13 Essential Trends Every Promo Staff Agency Needs
By
Mark Walls
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In a competitive industry, staying ahead means adopting the latest tech, understanding social media’s evolving role, and fostering a unique agency culture. Here’s a closer look at the top six trends every promo staff agency should embrace to thrive.
Facebook remains a powerful tool for promo staff agencies to connect with clients and ambassadors—when used effectively. Agencies that excel here utilize the “3 P’s” to foster a loyal and engaged community:
Personal
People connect with people, not brands. Showcase the individuals who power your agency by highlighting employees, clients, and partners. Share “day-in-the-life” posts, stories of team members, and client testimonials. By using photos, videos, and live events, you’re inviting followers into your world. This transparency builds trust and gives clients a behind-the-scenes look into your agency’s operations.
Purpose
Content with a clear purpose builds relevance. Offer valuable insights like industry tips, event-planning tricks, or highlight trends that matter to your followers. For example, “5 Things to Look for in a Brand Ambassador” could educate both clients and ambassadors while positioning your agency as an expert. This approach keeps your audience coming back for content that helps them succeed in their roles.
Promotion
When personal connections and purposeful content are established, promotion feels natural. Followers already trust you as a go-to source, which makes promotional content feel less intrusive and more like expert advice. Use this trust to showcase special campaigns, agency milestones, or limited-time offers in a way that feels genuine and respectful.
Tip: Identify brand ambassadors within your agency who are active on social media and provide them with influencer training to expand brand reach authentically.
2. Use an Ambassador Portal to Streamline Operations
Making use of an ambassador portal to improve your communication with ambassadors or temporary staff, will establish a more professional, successful and symbiotic relationship. High-quality brand ambassadors, promo staff, temp event staff and crew all prefer to work with agencies that utilise an ambassador portal – its professional, makes their lives easier thus, making them feel valued. Promotional Staffing software, like Liveforce’s dedicated crew app can be used to recruit, schedule, book and pay temp staff. This saves agencies time and money whilst delivering a professional service to their ambassadors. Software like Liveforce that have dedicate talent logins, means the process of recruiting and scheduling is easy, flexible and transparent.
Tip: Explore ambassador portals that offer scheduling and payroll integration, and test a demo to see its impact on your staff management.
3. Prioritize Concise, Relevant Email Communication
Succinct, relevant, interesting, entertaining information. That’s what the people want, not to be bombarded as we are already in our lives. We don’t want to spend hours going through our inboxes trying to find that one piece of relevant information – that is the path to the delete – or even worse – unsubscribe, button. E-mail still has its place as it allows for more in-depth communication and can be easily forwarded, and sent to numerous people at once. But, that’s only going to happen to relevant information!
Tip: Review your email strategy this month to focus on shorter, more personalized messages with clear, actionable information.
4. Showcase Your Agency’s Culture on Your Website
Your website is often the first impression potential clients and ambassadors have of your agency. Beyond a clean design, focus on creating a sense of your agency’s unique culture and values. Highlight your mission, team members, and approach to working with clients. Consider a “Life at [Your Agency Name]” section, complete with team photos, videos, and testimonials. This helps clients and ambassadors alike understand that they’re joining a team that values creativity, professionalism, and growth.
If your team attends events, post event recaps and photos, which gives clients and ambassadors a sense of community. The goal is to make clients feel like part of something vibrant and valuable.
Update your website’s “About” page with a team video or testimonials from clients to give it a personal touch.
5. Engage Your Talent by Valuing Their Role
Brand ambassadors are your number one asset, they are more than just staff. The quality of a brand ambassador can make or break a campaign. They embody the brand and are your connection to audience and customers. Your staff should believe in the brand and products and receive full training. They should be committed to achieving your company’s goals and an active part of the culture. They must share the values, possess necessary flexible and transferable skills, that can bring the brand to life. Value your brand ambassadors and they will be your best ROI.
Tip: Establish a monthly recognition program for top-performing ambassadors and showcase it on your social media.
