6 Steps to Social Media Recruitment Success (Steps 1 and 2)

Today’s installment is courtesy of guest blogger Mariah Gillespie. Mariah is the founder of Social Media Superstar and worked for 2 years as Social Media Manager of JXT Consulting, an agency specializing in online marketing strategies for recruiters (Sydney, Australia). Mariah has helped some of the largest recruitment companies in Australia utilize social media platforms in the recruitment space (Chandler Macleod, Adecco, Drake) and has spoken at dozens of conferences on social media recruitment. Contact her at mariah@socialmediasuperstar.net.  

Hashtags, check-ins, tagging and tweeting. Social media recruitment can be daunting for those unfamiliar with the dozens of social media platforms, industry jargon, and digital trends – not to mention the ever-changing rules and regulations of networks such as Facebook. It’s 2013, and by now most recruiters have established or at least poked their head inside the world of social media.

Let’s pause for a moment to acknowledge a particular word I used in that last sentence. Most recruiters have begun to use social media. Yes, I’m onto you, recruiter who has been avoiding eye contact with hashtags and quickly scrolling through Facebook page updates in your newsfeed. Have no fear; your secret is safe with me, and I’m here to help!

Step 1: Identify Your Objectives and Tactics for Achieving Your Objectives

Don’t create a Facebook page just because everyone else has one, and don’t start tweeting just so you can jump on the hashtag bandwagon. Before jumping aboard the social media train, make sure you know where it’s going and how you’re going to get there. Identify the objectives of your social media strategy. Why are you on social media? How are you going to achieve your objectives?

Some examples of social media objectives for recruiters might include:

• Where and who?
• Brand awareness
• Attract and retain active and passive candidates (increase quality database)
• Enhance SEO efforts (search engine optimization e.g. visibility on Google)
• Let’s be honest…make some placements!

There are dozens of reasons why recruiters need to be on social media, but the first step is to identify the reasons that are most important for your business.

Now that your objectives are set, establish some tactics that you’ll use in order to achieve those objectives. Here’s how you might achieve the above objectives:

• Where? Determine appropriate platforms. Do your market research! Where does your target market (25-35 year old females, etc.) hang out online? (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.) – Hint: don’t set yourself up for failure by telling yourself you’ll do them all!
• Brand awareness: Every time that someone passes along your content online, whether it’s a share on Facebook or a retweet on Twitter, YOUR logo and YOUR name will be in front of that person’s social network. The “rule of seven” dictates that a prospect needs to see or hear your marketing message at least seven times before taking action. Ensure that you maintain consistency in your logos, imagery and messaging so that everyone has the impression of your brand. Nike=just do it. McDonalds=I’m lovin’ it. You=?
• Attract and retain active and passive candidates (increase quality database): Become the industry expert. Post articles relevant to your target market. Make them smile. Make them think. Become the authority in your space and give your audience value – give them a reason to like/follow you.
• Enhance SEO efforts (search engine optimization): By posting links to your website, you are increasing your visibility on Google. Post links to your job descriptions, blogs or other content on your site.
• Make some placements! By providing your audience with valuable content (NOT just jobs – always be thinking about that passive candidate), you are building trust and authority. If you have your candidate’s trust and you are front of mind (branding), they will think of YOU when it comes time to find that next role!

Step 2: Design and Development of Profiles

Now that you have clear goals and objectives for your social media strategy, it’s time to design and develop your profiles. Step 1 would have involved identifying the social media platforms most suitable for your business (and there are dozens), so now you can set up those profiles and optimize them to the fullest. Stick your logo and branding all over them (remember consistency), use text and imagery from your website (consistency here, too) and ensure that all of your profiles are SEO-friendly by using keywords relevant to your business.

If you really want your Facebook profile to pop, build Facebook applications. You can have almost any functionality you want on here, from YouTube integration, LinkedIn, Google maps, contact forms, jobs streamed from your website or your latest news/blog entries. Automation is key, so your application should pull data from your website automatically; you should never have to post content (such as jobs) more than once. Talk to a Facebook developer about customizing applications – it’s not too expensive and really adds value to your page.

Now it’s up to you! Have you started your social media strategy? What are some of your goals and how have you achieved them? Join the discussion on the NPA LinkedIn Group; I’ll be checking in to offer advice and support. Stay tuned for steps 3-4, and #rockon! #NPAWorldwide

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