Let’s say you have created your employer brand but are wondering what to do next. How do you reach your target audience? What can you do to get your brand name out there? How can you convince someone to come and work for you? All these questions have a straightforward answer: by using social media for employer branding.
How to promote your employer brand on social media
Whether you’re new to the online world or are already familiar with it, promoting your employer brand on social media is something you must invest in. Here are four ways you can use social media to your advantage.
Use varied content
Give potential candidates a glimpse into what life is like at your company by posting employee testimonials, behind-the-scenes, information about workshops, and highlight any company and individual achievements.
Use storytelling
Allow your employees and other team members to talk about the company and the brand you’re building in their own words. This not only shows that you trust those who work for you but also adds credibility to your reputation as a brand.
Be responsive
Treat your social media presence as a platform to start a dialogue and show that you are engaged and interested. Start a conversation with a potential candidate, respond to comments and personalise your answers when asked a question. Create a space for an open and honest discussion.
Choose the correct social media platforms
Don’t choose the social media platforms other brands or competitors use. Choose them based on the message you’re trying to convey and your target audience. Go to your audience instead of having them come to you.
Ways to use TikTok to boost your employer brand
One of the fastest-growing social media platforms to ever exist, TikTok had over 8.9 million active users in the UK in January 2022 alone. It might strike individuals as an app with viral dances and music, but it is much more than that.
Creating videos is a quick and concise yet exciting way to get information across to users. Let’s see how you can use TikTok to boost your employer brand and to recruit next generation talents.
Be regular
Most people will say you must post every day to get recognised on TikTok. However, that is not the case. As long as you are consistent with your content, you can choose to post 1-2 times a week and still get a high level of engagement.
Follow trends
Viral trends tend to do well on TikTok. With this being said, simply copying a trend won’t get you anywhere. It would be best to increase your exposure by taking one such trend and adding your own twist to it to fit your target audience.
Take, for example, the company Deliveroo, who use the most current trends like “Ok, I like it, Picasso” to promote themselves and their services.
Involve employees
Instead of having the leaders of your company create the content, put your team members front and centre. Let them talk about their own experiences and hear their suggestions about how you can make your content more engaging.
Show your day-to-day
Post content which shows potential candidates an authentic glimpse into what life is like daily. This will set clear expectations about the skills needed and the work environment as a whole.
Be transparent
Most content will only celebrate the successes. Stand out from the crowd, do something different and be honest. Show the mistakes, the losses, and the failures. Embrace the fact that not everyone is perfect; it’s how you overcome these challenges that matters.
Use social media for recruiting
Once you have used social media for employer branding, it might be time for you to take the leap and use employer branding in recruitment. With 79-86% of job seekers looking for opportunities on social media, making your online presence well-known is becoming increasingly important.
Candidates often look at employers’ social media profiles to assess if they would be a good match for the company they want to join. For this reason, you must keep your content fresh, relevant and exciting. You also need to make sure that your content fits the platform and audience: it’s not the same using Instagram than LinkedIn.
How to use Twitter to recruit?
You might want to start using Twitter to recruit but might be concerned about how it works, especially if you’re new to it.
Understanding the platform in-depth before posting job adverts and reaching out to potential candidates is the wisest decision you can make for your business. Follow these five tips, and you’ll be sure to receive multiple applications in no time!
Specify that you’re hiring
If you’re actively looking to recruit, add a line to your account bio to mention this, along with a link to the careers page on your website.
For example, it could look like this:
We’re hiring! Click here to visit our careers page and find the right opportunity for you.
This way, anyone who visits your account will see that there are current vacancies available and will know exactly where to go for more information.
Tweet regularly
Post employee testimonials and real-life stories to show why working at your company is a good idea. Encourage employees to share job vacancies. Post about relevant developments in your sector and create an environment for open and honest discussions.
Be personal
You can have a company account and still add a personal touch. In posts where you’re trying to encourage conversation, include contact details of someone in charge, i.e., an email address, telephone number or personal Twitter handle.
For example:
If this sounds like you, call us on _______, write to us at hello@yourcompany.com or message @JohnAppleseed for a confidential chat.
Showcasing that a real person is behind your posts makes it more likely for interested individuals to reach out.
Use hashtags
Reach your target audience by making use of appropriate hashtags and keywords. These should be related to the job posting and the specific skills and qualifications you are looking for. This could look something like:
We’re looking for an administrative assistant to join our team! Get in touch today for more information. #YourCompanyName #NowHiring #Employment #JobSearch
Sell your benefits
Showcasing what your company does better than others is a great way to gain traction and increase engagement. This could involve talking about the different perks your company offers, or even how an employee could progress to different roles at your company.
To better understand the importance of these steps, let’s take a look at this post by Google, as an example.
By discussing an employee’s career progression, Google’s recruitment team have given others an insight into what options are available if they were to choose a career there.
They have highlighted the employee’s achievements, and by mentioning their “10-year Googleversary”, they have showcased that long term careers at Google are not only possible, but also probable.
Moreover, they have linked their Careers page to encourage more applications for available vacancies, and also used an appropriate hashtag to ensure the post reaches their target audience.
Best practices for sourcing job applicants on Facebook
Just like TikTok, Facebook has millions of active users. As of December 2022, the UK had over 52 million Facebook users. At a time when social media is rapidly growing, we cannot ignore numbers like these. Here are our recommendations for best practices for sourcing job applicants on Facebook.
Use internet-based targeting
This handy feature of Facebook allows you to target different audiences for specific job adverts by specifying the demographics, education level, job title, and location, among others. Remember, the more filters you choose, the more accurate and successful your ads will be.
Include visuals
When you create a job ad on Facebook, you can add pictures. Use this feature to your advantage and showcase snippets of what it’s like to work in your company. Follow this with a short and catchy description of the job and your company and a link to the application form or your careers page.
Use ‘Facebook for Jobs’
Their very own business page, Facebook for Jobs, allows employers to post job adverts on the platform for free and automatically lists them on the Facebook marketplace.
Use Facebook’s re-marketing feature
With re-marketing, your job ads show to those who interacted with your brand in the past, but did not complete the entire application process.
Regardless of your choice, using social media for employer branding allows you to make real and meaningful connections, generate leads, and promote content. Yes, they take time and effort, but will be a worth investment in the long run if done well.
