How to Win More Staffing & Recruiting Clients - Increase Email Open Rates and CTRs
Have you noticed that everyone is trying to increase email open rates and get their email outreach to work? You may have even hired someone to write templates for you or bought into an expensive biz-dev coaching program. Then, months go by– maybe even a year- and none of the email campaigns are working at all. You’re not getting any replies.
That’s because generic cold outreach worked in 2021 but doesn’t work now. It used to be that consistency was more important than the quality of content. Just getting in front of the right person enough times would eventually convert.
But now, in a world where anyone can write anything with the help of AI, it’s more important than ever to not sound like a robot.
Email outreach can still be effective if done right, and with the tips that I’m about to share with you, you can capture attention and generate responses. Read on to learn how to improve your email open and click-through rates and avoid landing in spam.
What is email outreach?
It may seem obvious, but in a world where someone is selling you something at every turn, let’s break down what email outreach is and is not.
Sales email outreach is different from marketing email campaigns. Marketing emails are emails sent to people who have opted into your newsletter or email list. Cold email outreach is when you send emails to people who you’re trying to reach but have not already given you permission to email them. You can think of marketing emails as warm and fuzzy – you send them because people have asked to receive them. Sales emails are sent cold, and there’s an art to showing up as an uninvited guest to someone’s inbox.
Most Placeable Candidate (MPC) outreach
The most common and effective way staffing and recruiting agency owners can use email outreach for client acquisition is through MPC campaigns, which stand for Most Placeable Candidates. Individuals with unique skills, relevant experience, and innate qualities that align seamlessly with the demands of specific positions within organizations are called “Most Placeable Candidates.”
However, even MPC outreach, which is still a powerful tool for business development, requires copywriting skills (that I am about to teach you) to resonate with clients.
Key Metrics to Monitor for Effective Email Outreach
When evaluating the effectiveness of email outreach campaigns, you should monitor these key metrics:
- Email Open Rate: This metric measures the percentage of recipients who open an email campaign. A high open rate indicates that your subject line and preheader text are compelling and relevant to your target audience.
- Email Click-Through Rate: This metric measures the percentage of recipients who click on a link within an email campaign. A high click-through rate indicates that your email content is engaging and persuasive, encouraging readers to take the desired action.
- Email Campaign Response Rate: This metric measures the percentage of recipients who take a desired action in response to an email campaign, such as replying to your email, connecting with you on LinkedIn, or scheduling a call or a meeting. A high response rate indicates that your email campaign effectively converts leads and generates results.
These metrics provide valuable insights into the performance of email outreach campaigns and help you assess whether your strategies resonate with your target audience. By focusing on personalization, relevance, and compelling content, you can improve these key metrics and achieve greater success with your email outreach efforts.
Understanding what makes a good email open rate and click-through rate
What are good email open rates?
The average email open rate across industries is around 20-25%. However, open rates for recruiting and staffing email outreach can vary depending on factors such as the target audience, subject line, and email content. A reasonable open rate for recruiting and staffing email outreach is typically between 25-35%.
What is a reasonable email click-through rate?
The average email click-through rate across industries is around 2-3%. However, click-through rates for recruiting and staffing email outreach can be higher. A reasonable click-through rate for recruiting and staffing email outreach is typically between 5-10%.
How to set realistic goals for email open rates and click-through rates
When setting goals for your email open rates and click-through rates, it’s important to consider industry benchmarks. However, you should also aim to surpass these averages. By personalizing your emails, you make them relevant to your target audience. And by creating compelling content, you can increase your chances of achieving higher open rates and click-through rates.
Even MPC campaigns can help show your unique personality, which is exceptionally important in your cold outreach so that you don’t sound like Chat GPT or everyone else.
How can you improve response rates with personalized and strategic outreach?
To improve response rates with personalized outreach, you can:
- Address the client’s specific needs by researching their company and understanding their hiring pain points. Look at their open roles, but differentiate yourself. Remember that every other recruiter in your niche is also emailing them!
- Use targeted subject lines and preview text relevant to the client’s interests and challenges.
- Showcase that you are an industry expert and your niche is precisely aligned with your prospect’s needs.
- Focus on solving their problems and meeting their needs rather than talking about yourself.
- Use the client’s and company names throughout the email to make it more personal.
- Avoid using generic language and templates that make your outreach sound like spam – make yourself memorable.
- Keep your emails concise and to the point, making them easy to read
Remember, your communication should show prospective clients what it will be like to work with you so let them get to know you by showing them the value that you offer.
Example:
I helped my client, a new staffing agency that didn’t even have their website yet, get two clients in one month, resulting in a $23K direct hire placement and a $29K/month staffing contract, with MPC outreach emails. We tailored each email to the client’s open roles, simply mentioning that we had talked to one candidate for their role who could be a fit.
