How Direct Sourcing Expert Searchlight Builds Trust Through B2B Content Marketing
It is too difficult to find the right talent for our company
One of the biggest problems companies are facing these days is recruitment. In particular, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find experienced talent that perfectly fits a company's situation
Many companies are starting ' outbound recruitment, ' where they personally seek out suitable talent. Among them is a company that solves corporate concerns through the ' direct sourcing ' method. That company is ' Searchlight .' To establish itself as an alternative to recruitment platforms , Searchlight had to capture two types of customers simultaneously
1️⃣ Corporate clients who want to find the talent they desire more effectively
Potential candidates (talent pool) who want to discover new opportunities
As we primarily dealt with corporate clients, we had no choice but to rely on our network, and there were limitations to building awareness. However, with Elifunt , Searchlight's organic traffic increased by more than 25 times, making us a prominent company in the 'outbound sourcing' industry.
now a recruitment structure where corporate clients seek them out first, and the talent pool naturally expands. Brand awareness has also increased significantly, to the point where acquaintances and intern applicants with whom we had no prior relationship reach out saying, “I saw the blog article.”
Searchlight has built trust with both corporate clients and talent candidates? We invited co-founder Choi Eun-soo to examine the process and results of our B2B content marketing collaboration with Elifunt.
Q. Hello, CEO! What kind of company is Searchlight?
It is a direct sourcing service that directly finds hidden talent based on skills and experience.
Searchlight a direct sourcing service that helps companies find the right talent themselves. We secure suitable candidates based on competency metadata and even connect them for coffee chats. While talent was previously selected based on qualifications or industry background, it has now become more important to find individuals with core competencies based on skills and experience.
We help companies clearly identify " the people truly needed by our company " through talent definition and sampling processes . Talent definition is important because there are often cases where an organization's ideal vision differs from the talent it actually prefers. In fact, it is quite common for the type of person whom a company defined as "not suitable" before the recruitment process even began to be ultimately hired.
Q. What motivated you to start in the challenging industry of direct sourcing?
It started with me personally going around seeking out 'experts who weren't in the company.'.
While working as a business development leader for the organization prior to founding the startup, I had to recruit experts in fields the company had never encountered before. For example, I had to personally seek out real estate experts, construction specialists, raw material experts, and even those with the expertise to hold a perfumer's license or import fabrics from Italy.
Co-founder Seungmo Yang, who also served as the CPO of a startup, struggled to find good Product Owners across various fields. Both of us held hiring manager positions responsible for finding talent, but even for a startup in the Series B or C stage, finding candidates was not easy. We utilized headhunters but did not achieve the results we expected, so we had to do the legwork ourselves. We believed this was not a problem unique to us.
Furthermore, as the recruitment market changes, open recruitment is disappearing while 'targeted hiring' is becoming more prevalent. In Korea, major conglomerates have also declared that they will eliminate open recruitment by 2024. We identified direct sourcing as the most powerful tool enabling this type of hiring. This phenomenon has been prominent in North America for the past decade, and we found that naturally following this stage as the economy grows a global trend. As the labor market becomes more flexible, the entire world is following this natural flow. The Searchlight team saw an opportunity amidst these market changes.
Q. What are Searchlight's major achievements?
It is becoming a practical 'alternative to headhunting'.
There are two main points that appeal to the market. First, we view recruitment from the perspective of operational leaders rather than HR professionals. Second, we serve as a practical alternative to traditional headhunting. Typically, HR departments conduct recruitment with a ratio of 70% inbound and 30% outbound, but relying solely on recruitment branding has its limitations. In such cases, headhunting is the only realistic alternative, and we are here to address that need.
While headhunting still plays an important role, it is difficult to achieve the same performance across all roles because individuals often have strengths in specific functions . To address these limitations, Searchlight has digitized headhunting and developed a data-driven talent recommendation algorithm
Looking at the bigger picture, there is a problem where there is significant overlap among the talent registered online. The same person looking to change jobs could be listed on LinkedIn, Remember, and Wanted. Therefore, we are solving this issue through data augmentation
For example, let's imagine there are four PMs from Coupang, but only one has filled out the job skills section, while the other three have left it blank. In this case, assuming they worked in the same team during the same period, we can estimate that all four possess similar job competencies. In this way, we are identifying the most suitable talent for the company based on data.
Q. How have you conducted your marketing so far?
Initially, we focused solely on 'sales' rather than B2B marketing.
Upon establishing the company, I immediately a sales-oriented strategy. I focused on finding hiring managers willing to recruit, and secured initial clients by leveraging my startup network to make direct contacts or receive referrals. In the early stages, I concentrated on identifying the core customer base by personally meeting with 30 to 40 recruiters and HR professionals.
Q. What difficulties did you encounter while doing B2B marketing?
Advertising costs are too high, and it was difficult to conduct experiments while protecting the brand image.
The biggest problem was ROI. The unit costs of B2B marketing were simply too high. For example, the ad rates on channels like Blind, LinkedIn, and Remember were so high that, unlike B2C, it was really difficult to experiment.
Another concern was brand value. Given that the target audience was obvious, there was a worry that we might damage the brand value prematurely. Therefore, we needed a strategy to build trust based on content, but there were practical difficulties. With only three founders, the process of handling sales, writing meaningful content, and verifying whether we were heading in the right direction was a significant burden in itself.
Q. What led you to contact Elifunt?
I needed a partner who understood the characteristics of B2B and early-stage startups.
I looked at two main things. First was their understanding of B2B and early-stage startups. I liked the fact that the CEO had actually founded a company and had B2B experience. I also thoroughly examined their LinkedIn profile. Direct sourcing and B2B marketing operate on the same fundamental principles, and I felt that the Elifunt team is a company that understands this well. The second was their actual capabilities, but I thought I could only know that by meeting them in person.
