This is Part 2 of a two-part series on Michael Hayes of Momentum Specialized Staffing. Missed Part One? Here you go.
Hayes is the owner of Momentum Specialized Staffing, Phoenix, AZ, which is growing again following the crash of construction, the main pre-recession industry in Arizona.
“We hit a point where calling people and making appointments was almost impossible,” said Hayes. “So you have to get to them in a different way.”
A quick Google search will tell you that Hayes’ strategies work; he appears prominently on the major networking sites, in several blogs and on even more television appearances now put online.
He’s done it with his usual entrepreneurial flair: dive in, and learn as you go.
About two years ago, Hayes hired a PR person – someone small and independent, but with lots of connections – to pitch story ideas.
“I really didn’t understand any of it at first,” Hayes said. “I read a book called The 4-Hour Work Week (by Timothy Ferris). The guy takes you through how to do stuff more efficiently. He uses a virtual assistant. He does Web stuff, constantly trying to flood the Internet with content.”
That’s a broad strategy, and one that naturally led to online resources like Facebook and contributing to the blog rolls.
“I did a lot of studying,” Hayes said, adding that many people mistakenly lead with their sales instincts when establishing an online presence.
“You can’t just go in there and sell crap. There’s got to be some sharing there. A lot of it is not even what you think is important.”
So instead of being self-promotional, Hayes generates attention by focusing on the larger issues that everyone is talking about: employment.
“Employment is always a big topic,” he continued.
“If you’ve got a good idea, they want it on. They introduce you to as a ‘job expert,’ and whenever they do that, I just go ‘cha-ching,’” said Hayes.
“That’s a really good way to build credibility.”
Recently, these efforts expanded into video blogs and traditional media including television, which was a main goal for Hayes.
“If somebody hears about us and wants to pull us up, I want them to see video, or a video from us during a television appearance,” said Hayes.
“TV stations do a great job – they slap it up on their website. And I always try to get them to put my website in there as well.”
When does the owner of a staffing firm have time to do this? And what’s involved in keeping the subject matter on target?
“Most of the stuff that we do is time based,” said Hayes. “I try to do things on Fridays – we try not to interview people after noon unless they have an appointment. And you’ve got to do one thing at a time. I mix it up with goofy stuff, with interviews, with my personal opinions or about people who do stupid things.
“I did it because I knew eventually I’d be able to do what I want,” said Hayes. “I love to do the shows when there are panelists for the government or stuff like that, because I get to say something that maybe they don’t like. They like you to be decisive.”
So what is all of this worth? No one has been able to answer this with any clarity.
“People always ask me to try to monetize it to them, and I can’t,” Hayes said.
“But it makes it easier to do stuff when you’ve got (these appearances) going for you. The quantifier is always ‘can I get people to call me (right) now?’ And when (the market) turns around we can use that stuff to attract recruits.”
This is the most visible portion of the overall effort to boost visibility.
“You have to be into the networking, which we are,” said Hayes, “and volunteering for stuff and thinking like that. I know we’ve given a lot of story ideas because we mine articles on employment and send them out with comments. Be a member of trade association.”
Anything, he says, to boost your visibility now. Because as the recovery continues, it will start to pay off.
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O M G Thank you for this series! It really answered a lot of questions I had and it was great to read how another business in staffing is approaching all of this media stuff .
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