Social Media in Employer Branding Communication

FROM LIKES TO HIRES: HOW SOCIAL MEDIA CAN HELP YOU BUILD A STRONGER EMPLOYER BRAND

Social media has transformed the way we communicate and connect with others. As businesses strive to stay ahead of the competition, social media has become an indispensable tool in employer brand management. With over 4 billion users worldwide, social media offers a cost-efficient, targeted, and interactive platform to attract, engage and retain top talent. As a result, social media has become an industry standard for companies looking to enhance their employer branding and career communications strategies. In this tutorial, we will delve deeper into the importance of social media in employer brand management and provide you with practical recommendations on how to optimize your social media channels to attract and retain top talent.

1- WHAT CANDIDATES ARE LOOKING FOR

During the war for talent, candidates are no longer satisfied with just functional benefits like salary or quarterly bonus. Instead, they seek employers that offer psychological benefits such as a positive work environment, opportunities for growth and development, and work-life balance. As a result, employer branding has become a crucial aspect of attracting and retaining top talent. Functional benefits could be replicated; however, the employer’s psychological benefits prove why it differs from other employers. This is why it would be sound to think of social media as a “showcase” medium for the organization’s image as an employer: A medium to show the people, culture, benefits, achievements, and more. Remember: If you don’t speak out for yourself, others will be doing it for you. You cannot stop people from posting about their candidate and employee experiences on career review sites or Twitter -especially the bad experiences.

Social media has become an indispensable tool for employers to showcase their people, culture, benefits, achievements, and more. Through platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook, employers can communicate their brand message and values to a global audience. However, simply showcasing functional benefits may not be enough to stand out in a crowded job market.

2- HOW YOU CAN DIFFERENTIATE YOURSELF

To truly differentiate your employer brand, it’s essential to showcase psychological benefits through social media. For example, sharing stories of employee success and recognition can help potential candidates envision themselves in a positive and supportive work environment. Highlighting your commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion can demonstrate your values and attract a more diverse candidate pool.

Another effective way to showcase psychological benefits is through employee testimonials. Encouraging your employees to share their positive experiences on social media can help build a strong employer brand and attract like-minded candidates. This also demonstrates that your organization values employee feedback and is committed to creating a positive work culture.

3- WHY DO EMPLOYERS COMMUNICATE ON SOCIAL MEDIA?

3A- Better reputation

One of the most significant benefits of social media is its ability to improve an employer’s reputation. Corporate prestige has a huge role when choosing an employer, as people generally would like to work with a company that they would be proud of. Candidates are increasingly using social media to research potential employers before applying for a job. By actively communicating on social media, employers can showcase their company culture, values, and initiatives. The overall brand reputation This can help them establish a positive reputation, making them more attractive to high-potential candidates.

3B- Better recruiting

Social media is also an effective way to recruit the most qualified talent that aligns with an employer’s culture. It allows employers to create targeted recruitment campaigns that are specific to their ideal candidate. For example, an employer could use LinkedIn to target professionals with a certain level of experience or skill set. By doing so, employers can attract candidates who not only meet their qualifications but also share their values and fit in with their company culture.

3C- Better costs

Moreover, social media can save employers money on expensive job boards and recruitment campaigns. Many social media platforms offer low-cost or even free recruitment options, such as posting job vacancies on company pages or groups. This can help employers reach a wider audience while keeping their recruitment costs down.

Before embarking on social media communications in employer brand management, there are several crucial points to consider. From having a career website to creating quality content, determining the appropriate tone of voice, selecting the right social media channels, showcasing culture, involving employees in content creation, and creating interactive posts, every decision counts in building a successful employer brand. In this in-depth tutorial, we’ll explore these points and provide practical recommendations to help you create a powerful employer brand through social media.

4- CHECKLIST BEFORE BEGINNING COMMUNICATIONS

4A- Career Website

A career website is a useful tool for showcasing the upsides of working at a company. One of the greatest benefits of having one is that you can drive traffic from your social media content However, not all employers may have the budget or resources to manage one. If a career website isn’t feasible, consider creating a company page on social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram. Use this page to post information about the company culture, values, and job vacancies. Until you can have a career website with great design and intuitive user interface, benefit from free alternatives. Platforms such as the “Life” sections on LinkedIn, a mini-landing page on Linktree, or Instagram Highlights are some quick wins you should check out!

4B- Quality Over Quantity

In social media communications, quality is more important than quantity. Engaging content will resonate better with your audience and improve engagement. Consider creating content that is relevant to your audience and showcases your company’s values and culture. Examples of engaging content include employee testimonials, industry news, and behind-the-scenes glimpses of the company.

