BlueSky PR: Market Expansion Guidance

How PR can help a business expanding into new markets 

Recruitment organisations are constantly seeking new growth opportunities, however, to make an instant impact in a new geography, territory or market they need to find ways to promote their services, highlight their expertise, and attract potential clients and candidates.  

At last count, there were over 40,000 recruitment and talent agencies across the UK, meaning that, in order to be successful and grow their market share, firms must identify ways to differentiate themselves from their competitors. That doesn’t mean producing a slightly snappier slogan or switching brand colours, for example, but instead showing – and proving – to potential clients and candidates exactly what the business offers that separates it from those already operating in their market.  

But why is PR so effective at achieving this?  

Why PR? 

Frankly, there’s a reason that Bill Gates said if he was down to his last dollar, he would spend it on PR. Effective strategic public relations activity enables organisations to promote their expertise, establish credibility, influence their audiences, and – for recruiters – ultimately help them to attract more potential clients and candidates.  

When entering a new market, building awareness and trust is critical. Clients and candidates are less likely to engage with an unknown brand and effective PR and marketing help introduce a business to a new audience and establish credibility.  

The modern consumer is also savvier than their predecessors and is therefore less likely to be influenced by advertising or other direct approaches. Instead, more subtle and nuanced tactics are required.  

However, organisations have several different options and tactics to choose from when selecting how to promote their services and market knowledge. Indeed, we are often asked why marketers should opt to spend their often-limited budgets on PR over various other forms of strategic marketing. Here’s why: 

It boosts your brand visibility and awareness - 84% of marketers believe that PR activities directly contribute to sales by increasing brand visibility according to a study by PRWeek & Cision - Consumers are more likely to select a familiar product (or recruiter) over an unknown one, emphasising the importance of PR in making a brand name recognisable at the point of purchase. 

It builds trust – 65% of consumers trust earned media (which includes PR) more than any other form of marketing (Edelman Trust Barometer). This means having positive news stories, articles, and mentions can significantly boost a company's reputation. 

It helps to drive sales - A Nielsen study found that PR is almost 90% more effective than advertising in driving sales conversion. This shows that earned media can significantly outperform paid media in influencing purchase decisions. 

Advice and tips on using PR to support market expansion 

However, not every organisation approaches PR correctly, and there are several key lessons to keep in mind before embarking on any campaign. 

Leverage data to your advantage 

Hiring teams will, often unknowingly, be sitting on mountains of valuable data that is of interest to journalists, and could be utilised in media activity and other external commentary. Information and viewpoints on salaries, hiring trends, candidate preferences and emerging skills all regularly feature within the national and sector media, and talent firms should utilise this to their advantage wherever possible to increase brand awareness, and position themselves as thought leaders.  

‘Hook’ onto topical stories and tailor approaches 

Journalists and media publications all have core subjects of interest, and no credible media representative will cover a story if it doesn't fit with their broader narrative. That means finding relevant topics in the media to ‘hook’ stories onto is key. Equally, journalists will not feature releases, articles or any other content if they are overly sales-focused; that is not how PR works. Instead, the art of the craft is in finding methods to promote messaging in a nuanced and more subliminal way. Ultimately, it’s only those who can develop themes that cut through, and work for both the media and their organisation that will succeed. 

Choose targets wisely  

Everyone wants to be featured in the national press on a daily basis, however, unless the organisation is Apple, Google or a handful of other major, global brands, that simply won’t happen. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing; leaders don’t make buying decisions based on what is featured in the national press, they are interested in topics closer to home, and expanding an organisation’s presence in target regional, local or sector media is generally a far more effective approach in influencing decision-makers. 

Monitor, measure and adapt 

To ensure ongoing success, PR efforts must be continuously monitored, measured, and refined. Tracking metrics such as media coverage volume, audience engagement, and website traffic can provide insights into what’s working and what needs improvement, and tools like Google Analytics and media monitoring software can help assess campaign effectiveness. If a particular theme or campaign isn’t delivering the expected results, adapting the strategy, and refining messaging can optimise outcomes. Ultimately, a data-driven approach ensures PR efforts remain agile and aligned with business goals. 

Here at BlueSky PR, we offer PR and media relations expertise that can help recruitment and talent management experts to cut through the noise, and stand out from the crowd, in the right way. Our expert team has supported agencies of all shapes and sizes with their strategic PR activity and understands how to amplify brand voices with tailored messaging targeting potential clients, candidates and staff. 

In addition to PR and media relations support, we also offer a range of other services including: 

• PR consultancy & communications strategy 

• Communications workshops and training sessions 

• Optimised blog content and copywriting 

• Media training 

• Crisis communications support 

• White paper reports  

• Awards submissions 

• Mentoring 
  

We also offer a 10% discount on the first three months of our services to APSCo members and Trusted Partners. 

Get in touch with our team today on hello@bluesky-pr.com  

About the author: 

Vickie Collinge is Associate Director at BlueSky PR. 

With over fifteen years’ experience in marketing and PR, Vickie began her career at BlueSky in 2011 as an Account Manager. Prior to this, Vickie worked in a communications agency specialising in talent management building up her knowledge and experience within the field of people management. Today, she is responsible for the delivery team at BlueSky and plays an active role managing and delivering media relations and content strategies to clients within the recruitment, talent management and allied sectors. 

Vickie works with recognised names including Guidant Global, Broadbean Technology and The Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo).