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Explore SolutionsWith social media embedded in society, people have an increased interest in learning how to work with it or how to use it for business. This applies not only to new graduates, but also seasoned marketing professionals who haven’t used social media as a business tool. Talent acquisition professionals and recruiters also seem to be curious about how to tap into the social networks to attract candidates.
Keeping that in mind, I put together some steps to help you get started in social media or social recruiting.
Make sure to check out The Basics of Social Recruiting
First thing’s first
I firmly believe that social media is a tool to create relationships. It’s a two-way street, where one provides value to the community to get something in return. As in any relationship, the more you put into it, the more you’ll get out of it.
So if you are starting a relationship, let’s make sure you put your best foot forward. Since we are talking about using social media for business, make sure you look good on the professional network, LinkedIn. Update your LinkedIn profile following all the best practices. Pay close attention to:
- Photo
- Customized URL
- Headline
- Summary
- Experience
Here is an infographic and a cheat sheet for you to build the perfect LinkedIn profile.
Recruiters, note that you have special LinkedIn profile guidelines.
Step 1: Read some key books
It’s a good idea to understand how transformational social media has been and what makes it tick. Here are a couple of recommendations:
- Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies
- Cluetrain Manifesto: The End of Business as Usual
Recruiters, check out some stats in this infographic: “How Recruiters and Job Seekers Use Social Media.”
Step 2: Subscribe to the following blogs and read them on a daily basis
By constantly reading social media blogs, you’ll learn about strategies for the different social networks, the challenges, and tips on how to overcome them, as well as case studies.
You may also like these handy lists of social media experts for you to follow:
Recruiters, here are a couple of social recruiting blogs to add to the above list – focus on their social media categories.
Learn by doing. Ready to get your hands dirty? Let’s go!
Step 3: Think of something you are passionate about.
It could be your profession, or it could be a hobby or interest (like sports or fashion).
Step 4: Listen.
See what others are saying about your passion on Twitter, blogs, Facebook, Instagram, etc.
Step 5: Learn about blogs and SEO
- Blogging Basics 101 and CoSchedule are great resources to learn about how blogs work and what it takes to start one.
- Moz and Orbit Media are great resources for SEO.
Step 6: Write about your passion
- If you like to write, you can start your own blog.
- If you are just okay with writing, you can publish your content on Medium or LinkedIn Pulse (if your passion is related to your profession).
- If you don’t like to write, you can curate content. Find content that’s interesting to your target group, package it well, and share it on your chosen social channels.
Hint 1: Even if you love to write, you should be curating relevant content and sharing it on your social channels. It’s very important that you share third-party content.
Hint 2: Create a content calendar. This way, you know exactly what to share and when. It will also help you get organized for creating content. What you DO NOT want to do is start with a consistent flow of content and stop or not post regularly.
Bonus! Canva is a free and easy tool for you to create graphics for your blogs or social media content posts.
Step 7: Decide on social channels
You can start with one and work up to more. Make sure to research who you should connect with (or follow).
Hint: Think of your passion and the people that may be interested in the content you will write about – which social channel is your target group using? Start there!
On LinkedIn, you’ll build your personal brand.
- A good summary of how to use LinkedIn for personal branding and business
- LinkedIn Tips for Networking, Business and Marketing
- How to Publish on LinkedIn Pulse
- How to Use LinkedIn Pulse to Drive Traffic to your Blog
Recruiters, here are steps to building your recruiter brand on LinkedIn.
Twitter:
Make sure you understand Twitter business etiquette. It’s a conversation, so engage with other users and retweet a lot.
Recruiters, here is a handy infographic. Also check out Twitter for Recruitment: Good or Not? and Who in Recruitment You Should Follow.
If your content is about business, and even if it’s not, you may not want to blast it to your family and friends. It’s a good idea to create a Facebook page and invite your network to ‘Like’ it.
Hint: You can have a Facebook page for a person (e.g. Mari Smith)
Want to dive a bit deeper? Go through the free tutorials provided by Facebook and get certified.
Recruiters, here are three Facebook hacks every recruiter should know. Also, if your company has a Facebook Careers page, you may want to read these tips.
→ The Different Ways You Can Use Facebook for Recruitment
→ 10 Social Recruiting Examples Using Facebook
Smart photos and graphics along with hashtags are key for using Instagram for business.
Recruiters, this is a handy recruiter’s guide to Instagram. Also, here are 3 Things You Must Try on Instagram for Recruitment.
YouTube
If you are into videos, I would advise that you learn about YouTube. Just like with Facebook pages, you may want to create a YouTube Channel to host your videos.
Recruiters, here is what you should know when it comes to using video to attract talent.”
Snapchat
The newest kid on the block – if you have no clue what it is, you need to read “What’s the Point of Snapchat and How It Works.” If you are on Snapchat and are wondering how to use it for business, check out this guide. Entrepreneur also has also a good article about it. This infographic has insights on why brands should be on Snapchat.
Recruiters, here is a recruiter’s guide to Snapchat, as well as a list of recruitment pros on Snapchat. Curious about TikTok for Recruitment? Check out Why You Should Explore TikTok for Recruitment.
Think images! People pin images, so your content needs to have compelling images in order to be successful on Pinterest.
- Everything you want to know about Pinterest for business
- Definitive guide for Pinterest for business
Recruiters: Here is some food for thought regarding recruiters on Pinterest.
Step 8: Test
Once you start you need to test the best way to share your content on the different social channels.
- Long vs. short status updates
- Best time to post your content
- Which hashtags to use (Here is an interesting article on how to use hashtags on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.)
Important! Make sure to share not only your content, but also share other relevant content that may be interesting to your fans and followers. The rule is that for every self-promoting status update, you should have five third-party posts.
Step 9: Analyze
So you are posting content and testing different formats, but how do you know if things are working? Check social network analytics! Each social network offers ways for you to check out the results of your work, such as which posts are more engaging, which posts reached a greater number of people, etc.
Make sure to take a deep dive into those stats every three months. It’s the only way you’ll learn what to improve with your strategy.
Step 10: Have fun!
This process should be fun, so make the most out of it.
Finally, I wanted to leave you with a handy Social Media Glossary and a Beginner’s Guide to Social Media – I hope you find them helpful! And recruiters, you can also refer to “Effective Social Media Tactics for Recruiters.”
If you have questions or comments, I’d love to connect – leave us a comment, and let’s start the conversation.
