Social media is fast becoming the way candidates find out about your employer brand, with a staggering 68% of millennials choosing to specifically visit company social channels to evaluate their employer brand prior to applying for a role. After the company website, the most visited site when researching a potential employer is their corporate Facebook page. Is it time you took control of your employer brand on social media? In this blog, we go through our top tips on what not to do as well as some inspiring examples from companies who are getting it right.
Stay the same
Each social channel has its own merits and the way content is consumed differs accordingly. Ensure your posts are tailored to the particular channel and limit cross-posting. It can start to look automated if you post the same content on all channels on the same day. Change up your timings or be selective of where you post – will that funny Gif work as well on LinkedIn as it will on Twitter?
Sound like a robot
Automation is efficient and can be really effective if used correctly. But just because something can be automated doesn’t mean it should. Some ATS systems can automatically post job vacancies to your social feeds however, rather than flooding your audience’s feeds with irrelevant job openings, we’d recommend cherry picking the right roles to promote.
Share corporate content or stock imagery
Your content should showcase real people in your organisation and give a true picture of what it’s like to work there. Take advantage of the digital era we live in and encourage your employees to capture shareable moments, which prospective candidates will be truly interested in seeing.
Only post about you
It can be off-putting if a person only ever speaks about themselves- the same can be said for companies on their social media channels. It’s great to post about your employees and organisation, but avoid being predictable or producing forced content. Intersperse this with curated content which represents your brand values, and will be of use to your audience.
Start without a solid Employee Value Proposition (EVP)
It is important for all members of the social media/marketing team to be aware of your brand values before you begin. This will ensure a consistent style and tone across your social channels. A strong EVP will drive your content strategy and have the adaptability to work across various social channels without feeling repetitive.
Ignore your audience
Social media isn’t meant to be a one-way conversation. By interacting with your following and asking questions you’ll increase engagement (major plus!) and you’ll discover insights about your audience that you can use in the future.
Stay free forever
Once you’ve nailed down your strategy and gained an understanding of what your audience likes, don’t be afraid to put some money behind your posts. Using Facebook sponsored advertising, even on a minimal budget, will increase engagement and give you the ability to target specific audiences.
Stretch yourself too thin
The main social channels are LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram but there are others including Google+ and YouTube. Be sensible with the number of channels you decide to use as each will take valuable time to manage. If you have limited resources stick with 1-2 channels and perfect your content before you consider expanding.
Stick to what you know
When it comes to recruiting the social network of choice more often than not is LinkedIn. This doesn’t mean it is the best platform for every business to showcase their employer brand though. If you are only launching on 1-2 social channels initially think about where your target audience spends most of their time, and place yourself in the action.
Go it alone
It’s crucial that your employees back your brand from the beginning and show their support by sharing posts on their channels – especially at the beginning. A good way to do this is by utilising an employee referral program (ERP) which will make it easier for your employees to share your content. As well as increasing your reach, referrals will also increase the quality of applicants. Referred candidates are 3-4 times more likely to be hired than candidates who haven’t been referred.
People spend on average 1 hour 40 minutes a day on social media and it is increasingly becoming the first point of call in candidates’ search for jobs and information on hiring companies. With 69% of candidates more likely to apply to a company which manages its employer brand its crucial, now more than ever, for your employer brand to be present on social media in order to attract top talent.
