While some publications have published articles pondering whether social media is a threat to the staffing industry, a better way to look at it would be to view social media as the powerful tool it is and understand how it can strengthen your recruiting and sourcing efforts.
Social media is, of course, a means of communication, allowing you to put your messages in front of an audience that has consented to receive them. But unlike most means of communication, in social media, your audiences can communicate right back to you and let you know what they think about your messages, your company, your photo, anything.
So a better way to use social media for communication is to ask your audiences what they want, what matters to them and what would help them, as well as offering your own messages. You can also use it to share content from other sources: job-interview tips for your candidates, news about local business issues for your clients, etc.
And remember: the greatest strength of social media is the fact that it consists of networks of people, their friends, family members, co-workers, former co-workers, networking buddies, etc.
What proportion of your candidates come from referrals? Well, social media networks are referral machines. When referring a friend for a job is as easy as copying and pasting a link to their profile, or “sharing” a post from Facebook, the referral strength of your candidates is increased tremendously.
So don’t be afraid of social media. It’s not out to get you, or to render staffing obsolete. Like most technological tools, it’s a little tricky to learn at first, but once you’ve gotten the hang of it, you’ll wonder how you got by without it.
What have your experiences with social media been like? Let us know in the comments!
Related posts:
- Social Media for Staffing Companies: Avoid the Mullet
- Are You Ready for Growth? Use Social Media for Marketing
- Need Help with Social Media, but Just Don’t Have Time?
- Social Media: The New Wild West
- Kentucky Agency: Staffing Firms Must Not Charge Candidates for Drug Testing
