How to use the power of social media for recruitment
Pick the right platform(s)
No one size fits all when it comes to social media recruitment strategies. Different social media sites approach content and connections differently. Some websites are casual, while others are specifically for professional networking. Their content structure is also wildly different in form and length.
Depending on the role, every platform has the potential to attract the right candidate. Keep in mind the demographics you want to target when choosing a platform. Have a multipronged approach that targets multiple social media platforms with tailored social recruiting strategies that play to each platform’s strengths. Using technology to easily source applicants from multiple social channels in a central manner will greatly optimize your recruitment efforts.
Develop a relatable employer brand
Social media is all about establishing relationships. And developing a relatable employer brand is one of the key social media recruiting strategies. Your brand is a curated picture of your values, ethics, and beliefs. By projecting a consistent brand image, you transform your organization from a faceless entity into a personable character.
A positive, highly visible presence on social media helps you acquire a lot of organic reach for recruitment while also making you a more desirable employer. Additionally, candidates who form theskew younger working crowd—like millennials and Gen Z—want an emotional connection with employers.
To maximize conversion, you should regularly broadcast hiring updates on social media and let candidates apply directly from the platform. This will surely increase your application rates and candidate quality.
Have a dynamic content strategy
Content is like water; it must fit the form of whatever platform it is present on. That philosophy is most applicable when it comes to social media recruitment strategies. What works great on one platform might not necessarily translate to another. You need to develop useful and interesting content that makes the most out of the strengths of a particular platform.
Here are some common content formats on leading platforms:
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Tweets/Status posts
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Blogs
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Images (photography, infographics, memes, etc.)
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Stories
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Newsletters
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Videos
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Livestreams (Q&A sessions, webinars, etc.)
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Podcasts
Each format has unique benefits and offers different engagement opportunities. The ones you use depends on their availability and your needs. Statuses and images might be a quick and easy way to connect with your audience and keep them abreast with regular updates, openings, etc. Meanwhile, blogs, videos, etc., offer an avenue for longer, more intensive content presentation. Events like live streams are great for providing a special experience for your audience, potentially drawing a lot of eyeballs. Use a mix and match of all formats to ensure maximum reach.
Engage, Engage, Engage
The success of your social media recruitment strategy is measured by the engagement you generate. If a user is engaged, it means they are actively associating with your brand and not just scrolling past. To achieve that, you need to be proactively interacting with your audience. Some great ways to do so are: liking or highlighting user comments, replying to contributions and questions, having Q&A sessions via live streams, etc. Embrace quirkiness, and don’t be afraid of humor and criticism.
Consistent engagement lets you deepen your relationship with your target audience. If you are actively listening and responding to users, potential candidates will be more inclined to approach you with questions and queries. This, in turn, will attract and convert more of your audience into applicants.
Involve your employees as brand ambassadors
Leaning on your employees is the best way of extending your social media reach. 98% of employees are present on at least one social media site, and half of them are already posting about their employers. Employee activity is an unparalleled avenue for generating organic engagement, as they tend to generate more engagement than brand channels and dictate a greater amount of trust.
Employees can also enhance your conversion rates and applicant quality substantially. Since they have the first-hand experience of your work culture, they can discern people who might make a great fit and personally recommend they apply. Employee referrals have a high applicant-to-hire conversion rate, making them a vital avenue for high-impact recruitments. So keep an ear out for their recommendations.
Alternatively, (and more ideally) let employees refer candidates directly and keep track of them with the help of a recruitment software to keep things simple and friction-free.
Build and network with communities
Community management is an up-and-coming social media recruitment strategy, which lets you curate high-value networks for sourcing candidates. There are many specialized communities on certain social media platforms where professionals from various fields can network.
Seeking out established professional networks, or better yet, administering one yourself, lets you build a trusted pipeline for sourcing high-quality talent, who are often referred by and vouched for by their industry peers. These places provide opportunities for quality one-to-one engagement with potential candidates and help you get exactly who you are looking for. It is best to have a careers site to serve as a landing page for candidates you attract via these networks. This allows candidates to easily apply if interested, or share the resource with their network, thus spreading more awareness.
Use social media advertising
Social media advertising is a game-changer when it comes to recruitment marketing. It is much more efficient than traditional advertisements, thanks to data-driven algorithms. These solutions offer target parameters that let you pinpoint your advert to the audience of your choice. The precision exponentially increases your reach while reducing your costs.
Advertising is a crucial social media recruitment strategy that lets you augment your reach. It ensures that your latest call for applications reaches the most relevant eyeballs in the shortest possible amount of time. The best ads are a simple but enticing pitch with an “apply now” button that leads viewers straight to an application form. Deployed correctly, it can drive substantial traffic and dramatically enhance your application rates.