You need a Social Media Strategy… Here’s why
Recruitment’s been tough. The unemployment rate is lower than it’s been in a long time, and those of us in Talent Acquisition are feeling the heat. In a market where it feels like everyone already has a job and isn’t interested in yours, it’s vital to get creative and try new tactics.
I decided the best way to recruit for my client was to get onto social media. And boy did I ever. In a week, I had created Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Linkedin accounts. I knew what I wanted from these accounts, and I did have some plans as to how I would achieve that, but aside from post ideas and broad goals, the strategizing stopped there. I figured, I will post, and they will come.
I didn’t know how to run a business account. And honestly, I didn’t know it would be much different from a personal account. Turns out… big difference! Yes, I did see some improvement in candidate engagement, application flow and some brand ambassadorship, but was I really getting the most out of my social media platforms? Quick answer, no. So much later down the line, I made a social media strategy, and this is why you should too.
A strategy will help you decide where to put your energy and time.
When I first created our accounts, I wasn’t lacking enthusiasm. I had a thousand ideas on how these pages would help transform our recruitment practices and I was eager to put them into motion. I didn’t, however, think about how much time it would take to get these pages up and running to the point where they were able to achieve my goals. Brian Coe, President of Blackbird e-Solutions, says, “It’s important to first understand what it is that you’re really trying to achieve with social media.” He explained that the three major steps in the process are: strategize, implement and analyze.
Had I been following Brian Coe’s process, I likely would have realized that Instagram and Facebook were the most important platforms for my audience. The majority of my targeted audience aren’t lurking on Twitter or scrolling through Linkedin. Rather than pouring the hours and weeks and months into creating content that wasn’t in line with my overall goals, I could have started off by focusing my energy into cultivating a strong presents on just those two platforms.
A strategy will help you learn what to look for while reading KPIs.
KPIs or key performance indicators are the metrics and analytics of social media. For me, KPIs are the most exciting part of social media. These metrics allow me to understand our audience, and in my case, determine how to reach and find applicants.
The major indicators are engagement, reach, impressions, conversion and CPC or cost per click. As a Talent Acquisition professional, my ultimate goal is to convert potential candidates into applicants. Therefore, I focus a lot on my conversion rate. Is what I’m posting interesting candidates enough to click for more information, or better yet, apply? If not, what other posts were more successful, and what did they have that this post did not?
It can be overwhelming to look at all of that data and try to make sense of it, but understanding KPIs is a key piece in creating your social media strategy. Otherwise, you could be focusing on the wrong indicator and skipping over vital information.
A social media strategy should be a component of your marketing strategy.
Don’t forget about your other methods of drawing candidates as well! Although job fairs are less frequented than they were at one time, they are still an excellent way to meet potential hires and make other business connections. Good old fashioned flyers are still beneficial, if placed correctly. It’s easy to get swept up in the ease of social media, but don’t hang your hat on this as the end-all-be-all to your recruitment strategy. Instead, create a new recruitment strategy that incorporates social media as well as more traditional methods of marketing your positions.
