Find the right solution for your business.
Explore SolutionsSocial Media and Recruitment Landscape
The recruitment landscape has changed drastically over the last few months. There are new recruitment methods and skills being adapted to existing recruitment plans, and many companies are also using this time to focus on something that might have been overlooked in the past: branding on social media.
In the recruitment marketing industry, social media doesn’t seem like an important tool to take advantage of. We use Glassdoor and LinkedIn, and those are the main focus because of how they relate to the job space (market?). In reality, all social media platforms are powerful tools for recruiters. Social media allows us to connect with our potential and current clients at the time and on the platform they want. We can build connections with people without interacting with them in person, especially when we are working from home. Using the resources you have at your disposal is important to elevate your brand and build consumer trust. People want to work with great businesses – so it’s important to show yours is!
Director of Employer Brand in Strategy Jillian Einck shares, “Social media is a great place to get your employer brand voice out there, engage directly with your audience of candidates and employees, and drive awareness. And the great news is that everyone right now is at home and on social media due to social distancing!” Since the shift to working from home, people have been online more than normal. There was a Harris Poll conducted between March and May that showed 51% of adults are reported to be using social media more often than before the pandemic.
Each social media platform is different; you post certain types of content on each platform. Here is a breakdown of each social media with the benefits of each, how they are helpful, and how to use them most effectively:
Facebook:
According to Statista, there are over 2.7 billion users on Facebook. Facebook is a great platform for businesses, since you can use analytics to get a better understanding of your audience and how they interact with your page. It is especially useful to share your company’s information, such as your contact information and mission statement, and there is a place for your clients to leave reviews.
This is important for your employer branding because Facebook is a hub where clients can get information about your business and directly review it. This is essential because other potential clients have a place to view reviews and learn more about your business in an easily engaging environment. Jillian also said that Facebook does very well with community engagement and has a focus on “tips and tricks” and informational content for candidates.
LinkedIn:
LinkedIn has more than 706 million active users on its platform. This is the perfect platform to find industry news, network with people, find information about a client, and market your business’s brand. Jillian shares that LinkedIn is great for company updates and careers-driven content. You can share what has been happening at your business, products you are launching, and articles related to your industry. LinkedIn is also the perfect platform to post content that shows you are the thought leader in the industry and allows your message to reach a direct audience.
Twitter:
500 million tweets are sent out each day. It is the perfect platform to find what is trending in your industry, engage with your clients, and find relevant industry content. On Twitter, typically you share more frequently than other social media platforms, since content is made shorter. Jillian shares that “Twitter allows for smaller, snackable content and real-time engagement with your audience, as well as other brands that may be closely aligned with you.”
Being active on Twitter is great to engage with clients, since this platform is used more for reviews and opinions, and you can learn what others are saying about your business. This helps build your employer brand because you will see in real-time what your audience likes, dislikes, and you can adapt your content accordingly.
Instagram:
Instagram is a great tool to show your company’s culture while also being informative. You are able to show your phone number, address, website, and even have a shop feature on your profile. According to Sprout Social, about 6 out of 10 Instagram users log into the app at least once a day. This is the perfect platform to show a closer look into the behind the scenes of your business and show your company’s human side.
Jillian shares that Instagram is a fantastic platform for employee-generated content; images of work culture and employee experience, day in the life videos, and direct engagement. With 90% of users following at least one business on Instagram, you can tell that this platform is crucial to be on.
Youtube:
With over 2 billion users, Youtube is a great platform to create content that educates and shows you are the thought leader in the industry. One billion hours of content is watched daily, so it’s clear to see people are actively using this app for educational purposes or entertainment. Posting video content can help with building traffic and brand awareness, especially if you make videos about your company’s culture. It is also an easy way to make your business known worldwide, since it is being used in over 100 countries.
What Kind of Content Should Be Posted
Social media is a place where people can go and find out more about your company outside the office. When trying to create a content plan, it is always good to showcase your employees. We spoke with Tony Prudente who works in talent acquisition for the company Brother At Your Side, and he shares that you should “always do your best to highlight and showcase your employees – people respond to people more than they do brands.” With this, you can create unique campaigns to build your employer EVP. Tony recommends that you review your EVP and develop content or campaigns around your organization’s unique aspects.
Employee-Generated Content
Creating content on your own for your business is useful, but having employee-generated content will help with your employer brand. This is because it is your employees perspective of the business, and that helps with transparency and to show your business is authentic with their values. Now more than ever, people want to see how employees are doing, it’s really nice to see the human side instead of a generated graphic (and people are more likely to engage with it).
Tony also shares that “social media presents a huge opportunity for employers to strengthen their brand, particularly through UGC (user-generated content) from your employees (also known as EGC, employee-generated content). Create a corporate hashtag and encourage your employees to use the hashtag and share their personal experiences working at your organization on their social media accounts. This opens up an additional content stream for you, and showcases your brand in a humanistic way.”
One More Advice
Jillian Einck shared with us that it is important to be consistent and plan an editorial content calendar. “A consistent presence is always advisable; get into a regular organic posting cadence on all the major channels (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram).” Being consistent is key – if you forget to post, what will candidates/clients think? Since more people are online than ever before, they are engaging much more on social media. This is the perfect time to revamp your social strategy and showcase how amazing your company is and keep your business on the top of everyone’s mind.
Do you have a social media platform that you use specifically for employer brand? Let us know!
