Using Social Media To Hire Talent and Build Your Brand
Starting a social media strategy can be a daunting task, especially if you have never ventured into the online world of social media platforms before. However, as the popularity of social media platforms continues to grow amongst digital marketers, recruiters and hiring agencies it is important to know just how to use social media to hire talent and build your brand.
According to a recent survey, 9 in 10 recruiters use social media to find talent, whether that be digital marketing or ecommerce talent. Social media recruitment is a growing industry and if you’re looking to hire new digital marketing talent you should look into growing your company's social media profiles and building your brand online. There are many perks to social media recruitment, as it allows direct contact with job seekers and potential talent and builds your google ranking.
If you’re looking to use social media to hire talent and build your brand and are unsure where to start, then you’ve come to the right place!
Keep reading as we illustrate the best platforms to use and how to use them effectively…
Choosing the best platform...
When it comes to using social media to hire talent, especially digital marketing talent, there are a few preliminary questions you should consider asking yourself before you select the platform you would like to use.
First of all, who is your target audience?
Who are you looking to hire? The talent pool you’re planning to dip your toe into is a key indicator when selecting a social media platform. If you’re looking for a Digital Marketing Specialist or an Ecommerce Manager, then LinkedIn is the best platform for this - it allows you to network and contact potential candidates directly. If you’re looking for more information on how to use Linkedin to your Digital Marketing companies advantage when hiring, have a look at our blog post titled ‘The Importance of LinkedIn in 2021’.
Make sure you’re using a platform that reflects your company's brand and reputation. For example, LinkedIn is great for expanding your network of digital marketer connections. However, if you’re looking to hire people who already have a social media following and can bring attention to your brand, it may be worth looking at more unconventional forms of social media - including Instagram and Twitter. Where ‘influencers’ can share your content with their existing audience and increase traffic to your website.
The benefits of using social media to hire talent…
As the popularity of using social media to hire and recruit digital marketing talent continues to climb it is important to be aware of the vast array of benefits there are when using social media for recruitment.
Social media is a great way to attract young talent.
As Generation Z begin to enter the job market, it's useful to know the best ways to catch their attention when you’re recruiting talent. With 96% of 16-24 year olds using social media in the UK according to ONS 2019. Using social media to recruit younger talent means you can build a connection with your potential candidates over social media. This is a great way to get to know who you’re hiring as you can bond over interests. Platforms like LinkedIn allow candidates to display all of their achievements and endorsements that may not have been included in their CV. This social media connection provides a wider background into the candidate, and digital marketing recruiters therefore have a better understanding of who the candidate is as a person - which is great for determining whether or not they are the right fit for the role.
Another benefit of using social media to hire talent is the ability to take a more personal approach.
If used right, social media can be a brilliant way to personify your Digital Marketing recruitment process. Most social media platforms including Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram allow recruiters the option to directly message potential candidates. This creates a stronger and more personal relationship as it is less formal than email - allowing for a more casual interaction where you can really get to know who you’re going to work with. This also works vice versa, it allows the candidate to see how your Digital Marketing company conducts themselves online to see if they believe working for your company would be a good fit for them. This highlights the importance of growing your social media presence and leads us onto our next point.
How to effectively use Social Media to hire talent…
If executed well - using social media to hire digital marketing talent can be a great way to drive traffic to your website and platforms.
There are a few ways you can ensure your company is using social media as effectively as possible when hiring digital marketing talent.
Be Active!
This may seem simple but frequently posting on your social media platforms is the best way to maintain continuous traffic to your page and keep your existing clientele engaged. If you’re constantly posting and sharing new content, if an existing follower is looking for a new role - they will not forget about your digital marketing or ecommerce company as they will be reminded of your presence if you frequently appear on their social media feed.
Additionally, an inactive social media account can reflect badly on your company - if potential digital marketing clients see that you post infrequently and sporadically it may imply you’re unfocused and do not have a strong social media strategy.
Master one platform first!
When you’re just starting out on social media the last thing you want to do is juggle multiple new accounts on platforms you’re not familiar with. This is destined to fail. Master one social media platform first, we recommend LinkedIn… and then expand your presence. You’re most likely to connect and network with Digital Marketing talent on LinkedIn but this is not to say that a range of platforms cannot benefit you greatly. Not only does this allow you to access potential digital marketers from a range of different platforms, but the more active and running social media accounts you have up - the better your google ranking will be.
Build your online reputation…
You’ve heard the phrase ‘every second counts’. Well when it comes to your online reputation, every post counts. In order to build the best reputation for your digital marketing company every post must be perfect before being published. This may seem intimidating, but you’d be surprised how quickly a post can reach a vast majority of people (especially if you have already built up a large platform) this means there is minimal margin for error. Carefully consider every post that goes up on your companies platform as each one builds your businesses reputation and a good reputation equals greater clientele and connections with digital marketing or ecommerce talent.
Finally… Have a few of your employees post on your social media!
A great way to share your company's strong and positive culture with potential digital marketing or ecommerce talent when hiring is to have a range of employees post on your social media. This could be blog posts of their experiences working for your company or how-to-guides offering advice and guidance to potential digital marketers or clients. This is a great way to show off your great work environment and this social media presence will allow clients and digital marketing applicants to decide if they think your company will be right for them!
We hope this helped, and if you’re unsure of how to budget for your social media strategy then check out our blog post titled ‘How to Budget for Your Social Media Strategy’.