Like any business striving for success, recruitment agencies need to have a solid social recruiting strategy in place.
Whilst posting on job boards is a great way to boost brand awareness, reaching out to new businesses and potential clients on social networks like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter adds a personal touch and will give you a better return on investment.
It’s surprising that many agencies pay less attention to social recruiting than they should.
Social recruiting is the feather in the cap for recruitment agencies, and even job boards. It can help you reach out to new clients and attract the kind of top talent your clients are looking for.
Perhaps more importantly for you, it can help build a solid reputation in what's renowned as being a cut-throat industry rife with competition.
If people can see you, like what you’re about and engage with you and the content you share, they're far more likely to become clients or recommend your services to others.
How to succeed with Social Recruiting
Tip #1 - Don't make it all about you
Don't just share your job listings and assume people will find it and visit your website.
Use social media to reach out to specific demographics and build relationships with businesses and job seekers in your target industry.
Engaging on social media is all about creating a sense of community, and providing followers with value added extras.
Tip #2 - Identify your industry and the key players
Who are the influencers and thought leaders in your industry? How can social media help you connect with them and build a profitable relationship?
Influencers have a far bigger reach than ordinary followers and can allow you to build a whole new audience.
Create a list of key industry influencers on social media (for example, with Twitter lists), then observe how they use their profiles.
Read their content, and start conversations around it. Retweet/share their posts, comment and give your thoughts on their content.
Tip #3 - Share great content with your industry
A big part of your social recruiting strategy should include useful and insightful content.
It should be relevant to job seekers and potential clients alike, ideally a mix of topical and evergreen content. This means being a little more altruistic than many companies feel comfortable with. But it actually works.
Content curation builds confidence in your brand, shows that you're a friendly and open-minded company to deal with, and that you’re here to help.
Not sure what content curation is? Get up to speed with my popular blog post on why content curation is the catnip of social media.
Tip #4 - Connect with your followers at a human level
Reputation is key to any business. The more that people respect you, the more they will engage. If someone asks a question, reply to it. If your followers are looking for certain information, help them find it.
Video or images of your staff at local events show that you have a human side which people find appealing and easier to connect with.
Tip #5 - Boost your social recruiting with LinkedIn Premium
LinkedIn is the place to be, and the place to be seen. As the world's top professional network, your ideal clients and candidates are already there, engaging with content and reaching out to potential employers and customers.
Using LinkedIn Premium can give you an edge, and enable you to search and reach more qualified prospects.
