The development of a future-proof channel strategy to guarantee a strong position within the Belgian temporary staffing industry: a case study

Abstract

Obtaining and maintaining a strong brand position is necessary for a company to survive nowadays, especially within the highly competitive temporary staffing market. In 2015, a Federgon study predicted that technology would change this industry in a disruptive way. The introduction of technology within this market will totally change the way recruiters approach, select, and hire job candidates. Looking at the banking and automotive sectors, where the digital revolution started several years ago, we see that it is important for temporary staffing companies to adapt their business model to these digital changes in order to gain maximum visibility, reach their target audience and keep up with the competition. This project focuses on defining the strengths and pain points in the current brand positioning and MarCom channel mix of Forum Jobs, as well as defining the upcoming trends within the Human Resources Management (HRM) sector. The aim of this project is to come up with a well-founded sustainable action plan for Forum Jobs in order to keep growing and remain successful in the future. The content of this report is backed up by comprehensive secondary research. Firstly, based on theories regarding brand positioning and channel strategies, we were able to thoroughly analyse Forum Job’s current marketing efforts. Secondly, four relatable competitors were analysed based on their channel strategy and compared to Forum Jobs. Thirdly, literature and case studies on the current situation and the expected future of temporary staffing agencies gave deeper insight into the industry. To reinforce this secondary research, primary research was conducted by means of in-depth interviews with HR experts and surveys with (potential) job candidates. On the basis of the primary and secondary research, both a short-term and a long-term recommendation were developed. The short-term recommendations consist of all kinds of improvements that Forum Jobs can implement immediately or within a few weeks. This mainly relates to the increase of website traffic by optimising their ranking on Google, as well as to changes in the communication and content of their social media channels. In addition, we made recommendations to the company about the three job boards they are currently using. The long-term recommendations consist of significant investments that the company will have to make in the long term to stay ahead of its competitors. Both secondary and primary research support the investment in an application. The same applies to sponsorship initiatives, traditional media advertisements and street advertisements