Our lives are incredibly different to what they were just over a decade ago. Sure, social media was around - but as a species, we were still able to separate us from the online version of us.
For businesses, particularly in the recruitment industry, social media has followed the same pattern. Gone are the days where social media was just another outlet to flog an endless stream of jobs into the abyss (believe me - I’ve done it).
Nowadays, recruiters are much more social media savvy, utilising their connections on all platforms to really engage with their audience on both a personal and professional level. Marketers in the recruitment industry and beyond are rightly focusing more on the two P’s of social branding - protection & promotion.
If you don’t protect, you’ll become extinct
Well...your social media presence will at least. Protection in social media as a business strategy boils down to keeping your audience engaged without a constant flood of ‘look at how great we are’, ‘look at this job you can apply for’, ‘BUY OUR PRODUCT NOW!’.
That’s not to say don’t post that kind of content, but it’s about finding the right balance between that and some of the more engaging material. Monitoring your posts and engaging with your audience is key to preserving your social presence. Replying to comments gives your followers the knowledge that you are active online. Listening to your audience will enable you to provide valuable insights into both your business and the recruitment industry.
In this day and age, the lack of a social media presence in a business can sometimes even deter potential customers from pursuing you. Think about it, you land on the Facebook page of ‘I Want A Job Please Recruitment Agency’ and the last post is from October 2016 - you’ll probably just move on to the next one.
So here are a few tips:
Position yourself as a thought leader, ride the waves of different recruitment trends and addressing concerns of candidates and clients alike; protecting your brand is just as important as promoting.
Give a personality to your agency by posting fun, light-hearted content whether that be through posting an amusing gif, recognising and praising a client’s accomplishment or starting a discussion/debate.
On the other side of the coin, you could be faced with a difficult and outspoken former client/candidate who may want to voice their opinions to the world on your post about some new staff member, or something equally as irrelevant. The worst thing you can do is ignore them. Carefully weigh up how to approach any negative comments and alert senior members of staff if necessary for assistance, but never, ever, ignore it. Leaving the comment to fester shows one of two things. You’re not actually monitoring your social presence, or you just don’t care. Neither would put your business in a positive light to potential clients.