Consider a scenario where you are watching a series of content videos as part of your daily routine. However, the content appears uninteresting and lacks novelty, providing no value or excitement. Moreover, the design of the images is monotonous, with no animations or short videos to enhance the experience. In this situation, one may question the value of following such an account.

4C- EVP Integration

The EVP (Employee Value Proposition) is a critical aspect of employer brand management. It enables all communications to be brought under one roof, making everything easier to remember. An EVP should clearly articulate what an employer offers its employees, what makes it different from its competitors, and what employees can expect from the company. Use social media to show how your company fulfills its EVP in daily life, highlighting the values that make it stand out.

4D- Tone of Voice

“Brand Personality” plays a critical part in purchase decision-making processes. We see that people rather choose what a brand represents over a product’s functionality and/or price. The same model goes for employer branding: Your image as an employer IS the product you want people to purchase. This means your employer persona should be “getting along well” with your candidate persona. When crafting a new or updated employer brand, internal and external research of your audiences provide valuable data on what tone of voice they would expect. For example; “modern, successful, assuring, talented, charming” were the first attributes in 2021’s candidates’ minds, according to our research. While creating your differentiated and unique content, remember the 3-CO rule: Be consistent, coherent, and connected in all your communications.

4E- Channels

Different social media channels serve different purposes. Consider which channels best fit your employer brand and target audience. LinkedIn is an excellent platform for professional networking, while Facebook and Instagram are great for showcasing company culture and engaging with varying demographics. Maybe the channels with the most active users are not the ones for you and you will not be able to differentiate your employer brand in the crowd… Look at what you provide to your employees and candidates. Benchmark your national and global competitors. See what resources you have to sustainably produce content for specific platforms. Understand why people visit specific platforms: Twitter is the place for dialogue and announcements while YouTube and Podcasts could be used for educational content, just to give a few examples.

4F- Culture Showcase

Candidates might have questions in mind while visiting your page. Specifically, they are psychological benefits that would be difficult to be replicated by your competitors. For example, they might be searching answers for the ones below.

• What is daily life there like?
• What kind of people are my potential colleagues?
• How would my leader treat me there?
• Will I also have fun?
• Is this a place I would belong?
• Will my colleagues help me self-realize myself?

Answering these questions in a non-corporate style, in a candid manner goes a long way… A great method to connect with real people is to have real people speak on behalf of the employer, so post pictures and videos of team-building events, community service, and employee achievements.

4G- Employee Generated Content

When it comes to social media, corporate language can come across as impersonal and cold. However, as an employer, your image is the product you’re selling to potential candidates. To continue with this metaphor, when making a significant purchase, do you solely rely on corporate marketing materials, or do you also take into account customer reviews and testimonials? Real people are often considered a more trustworthy source of information. In the case of choosing an employer, this decision has a significant impact on people’s lives. So, imagine yourself in the candidate’s shoes and ask yourself, what would attract you to a potential employer?

While creating content that answers the candidate’s questions, it’s important to ensure diversity representation based on various factors, such as gender, tenure, nationality, and lifestyle, among others, that align with your hiring requirements. Additionally, your video/image/text content should be realistic and humanized to avoid being cringeworthy. To achieve this, consider who represents your employer persona the best or who would make the most charismatic role model for young talent. Employees involved in content creation should receive adequate training in writing, shooting, public speaking, etc. This not only promotes a sustainable, realistic, and people-oriented content strategy but also provides:

• Development opportunity for employees
• Recognition for employees
• More shares through employees’ network
• Promotion of diversity & inclusion culture

Real people are trustworthy sources of information. Encourage employees to share their experiences working at your company on social media. This is an excellent way to showcase your company culture and values.

4H- Interactivity

Let’s circle back to the definition of “social” media: It is “social” because communication goes both ways -it is interactive. This is your time to shine. Time to show that you are more than a company or employer. People belong in communities, not companies. Make that felt in your posts by trying to…

• Respond to likes/reactions & comments
• Tag employees / interns / candidates
• Start the dialogue and/or ask questions in posts
• Create quizzes & polls
• Hold contests & competitions
• Not sound like a bot – personalize your communications.

4I- Content Variety

Mix up the content you post by using a variety of formats, such as images, videos, and text. Consider posting company news, industry insights, employee features, and behind-the-scenes glimpses of the company. We’ve listed 29 opportunities here for your convenience.

To learn more, you can join a free week session of Employer Brand Academy certificate courses here or you can download our free ebook creating an authentic employer brand here.