Social recruiting is no longer a novelty or a fad. Fifty-nine percent of employees in one recent study said that a company’s social media presence was a significant factor in why they chose their workplace. It’s time to acknowledge that social recruiting is a key requirement for your talent management strategy.
Step Up Your Game
Social media can be intimidating, especially as yesterday’s hot new platform may seem obsolete tomorrow. But here are some tips to lead you down the path to social media recruiting success:
- Start with LinkedIn. If you don’t already have a company page, drop everything and start one. Now! Regardless of how long your business has been on LinkedIn, optimize your page so you make it stand out from the competition. Begin with the text. LinkedIn uses your text to help people find you – and Google uses it to decide where you will rank in its search results. Write a strong, concise main message. Google only shows the first 154 characters. Use the remaining characters for a more expansive description. Be sure to complete the “Company Specialties” section.
- Create custom images. On social media, content with images is 650 percent more likely to be viewed. One way to accomplish this is by going to Snappa and clicking on “Design a Graphic Now.” You can use Snappa templates or take it a step further by clicking “Create from Scratch.”
- Show the fun side of your company culture. Use the same hashtags on Instagram as you do on Twitter when posting jobs. On Facebook, use audience insights to ensure your posts reach the right demographics.
- Get to know Periscope. It allows you to set up a live video stream from your phone anywhere you can connect, and gives others access to that stream. You can use Q&A sessions to share your culture with candidates by broadcasting a stream of your company environment. Simply download Periscope on your phone. (It must be paired with Twitter.) Then, promote your stream a few days ahead of time so people can prepare for it.
- Timing is everything. The times you post to social media can have a significant effect on how many people see your content. Create and stick to a schedule. You may want to consider an app such as Buffer to be sure you’re sharing the right messages at the right times. Watch and learn. Over time, you’ll spot patterns of when people tend to click on your posts.
Start With Your Best Ambassadors
Your current employees are in a prime position to share your company culture on social media. Create and implement a policy, so they know the parameters and don’t have to worry about doing something wrong in the process of promoting your brand. Make sure they use the company hashtags you have created. Follow them with your company accounts, sharing helpful content.
As you stay abreast of social media recruiting and other state-of-the-art talent management tactics, partner with PrideStaff Modesto to help ensure your continued success. Contact us today, so we can custom design a strategy for your success.
