create that content.

How long would you need to take to see engagement results? This can be a tricky question. Content marketing is like going to the gym. You may not see immediate results, but for sure, you will get results! The important thing is consistency. Just like how you would approach any business development and marketing activity - you may not get immediate results but you will definitely get results! But by showing up consistently, you are giving yourself the opportunity to be in that right place at the right time and, more importantly, you're creating what we call top-of-mind awareness or TOMA.

Methods for Content Creation and Engagement

What is the best content to create engagement? Should you use videos, images, audio, or just text-only posts? There are pros and cons to all those things, and ideally, you will want to do a variety of them all.

You just have to go out there and do it. No need to complicate things. You can record a video on your smartphone while with a client or your team. You may post images of the industry conference you are attending for your audience to recognize you as a person of authority in your field.

How about leveraging AI like ChatGPT to create content? You can leverage generative AI and many other tools. But the key is to keep it authentic, original, and relatable to yourself.

Our Sponsor

This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro

i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Their technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees, and increase their billings. Their software combined with world-class training enables you to transition from transactional, contingency recruiter to consultative, retained recruiter. Instead of being perceived as a “me too” vendor, you’ll be positioned as a “me only” solutions provider. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: https://recruitmentcoach.com/retained

People and Resources Mentioned

• James O’Brien on LinkedIn

• Jo Gregory on LinkedIn

• Rich Rosen on LinkedIn

• ChatGPT

• Claude AI

Connect with Mark Whitby

• Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call

• Mark on LinkedIn

• Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby

• Mark on Facebook

• Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach

Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter

If you’ve been enjoying the podcast, please take two minutes to leave a review. Your review is greatly appreciated because it helps us attract a bigger audience and help more recruiters. “Support the podcast and leave a review here”.