Featured Case Study

Executive Summary

Recruiting firm Open Systems Technologies (OST) needed to attract more quality candidates to match with its hiring partners.

By hiring a dedicated marketing team who overhauled their website and built a blog and social media presence, OST was able to reach the right people, increasing new candidates by 10% and new partners by 5% within one year.

Client Profile

Open Systems Technologies is a privately-held recruiting firm with offices in major metropolitan areas in the United States and Canada. With 26 years’ experience in the recruiting field, they are adept at matching companies with the right candidates for the job.

Business Challenge

Many of OST's hiring partners were looking specifically for experienced programmers to work with legacy systems. Oftentimes, programmers are looking for a fast-paced startup environment, so OST had to find a way to connect with those who were looking for the security of working at an established business.

Marketing had not been a priority for the client in the past, as they had previously had great success just relying on the power of word-of-mouth. “We had to convince the partners that it was worth it to invest more in our marketing efforts,” said Head of Marketing, Alanna Herling.

Solution

The client realized that they needed a targeted marketing effort to stand out in the crowded recruiting field and to reach the right candidates. They hired two entry-level marketers and brought in Impel's Aruna Naomi Inalsingh (formerly of Ani Marketing Service) to train them. Together, this team built a blog and social media presence that incorporated the company's branding and provided content that would appeal to programming candidates.

A campaign of monthly eblasts, weekly blog posts and regular social media updates built the brand's online presence. The themes of these posts were carefully chosen to engage OST's target market of skilled candidates and hiring partners in need of talent.

The marketing team made smart use of LinkedIn to find qualified candidates and connect directly with them. This allowed them to find people with the exact skillsets that their partners were looking for.

Outcomes

Within one year, OST had not only found more skilled programmers, but also experienced an overall 10% growth in new candidates. With more qualified candidates, it was also easier to recruit more hiring companies which lead to a 5% growth in partners.

Conclusion

“Recruiting is all about finding candidates at the right place at the right time,” said Herling. “Our social media campaign really optimized our ability to meet people when they were ready for a new position.”