With over 40,000 recruitment businesses operating in the UK at a time when the job market has been impacted by wider economic factors, competition for client contracts has never been fiercer.
Winning an RFP (request for proposal) in this environment is challenging to say the least, but even in the most optimistic market conditions, it's rarely a simple exercise. This stage of the client acquisition process represents an agency’s opportunity to show, in reassuring and verifiable ways, that it can reduce risk and will deliver measurable outcomes. But internal HR and procurement teams are not persuaded by claims alone and require hard evidence to make a decision. There are several different approaches to take to developing a winning bid, but how can agencies use PR to win recruitment RFPs?
The role of PR in winning recruitment RFPs
PR offers particular value because it provides third-party validation, promotes visible spokespeople and develops reusable assets that can add weight to any RFP. This is particularly useful in the modern market; buyers are now more cynical than in the past. This is one of the reasons why traditional advertising is less effective than ever before, and – ultimately - it’s far more powerful to have a third-party say how great your agency is than it is for an agency to say it themselves.
Data shows that it takes consumers an average of seven separate encounters with a brand before they consider it as part of a buying decision, meaning that being visible over a sustained period of time, and in the right way, is fundamental. And while most modern consumers gloss over or skip most advertising output, effective PR is more nuanced and subtle, and weaves messaging into editorial opportunities that are featured on credible platforms read by target decision-makers. This approach has been proven to grow brand loyalty more effectively than other marketing tactics. The third-party endorsement also matters because it converts expertise into genuine trust; agencies with a track record of building relationships with journalists, winning awards and securing speaking engagements offer clear signals that help a buyer feel comfortable choosing a supplier.
Equally, PR is all about positioning and familiarity, and most buyers will naturally favour brands they are aware of – for the right reasons. An effective public relations campaign not only boosts that visibility and puts organisations front of mind when being reviewed against other comparable firms, but also changes perceptions. There's a reason that the likes of Velcro, Google, Tupperware and more are synonymous with their product groups, despite being individual brands, and that's because they've invested in PR and in boosting their familiarity for a sustained period of time. That same principle and approach can also be applied by recruitment agencies, and the best brands that do utilise public relations in the long term eventually become linked to their areas of service and expertise.
Including PR materials in successful recruitment RFPs
Earned media coverage also adds value to bids in other ways and should be included within all submitted criteria for RFPs. When considering what material to include, agencies should begin by placing themselves in the shoes of the potential client and thinking about the evaluation criteria through their lens. Procurement panels care about track records, governance and processes, but they will also respond to signals that your approach has been externally validated, that your people can be trusted in public, and that your plans are realistic. A brief but well-structured RFP attachment that summarises key PR campaign outcomes, lists the earned media placements and offers short links to relevant interviews will often be more persuasive than page after page of uncorroborated and self-promotional claims.
The value of PR in recruitment RFPs
Agencies that can cultivate a steady and sustained pattern of visible, valuable commentary and analysis in recognised sector outlets automatically build a stronger network of credibility than their rivals. And this also offers dual benefits; firstly, and more obviously, it makes the agency familiar to the people who make buying decisions, which will be naturally beneficial. Second, it places the agency inside a web of third-party endorsement where this coverage in respected trade media or contributions to public discussion act as a signal for quality and due diligence.
It should be remembered that the buyers evaluating RFPs are human, and they anchor their decisions to narratives that are already familiar to them. An agency that has been promoting a consistent position about candidate attraction, employer brand or talent markets, for example, for months before the procurement process begins, will find its point of view easier to accept than a competitor who only surfaces during the bid window. In other words, PR that has been active outside procurement cycles reduces the work an internal sponsor must do to persuade colleagues, and that reduction in internal political friction is, in many real procurement decisions, decisive.
If your agency is looking to leverage PR to win recruitment RFPs, get in touch with our specialist team today
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