I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to use your own tone of voice so you don’t sound like a robot or like everyone else. This is where most lead-gen companies fall short of delivering on their promises. It may sound tempting to have an email copy written for you, but until you have an expert copywriter who knows how to write business content and is trained to write in your tone of voice, you must test this yourself before you can scale.
Tools and templates alone won’t solve your email outreach problem. They need to be combined with a demonstration that you understand your clients’ pain points and must be written in your unique tone of voice.
Click here for a free guide to discover your tone of voice for cold email outreach
How to Use Urgency and Scarcity to Improve Email Open Rates
Urgency and scarcity are powerful psychological triggers that can be used to increase email open rates. Creating a sense of urgency or scarcity can encourage recipients to open your email immediately rather than letting it sit in their inbox. There really is urgency and scarcity in recruiting because each candidate is unique. No BS here!
Bonus tip: When you have a niche focus, you can introduce each candidate to multiple clients so that you’re not only relying on one hiring prospect to reply. Instead, you have several options for selling each candidate.
How Urgency and Scarcity Work
Urgency and scarcity are both cognitive biases that can influence our decision-making. Urgency is the feeling that something needs to be done immediately, while scarcity is the feeling that something is in limited supply. We are more likely to take action when we feel a sense of urgency or scarcity.
How to Use Urgency and Scarcity in Email Subject Lines
Your email subject line is one of the most critical factors in determining whether or not somebody will open your email. To create a sense of urgency, you can use words like “urgent,” or “time-sensitive.” To develop a sense of scarcity, you can use words like “one and only” or “rare candidate.” I also like to use “your” in the subject line because that personally works best for me.
For example, I would use this subject line: “Your data admin role: rare candidate/time-sensitive.”
How to Use Urgency and Scarcity in Email Preview Text
The preview text is the short snippet that appears below the subject line in the inbox and is another opportunity to create a sense of urgency or scarcity. You can use the same words and phrases that you used in the subject line, or you can come up with new ones.
How to Use Urgency and Scarcity in Email Content
In the body of your email, you can continue to create a sense of urgency or scarcity by providing more details about your candidate.
Tips for Using Urgency and Scarcity in Email Marketing
- Use urgency and scarcity sparingly. If you use these tactics too often, they will lose their effectiveness.
- Be honest and transparent. Don’t create a false sense of urgency or scarcity. If you’re trying to place people who are easier to find and therefore in less urgent demand, scarcity won’t work.
- Use urgency and scarcity with other email marketing best practices, such as personalization and segmentation.
By following these tips, you can use urgency and scarcity to improve your email open rates and get more people to take action.
Mobile Optimization for Email Open Rates and Click-Through Rates
Mobile optimization plays a crucial role in email marketing, as more and more people access their emails on smartphones and tablets. Optimizing emails for mobile devices can significantly impact open rates and click-through rates.
Impact of Mobile Optimization on Email Engagement Metrics:
- Increased Open Rates: Emails optimized for mobile devices are more likely to be opened because they are easier to read and navigate on smaller screens.
- Higher Click-Through Rates: Mobile-friendly emails provide a better user experience, making it more likely for recipients to click on links and take action.
- Improved Conversions: Well-optimized emails can lead to higher conversion rates, as users are more likely to complete desired actions such as making a purchase or signing up for a service.
Tips for Mobile Optimization:
- Responsive Design: Use responsive design to ensure your emails render correctly on all devices, regardless of screen size.
- Conciseness: Keep your emails concise and to the point, as mobile users have shorter attention spans.
- Large Font Size: Use a font size of at least 16px to make your text easy to read on mobile devices.
- Avoid Flash and Images: Many mobile devices do not support Flash, and images can slow down loading times.
- Optimize Images: Optimize images for mobile by reducing their file size and using descriptive alt text.
- Single-Column Layout: Use a single-column layout to make your emails easy to read and scroll through on mobile devices.
- Test Your Emails: Test your emails on different mobile devices to ensure they display correctly and function as intended.
By following these tips, you can create mobile-friendly emails to improve your open, click-through, and conversions.
Adding Value and Relevant Success Stories in Email Content
What are the most effective strategies for increasing email open rates and engagement?
- Personalize your emails: Address the recipient by name, and tailor the content to their specific needs and interests.
- Use targeted subject lines and preview text: Make sure your subject line is relevant to the recipient and entices them to open the email.
- Showcase your value: Highlight your unique selling proposition (USP) and show potential clients how you can solve their problems.
- Share relevant success stories: Include case studies, metrics, and quick success stories that demonstrate how your services have helped other clients.
How to inject your USP:
Use an example of a success story relevant to your target clients. Demonstrate how your placements resulted in either making a company money, saving a company money or improving a process.
Case study
Success Story: Optimizing Operations and Driving Revenue for a Mission-Driven HealthTech Company
One of our clients, a rapidly growing HealthTech startup with a mission to improve rural healthcare access, needed help to keep up with demand. They needed a Director of Operations who could handle growth strategically, streamline their workflows, and oversee partnerships with hospitals across multiple states.