You must have looked up quite a bit about Elifunt beforehand!
Absolutely. In this case as well, we approached it using a direct sourcing method, just as we usually do. Let me share a basic piece of B2B business knowledge here: customers come having already thoroughly researched two or three alternatives. If you don't know this, you end up trying to lecture the customer who visits you, which leads to problems. This mistake is particularly common in the SaaS sector. For high-involvement products or services like B2B, customers have already studied the product or service extensively before they even arrive!
Q. What was it like actually collaborating with Elifunt?
When I asked, “Can I completely rewrite the finished text?” the reaction I received was impressive.
What impressed me most was the real-time communication. We could communicate via Slack and edit posts and apply feedback in real time. I also appreciated the meticulous attention paid to content publishing, ranging from keyword selection to technical SEO.
There is a moment that particularly stands out in my memory. Once, I suggested that we completely scrap the completed content. To be honest, even as I made the request, I wondered internally, "Isn't this too much of a request?" However, Elifunt understood the parts we found ambiguous and brainstormed better directions together with us. That was when I clearly felt, "Ah, Elifunt isn't just a content outsourcing company; they are one team with us."
Q. How were the results of the Searchlight content created in collaboration with Elifunt?
A single post generated inbound inquiries, and acquaintances even came to visit, saying, “Now I understand what kind of business this is.”.
First of all, the content regarding CTO recruitmentcreated a huge sensation. In the past, we acquired customers solely through referrals, but now, customers who encountered Searchlight for the first time via B2B content marketing are contacting us directly. We actually held meetings and provided them with samples.
There were also unexpected results. Former colleagues and acquaintances contacted me after seeing our content. They said things like, “I didn’t know you did this kind of work,” or “I saw it a few times on LinkedIn and it was really good.” It was also helpful when hiring interns. Applicants came after seeing our content, so their understanding of the service was much higher.
Recently, we also tried paid marketing, and the content we had already built up was a huge help in building trust. This was an effect we hadn't anticipated. As the content quality improved towards the end, it reached the point where we thought, "It seems like Elifunt writes about our service better than we do."
In terms of industry sectors, the response was particularly positive in the IT field, with a high conversion rate for developer positions. There were also quite a few PO positions; I think we had a strength in that area as well, likely because one of our co-founders is a former CPO. We have completed about 50 positions so far.
Q. What do you think it would have been like if you hadn't partnered with Elifunt?
Even if we had entrusted it to someone else, it would have been difficult to work as well as 'one team' as this.
I think they probably would have found another partner. However, if you ask, "Would other places have worked with us like a team as much as Elifunt?" I am not sure. Of course, they likely spent marketing money somewhere. But I think they probably kept questioning, "Should I continue this?" and "Is this the right direction?"
Q. Which companies would you recommend Elifunt to?
If you are interested in B2B content marketing, be sure to check this out! (However…)
I think it would be a good fit for any B2B company. especially recommend meeting with companies that deal with IT products or provide services that interact directly with customers. It would also be definitely beneficial for companies looking to start content marketing or currently at that stage.
However, I do not recommend this to those who have absolutely no understanding of content or think, "Can't we just hire an intern and use them?" Without a lesson learned on the importance of content, you may find it difficult to understand. This is especially true for companies that are new to sales, let alone marketing.
Q. How would you explain Elifunt to people around you if they asked?
He introduces it by saying, “They take good care of everything, so feel free to meet them.”.
I also met Elifunt when I was completely unprepared. I still remember that it was the first time the CEO had ever taken the time to meet with me so many times. So, when people are unfamiliar with B2B marketing, I explain it this way: “Elifunt will take good care of you in those areas as well. Please feel free to meet with them.”
In fact, people around me often ask about my experience collaborating with Elifunt. So, I explain it to them in detail like this: “We handle SEO optimization and content creation together, but we managed the content separately. A dedicated manager provided close, personalized support, and I really liked that real-time communication was possible and that editing and feedback were applied quickly.”
Q. Lastly, what are Searchlight's future plans?
I want to be a solution for HR teams considering new recruitment methods following open recruitment.
Our first goal is to finalize seed funding within the first half of the year. We also want to properly organize our product team to launch a more convenient and lightweight SaaS product.
In the longer term, I want to create a world where “business leaders can hire directly.” Specifically,envision a world where “if you input the talent information you need when leaving work, candidates you want to meet the next day are recommended, and a schedule is even set.” Currently, our client base is heavily concentrated on IT startups, but I want to expand to mid-sized companies in the future.
In particular, I would like to provide solutions for HR teams at mid-sized companies that are considering new recruitment methods after abolishing open recruitment. While large corporations are responding in their own ways, such as by recruiting Technical Assistants (TAs) from startups, mid-sized companies still lack a clear solution. Therefore, I anticipate that this market will grow significantly in the future.
⭐Searchlight content worth reading together!
👉 4 Reasons Why Hiring a CTO Is Difficult (feat. Solutions?)
👉 Direct Sourcing vs. Headhunting: Which Hiring Method Is More Effective for Our Company?
Searchlight is a team full of a challenging spirit that has chosen to take the difficult path of direct sourcing to discover "hidden talent." From defining talent by focusing on core competencies to B2B content marketing that generates inbound recruitment inquiries, we are building every step of the process step-by-step by working tirelessly alongside Elifunt.
I believe that when solutions that break through limitations meet authentic content, meaningful change can be made in the recruitment market as well.
Elifunt will continue to be a reliable partner, growing together with more companies so that they can discover hidden talent!
👉 Looking for a partner for B2B content marketing from the start?
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