6. Share Your Knowledge to Build Credibility
Share, communicate, collaborate. While you don’t want to broadcast all your secrets, sharing some insider knowledge now and then is a great way to demonstrate your credibility and leadership. A fun document outlining best practices can give your talent a boost and help with their professional development. You can also use your contacts to conduct interviews, and start a conversation, which if posted on Facebook, will encourage more communication. Polls are also a great way to share ideas and gain popular opinion, whilst cultivating organic engagement. A win-win!
Tip: Start a monthly “Industry Insights” newsletter or post a “Best Practice” guide for ambassadors on your social media to build engagement and credibility.
7. Embrace Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Automation
The integration of AI and automation is transforming recruitment and staffing processes. Agencies are leveraging AI-driven tools to streamline candidate sourcing, resume screening, and matching processes, enhancing efficiency and accuracy. For instance, AI-powered chatbots can handle initial candidate interactions, schedule interviews, and provide real-time responses to inquiries, freeing up human resources for more complex tasks. According to a report by Allied Insight, nearly half of staffing agencies currently utilize AI for business applications, with ChatGPT being a popular tool for writing job descriptions.
Tip: Evaluate and implement AI-driven recruitment tools to automate repetitive tasks, allowing your team to focus on strategic initiatives.
8. Prioritize Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
A strong focus on DEI is becoming increasingly important in the staffing industry. Agencies are actively working to build diverse talent pools and promote inclusive hiring practices. This approach not only aligns with ethical standards but also enhances creativity and innovation within teams. Emphasizing DEI can also attract a broader range of clients who value inclusive practices. DEI is increasingly becoming a top priority for many businesses, and staffing agencies are expected to assist in building more diverse and inclusive workforces.
Tip: Develop and implement DEI policies and training programs to foster an inclusive workplace culture and attract a diverse talent pool.
9. Offer Flexible Work Arrangements
The demand for flexible work options, including remote and hybrid models, continues to rise. Agencies that provide flexible staffing solutions are better positioned to meet client needs and attract top talent. This flexibility can lead to higher job satisfaction and retention rates among staff.
Tip: Assess and expand your agency’s ability to offer flexible work arrangements to meet the evolving preferences of clients and candidates.
10. Invest in Upskilling and Reskilling Programs
Continuous learning and development are vital in today’s fast-paced work environment. Agencies that invest in upskilling and reskilling their staff can adapt to changing client demands and technological advancements. Providing training opportunities not only enhances the skill set of your workforce but also demonstrates a commitment to employee growth, which can improve retention.
Tip: Develop an online training program or partner with an e-learning provider to offer accessible and flexible skill development for staff.
11. Leveraging Influencer Marketing with Staff Ambassadors
Incorporating influencer marketing tactics into promotional staffing by identifying and nurturing ambassadors who have social influence can boost engagement. These ambassadors not only represent brands but also act as micro-influencers, reaching a more targeted audience through authentic engagement on social media. By developing influencer-based training, agencies can maximize the impact of brand ambassadors, especially for product launches and events.
Tip: Identify brand ambassadors within your agency who are active on social media and provide them with influencer training to expand brand reach authentically.
12. Data-Driven Decision-Making with Predictive Analytics
With the rise of data analytics, agencies are using predictive models to forecast staffing needs and campaign outcomes. By analyzing past staffing data, client requirements, and industry patterns, agencies can better anticipate demand and optimize scheduling, which is particularly useful for temp staffing during peak event seasons.
Tip: Invest in predictive analytics tools to help forecast client needs, improve scheduling efficiency, and optimize staff allocation based on demand trends.
13. Enhancing Staff Well-being and Mental Health Support
Staff well-being is increasingly recognized as essential for productivity and retention. Agencies are now implementing wellness programs, mental health resources, and flexible scheduling options to support their promotional staff, who often work irregular hours. By prioritizing well-being, agencies can improve job satisfaction and reduce turnover.
Tip: Offer mental health resources or well-being programs tailored for your temp staff to foster a supportive work environment and improve job satisfaction.
What do you think?
Do you have any more top tips or essential trends we’ve missed? Join the conversation and let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