After carefully analyzing their needs, we identified an ideal passive candidate from a top competitor. This candidate wasn’t only experienced but also highly aligned with the company’s mission.
Results:
Within three months of the Director of Operations joining the team, our client saw measurable improvements:
- Cost Savings: The new hire overhauled the supply chain process, cutting operational costs by 18%—saving the company an estimated $250,000 annually.
- Revenue Growth: By implementing an improved client onboarding process, our placement helped secure two new contracts in underserved regions, boosting revenue by $500,000 in the first quarter alone.
- Process Improvement: The candidate reduced project turnaround times by 30% by implementing new project management software and standardizing communication between teams.
The success of this placement underscored how our recruiting expertise goes beyond simply filling positions. We provide specialized talent that directly contributes to client growth and success.
This story demonstrates a tangible impact on the client’s bottom line, achieved by placing a candidate who aligned with both their operational needs and mission. If you don’t have a specific case study to use, don’t worry. Just skip this part for now and make it a priority to gather case studies from your clients from past placements.
A/B Testing and Refining Email Outreach Strategies
What is the importance of split (A/B) testing?
A/B testing, also known as split testing, compares two versions of an email campaign to determine which one performs better. This technique is crucial in email outreach as it allows you to optimize your campaigns for higher engagement and conversions.
How A/B testing helps refine email content
A/B testing enables you to test different elements of their email campaigns, such as subject lines, calls to action (CTAs), and content, to identify the variations that resonate best with their audience. You can decide which elements to use in future campaigns by testing and comparing different versions.
Testing subject lines
Subject lines are the first impression recipients have of an email. They play a significant role in determining whether an email gets opened or ignored. A/B testing allows you to test different subject lines to find the ones that generate higher open rates.
Testing CTAs
CTAs are the calls to action that encourage recipients to take a desired action, such as replying to your email or setting up a call. A/B testing helps recruiters determine the most effective CTA placement, wording, and color to maximize click-through rates (CTRs).
Testing content
The content of an email is crucial in conveying your message and persuading recipients to take action. A/B testing enables you to experiment with different content formats, lengths, and tones to optimize engagement and conversions.
Conclusion
A/B testing is a powerful tool for refining email outreach strategies. By testing different elements of their campaigns, you can identify the variations that work best for their audience and improve their overall email marketing performance.
Can call-to-action buttons be optimized to increase email click-through rates?
Yes, call-to-action (CTA) buttons can be optimized to increase email click-through rates. By creating clear, engaging CTAs that drive action and using effective design and placement tips, readers can easily take the next step.
How to create clear, engaging CTAs that drive action:
- Use strong action verbs that convey a sense of urgency and importance. For example, instead of “Learn more,” use “Meet the Candidate” or “Set up a Call.”
- Keep your CTA copy concise and to the point. Avoid using jargon or technical terms that your audience may not understand.
- Personalize your CTA copy whenever possible. Address the reader by name and tailor the message to their specific needs and interests. You can even have a CTA with a calendar link that says something like, “Click here to meet [CANDIDATE NAME]” or “Click here to meet your [JOB TITLE].”
- Make your CTA link stand out from the rest of the email. Use a contrasting color and a clear font that is easy to read.
- Place your CTA link prominently in the email. The ideal location is above the fold so that readers don’t have to scroll down to find it.
- Sometimes email links trigger spam alerts, so I recommend A/B testing and using “reply to” instructions in one of your test cases to see which works best. For example, “Reply to meet [NAME].”
Design and placement tips for CTAs that make it easy for readers to take the next step:
- Make sure your CTA is prominent enough to be quickly acted on, even on mobile devices.
- Use one CTA per email – don’t confuse people with too many choices.
- Some CTA examples are
- “Meet the candidate”
- “Set up a call”
- “Discuss all your hiring needs”
- “Request a recruiting consultation”
- “Don’t miss out on this candidate – Get in touch today “
Following these tips can create clear, engaging CTAs that drive action and increase your email click-through rates.
Conclusion and Downloadable Find Your Voice Exercise
To conclude, email marketing and cold email outreach remain powerful tools for business development. Optimizing your campaigns for mobile devices can significantly increase email open rates and click-through rates. But it’s harder these days to stand out from the crowd. By following the tips and strategies outlined in this guide, you can create engaging and effective emails that resonate with your audience and get them to convert.
Downloadable Find Your Voice Exercise
We have created a downloadable find your voice exercise to help you discover your unique voice and create compelling email content. This exercise will guide you through a series of prompts and questions to help you identify your writing style, tone, and key messaging points.
Hi! I’m Diane Prince. I co-founded a company that we built from scratch to $50 million in six years and sold to a strategic buyer. I am a keynote speaker that talks and writes about building startups, founding businesses, and entrepreneurship. I share my perspective from my own experience from over 25 years building, scaling, and selling businesses.
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