Why Your HR Consultancy Isn’t Getting the Enquiries It Deserves
I was sitting down with an HR consultant in Milton a few months ago. She’d been in the game for fifteen years, had a wealth of knowledge, and was genuinely great at what she did. But she was frustrated.
"I’ve spent five grand on a new website and I’m posting on LinkedIn three times a week," she told me, "but the only people calling me are cold callers trying to sell me office supplies. Where are the actual clients?"
If you run an HR consultancy or a boutique recruitment firm here in Brisbane, this probably sounds familiar. You’re told you need to 'be online,' so you tick the boxes. You get a logo, you get a website, maybe you even pay someone to write 'thought leadership' articles.
And then... crickets.
Most marketing advice for professional services is written by people who have never had to worry about making payroll on a Friday. They talk about 'brand awareness' and 'engagement.' But at Local Marketing Group, we know that if your marketing isn't putting money in the bank, it’s just an expensive hobby.
Here are the biggest mistakes I see Brisbane HR and recruitment owners making, and exactly what you should do instead to get more clients.
1. Your Website Looks Like a Stock Photo Gallery
Go and look at five of your competitors' websites right now. I bet you’ll see the same thing: a picture of two people in suits shaking hands, a photo of a generic office building, and a lot of text about "bespoke solutions" and "strategic partnerships."
The Mistake: You’re trying to look 'professional' by being generic.
The Reality: Business owners in Queensland hire people they trust. If your website looks like a template filled with people who clearly don't live in Brisbane, you've already lost.
The Fix: Get a local photographer to take photos of you and your actual team. Show your face. If you work out of an office in the Valley or a home studio in North Lakes, show that. People want to see who they are going to be talking to on the phone.
Replace the corporate speak with plain English. Instead of saying "We provide end-to-end human capital management," try "We help you handle difficult staff conversations so you can get back to running your business."
2. You’re Shouting Into the LinkedIn Void
I see so many recruiters spending three hours a week crafting the perfect LinkedIn post. They get five 'likes' from their former colleagues and maybe a comment from their mum.
The Mistake: Thinking that 'posting content' is the same thing as 'getting customers.'
The Reality: Most of your ideal clients—the busy business owners who desperately need HR help—aren't spending their day scrolling LinkedIn. They are busy dealing with a broken forklift or a staff member who didn't show up for their shift.
The Fix: Stop worrying about 'likes.' Focus on being found when someone actually has a problem. When a business owner realizes they need to fire someone legally or needs a new sales manager now, they don't wait for a post to show up in their feed. They go to Google and type in "HR consultant Brisbane" or "Recruiter for tradies."
If you aren't showing up there, you don't exist to them. One solid Google ad that targets people specifically looking for your service will do more for your bank account than a year’s worth of LinkedIn posts.
3. You’re Not Specialising (And It’s Costing You Money)
I get it. You don't want to turn down work. You think, "I can do HR for a dental clinic, and I can do recruitment for a construction firm."
The Mistake: Being a 'Generalist.'
The Reality: When everyone is a generalist, the only way a customer can choose between you is on price. If you’re "The HR person for everyone," you’re a commodity. You’ll constantly be haggling over your hourly rate.
The Fix: Pick a lane. We worked with a recruiter in Morningside who decided to stop doing 'general admin' and focused entirely on placing heavy machinery operators.
Suddenly, he wasn't just another recruiter. He was the guy for that industry. He could charge more, his marketing became ten times easier because he knew exactly who he was talking to, and his phone started ringing off the hook because he had a reputation in that specific circle.
4. Ignoring Your "Google Business Profile"
This is the biggest missed opportunity for local Brisbane businesses. You know that little map that pops up when you search for a service? That’s the Google Business Profile.
The Mistake: Thinking this is only for cafes or plumbers.
The Reality: It is the most valuable piece of digital real estate you own. It’s free, and it’s often the first thing a potential client sees.
The Fix: Claim your profile. Get at least 10-20 five-star reviews from your past clients. Don't be shy—ask them. A business owner is much more likely to call the consultant with 15 glowing reviews than the one with zero. Put your actual Brisbane phone number on there.
I’ve seen businesses double their monthly enquiries just by cleaning up this one profile. It costs nothing but an hour of your time.
5. No Clear "Next Step"
Let’s say a business owner lands on your site. They like your photo, they see you specialise in their industry, and they think you sound like you know your stuff.
What do they do next?
The Mistake: Having a 'Contact Us' page with a giant, 12-field form that looks like a tax return.
The Reality: People are lazy and busy. If you make them work to talk to you, they’ll just go back to Google and click the next person.
The Fix: Give them one clear, dead-easy option. "Call [Your Phone Number] for a 10-minute chat." "Book a free 15-minute consultation on my calendar."
Put this in a big, bright button at the top of every page. Don't ask for their life story. Just get them on the phone.
What Will This Cost and How Long Will It Take?
I’m not going to lie to you—marketing isn't free. If someone tells you they can get you to the top of Google for $99 a month, they are lying.
The DIY Route: If you do the photos yourself, fix your own website text, and sort out your Google Business Profile, it costs you $0 but about 10-20 hours of work. You could see more calls within a month just from the Google Profile improvements. The Paid Route: If you want to see results next week, you need to run ads. For a local HR consultant, spending $500–$1,500 a month on Google Ads is a realistic starting point. If that brings in just one or two new clients, it’s usually paid for itself five times over. The Professional Route: Hiring an agency like ours to handle everything—strategy, ads, and your website—usually starts around the $2,000/month mark. This is for the owner who is too busy billing clients to worry about what Google is doing this week.
My Advice? Do This First.
If you do nothing else after reading this, do these three things:
1. Check your website on your phone. Does your phone number appear at the very top? Can you click it to call? If not, fix it today. Most people will find you while they’re on their mobile. 2. Ask three happy clients for a Google Review. Send them the link directly. 3. Stop the 'Random Acts of Marketing.' If you're posting on Facebook just because someone told you to, but it's never resulted in a lead, stop. Spend that time calling an old client to see how they’re doing instead.
Marketing for professional services isn't about being fancy or using the latest tech. It’s about being the most obvious, easiest-to-reach solution when a business owner has a problem they can't solve themselves.
Want to stop guessing and start getting more enquiries? At Local Marketing Group, we help Brisbane professional services businesses get their phones ringing without the fluff. Let’s have a straightforward chat about what’s actually going to work for your business.