Are you looking for qualified candidates for your job openings? And do you know where to look for them? If you are only using job boards and job fairs, you are missing out a lot. You are not reaching out to a huge number of skilled people who would be a perfect fit in your company. So, how can you reach them? The answer is: with social media marketing.
Your HR Department Needs to Be Active on the Social Media
In the mobile internet era, your HR employees need to start using the largest database of potential candidates: social media platforms. And we don’t mean only LinkedIn. Although this platform is dedicated to professionals, recruiting and business, it is not the only social network where you should deploy your HR efforts.
After all, people spend most of their time online on social media platforms. And they are not doing it just for socialising. According to GlobalWebIndex, among the top 10 reasons why people browse social media platforms we find:
- 41% to stay up to date with news and events,
- 34% for general networking,
- 30% to search/find products.
And, according to The Muse job board, 29% of job seekers use the social media as the primary channel for finding a new job. Thus, you should start focusing your HR efforts on this huge source of job candidates.
In this article, we will share with you a few helpful tips to create a successful social media marketing strategy for your recruiting efforts:
1. Create a Uniform Social Media Image for Your Company
Branding is very important in the social media age. People may see one of your articles posted on LinkedIn Pulse, then a short video on Instagram and a job opening promoted on Facebook. How do they realise it is the same company? Because all these forms of content express the same brand values and have the same brand image.
You should be very careful and coherent in:
- Creating your profile and cover photos for all social media platforms
- Writing your Bio/About profile section
- Creating and sharing branded content.
A good social media strategy starts with a good branding strategy. And this will be helpful in the long run for more than just recruiting employees – for finding new clients.
2. Show Off Your Workplace on Instagram
The salary and other financial benefits are no longer enough to attract skilled and talented employees. People want to work in a friendly company, where they find similar values to theirs and where they can grow professionally.
You can give them an idea of what it feels to work for you by sharing photos and videos of your workplace on Instagram. Every once in a while, add short interviews with your staff explaining why they love to work for you.
3. Involve Your Employees in Your Social Media Marketing Strategy for Hiring
Empower your employees to become your brand ambassadors. Encourage them to reach out to their network and share branded content and job openings. Create referral programs within your company.
It is well known that people are very careful about endorsing something or someone on the social media or to their employer. When you get recommendations for potential candidates, you can trust that they meet at least the standard requirements in terms of education and experience.
4. Create Social Media Ads for Your Job Openings
The money you pay for your job to appear on a huge job board can be spent even more efficiently for a Facebook or LinkedIn ad. Why is it more efficient to pay for social media ads than job board posts?
First of all, because jour job ad is lost among thousands of others on a job board. Secondly, because a lot of people turn to the social media to find a new job. And thirdly, because the ad creator platforms of social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn allow you to target your ads precisely to qualified candidates.
5. Add Your Social Media Buttons Everywhere
Everywhere? Yes, everywhere: in email signatures, on your website, on brochures (digital or printed) and in job ads. Candidates want to know more about a company before they apply for their opening and the social media is one of the primary sources of information for them.