More than 4.66 billion people log in to some form of social media every day. This is where people's attention is, which is why marketers, advertisers, and recruiters are taking advantage of social media, to promote roles and attract candidates.
If you're new to social media recruitment or if you're a pro looking for some inspiration, our tips for building the best social media recruiting strategy for your business can steer you in the right direction.
Using Social Media To Recruit
There are two main ways you can use social media to recruit. The first is through paid advertisements (targeted ads where you pay for each click). 'Targeted' means you can select specific criteria based on a user's personal information (eg you might target those who live in London with an interest in law if you're hiring a lawyer in London).
The second strategy is gaining relevant likes and followers to your company page so that when you post updates you have a useful audience to broadcast to.
Whatever method you use, you must have a strategy in place that includes goals, audience, and key metrics you will report on to measure success.
5 Tips For Building A Social Media Recruitment Strategy
1. Be Creative And Original
By all means, look at competitors and take inspiration from other social media accounts, but be original. Find a unique and creative style that suits your brand. Don't be afraid to fail or try something new.
2. Create Content That Adds Value
The best social media content adds value to its audience – so what does your audience care about? The first crucial step is figuring out who your users are, why they would engage with the content you post and what they want to see. This will help drive interactions with your content and ensure it is received well.
3. Get Employee Buy-In And Help
Employee buy-in is critical, particularly for recruitment campaigns that involve photo or video content of employees. Make sure you build relationships with your employees and that everyone knows the value of social media. Educate and share your successes with the team.
4. Check Your Metrics And ROI
Just like any recruitment method, you must use metrics and measure ROI to track progress and success. When using social media as a strategy to recruit talent, there are many recruitment metrics you can track.
For example, Facebook allows you to measure clicks, number of applicants, and number of impressions on posts. Make sure what you're doing is cost-effective.
5. Use Video
Video as a recruitment strategy is one of the most effective ways to communicate content to your audience; even more so than photos and graphics. According to WordStream, 87% of online marketers use video content, with the most popular being explainer videos (72%), presentations (49%), and testimonial videos (48%). It's important and should be part of your strategy.
Examples Of Social Media Recruiting Strategies
We've picked a few great examples of social media recruiting that we think to embody the tips above:
#1 Lush
Example of: Getting employee buy-in and help
How it works: This example of a Lush employee photo portrays a great, friendly, and team-orientated place to work. Employee buy-in is so important for recruitment strategies that focus on employees, which is why we love this example.
#2 Under Armour
Example of: Checking metrics and ROI
How it works: A slightly generic strategy but checking your metrics and ROI is crucial. With campaigns like this, Under Armour would have measured their successes through Facebook Analytics as well as other useful tools.
#3 Google
Example of: Creating content that adds value
How it works: Google's recruitment strategy adds value by sharing employee experiences. This puts employees first and makes Google an aspirational place to work. From videos and photos of their amazing offices to Nooglers and Googlers - Google nails social media recruitment in every way.
#4 NZ Police
Example of: Using Video
How it works: NZ Police is a great example of using video as a recruitment strategy. The video uses paid actors and some hilarious footage to promote working for the NZ police. It's a great video and a campaign that went viral.
#5 The Walt Disney Company
Example of: Being Creative and Original
How it works: Disney has amazing talent and an incredible team of creatives. They are probably the best source of inspiration when getting ideas on how to be creative and original – who doesn't love Disney? One recruitment strategy they use is to be creative and original when sharing content.
