#1 Groups
Social media groups provide an opportunity for staffing companies to engage like-minded individuals who are actively pursuing the same topics. In the case of recruiting, it makes the most sense to find groups of job-seekers actively looking for work. Your strategy may be to join different groups related to jobs in a specific local market or groups pertaining to a specific niche or industry. However, simply joining groups on social media is not enough. Brad emphasizes the importance of being part of the conversation, explaining, “It’s not just joining and spamming job after job, after job. It’s listening to what that ecosystem is sharing, listening to how those individuals are communicating with each other, and then providing value when you can.” Once you’ve added consistent value to a group, you can start to share your job openings, integrate yourself within the community and share new opportunities freely.
Keep in mind many of these groups may not allow advertisements from companies, but you still have a great opportunity to insert yourself by answering questions and offering solicited advice.
#2 Strategic Advertising
Going hand in hand with social media groups is strategic advertising. With social channels increasingly growing with competition, staffing firms must be creative in how they cut through the noise and generate attention by target audiences. To effectively advertise and rise above the competition, Brad recommends the concept of “re-marketing” which involves getting candidates back to your website based on user click patterns. As Brad explains, “If you’re driving candidate traffic back to your website (whether that’s through email marketing, direct marketing, social media, referral traffic), we want to make sure that we’re triggering them on the way out of the site so that they see these remarketing advertisements and remarketing tactics.” This is a prime way to target passive job-seekers who may be triggered by your ads and influenced by your website’s call-to-action.
#3 Thumb-Stopping Imagery
In the fast-paced world of social media, successful social recruiting demands highly attractive thumb-stopping imagery. With the potential for users to see thousands of different types of content on social feed at any given time, it’s paramount to create imagery that’s eye-catching and direct. Brad says the best type of images are those that contain vibrant pictures of individuals, as well as testimonials that add a high level of credibility. It’s also important to establish branding consistency with visuals by using your logo and the same color scheme on all graphics. Bold, captivating images will generate the most attention and engagement, ultimately driving people to your website.
#4 Video
It’s safe to say video has recently become the latest wave on social media, and its use in social recruiting is no exception to the rule. Regularly produced video content can have a significant impact on reaching your target audience, serving as a great complement to written and other visual content. Videos allow you to get your message across in as little as 30 seconds, allowing people to quickly access what you have to say without having to read long, lengthy text. As more people demand instant updates in their newsfeed, video has become increasingly integral to any social recruiting strategy.
#5 Engagement
One of the most impactful steps you can take on social media is to put the “social” back into social media. Paying attention to every point of communication that comes through your Facebook page and taking the time to respond can go a long way in attracting and retaining candidates. When you engage with individuals interacting with your page, you’re showing them you care about what they have to say and want to take the conversation to the next level.
Summary
While there is no magic formula for recruiting on social media, following these 5 tips for using social media for staffing and recruiting can help you put a strategy into action that will significantly elevate your efforts. Being creative with what you share on social media, as well as the type of content you post on a regular basis, can play a huge role in shaping the quality of leads you attract through your various social media channels.
