7 TALENT MARKETING STRATEGIES HR PROS AND RECRUITERS

CAN LEARN FROM TOP BRANDS.

JEAN L. SERIO, CPC, CMC

WWW.LINKEDIN.COM/IN/JEANLSERIOSOCIALMKTGSTRATEGIST

THE TRUTH ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETINGAND SOCIAL NETWORKING

Social media marketing is more about building relationships than about marketing.

The world of social networking and social media marketing is an ever-changing world requiring very specific info to navigate. It can be an alien one which can have those unfamiliar with this often uncharted territory worried and retreating. Though that may be the case, it’s become a necessary marketing tool for every business.

Recent Forrester research says B2C marketing leaders admit the primary reason they maintain branded accounts on social networks like Facebook and Twitter is to build stronger relationships with their customers. Forrester calls these tactics social relationship marketing.

With competition for talent rising to a competitive level not previously seen, job seekers regularly utilizing social platforms to find jobs, it’s never been more important to develop and nurture job seekers with your presence on social sites, using similar tactics B2C brands use with customers.

SOCIAL TIP #1

DON’T UNDERESTIMATE THE VALUE OF FACEBOOK

comScore, a leader in measuring the digital world, released the report “It’s a Social World: Top 10 Need-to-Knows about Social Networking and Where It’s Headed” in late December 2011. That report was a serious forecast of what not only was indicative of that time, but what has – in fact - come to be in 2016.

That report provided key insights into how social networking was influencing the world. As well as key insights into how social networking was influencing the digital landscape. Along with its future implications.

Here’s 4 of comScore’s 10 points:

* “Social Networking is the most popular online activity worldwide.” The report suggests getting used to it and using it regularly.

* “The importance of Facebook cannot be overstated.” (While FB regularly makes changes which anger and confuse us all, they’re still a force to be reckoned with.)

* “It’s not just young people using Facebook and social networking anymore – it’s all age groups.”

* Love it or hate it, “Facebook and social networking is second only to cell phones for connecting.”

TWITTER 320 million

monthly users

PINTEREST100 million active users

Facebook

Users

1.55 billion

SOCIAL TIP #2

TOP BRANDS DETERMINE WHAT THE POINT OF THEIR SOCIAL PRESENCE IS.

brand rep plays a very big role in their decision to apply for a job within an organization.” Another 45% said it plays somewhat of a part. Also - LinkedIn stats show a strong talent brand reduces cost per hire by up to 50% and lowers turnover rates by 28%.

Are you trying and experimenting with a new social network/s?

Not every social network will work for every brand. While Facebook may be your go-to social platform, Snapchat may not; but Instagram may be. Do some research before jumping on board and investing time and money.

Is it your intention of driving talent to your website or talent marketing pages to engage them?

Doing this effectively means offering good, rich, valuable content which resonates with your audience. This should be new, interesting and helpful information not regurgitated info.

1.

Do you intend to expand your talent brand awareness?

Does your company have a rep as being a great place to work? Does it have aculture Millennials will love being a part of? A recent CareerBuilder survey found nearly half of workers in the study said “A company’s employment

SOCIAL TIP #3 – MOBILE IS BECOMING AN EXCELLENT WAY TO REACH JOB SEEKERS AND TOP CANDIDATES – USE IT.

Recent LinkedIn stats show:

• 44,000 job applications are made using the LinkedIn mobile platform daily.

• 41% of LinkedIn members access the site via mobile daily.

A Benefits Pro summary of research from Human Capital Institute found while 70% of job seekers search for positions using their smartphones or tablets, only 33% of employers admit to using mobile to market and connect with them. Yet brands are making it their top marketing strategy.

"Companies are losing out on good applicants by not having mobile," says Sarah White, principal at recruitment consulting firm Accelir. "People are changing how they job search, everyone from entry level candidates through senior executives. Companies are looking and learning -- but sometimes hesitating to take action."

SOCIAL TIP #4 - DEVELOP YOUR OWN SOCIAL VOICE:

Connecting and engaging on social networks and platforms is much different from chatting face to face with someone.

At a physical meeting, you hear the sound of someone’s voice, pick up intonations, inflections which can signal how a meeting’s progressing, whether the individual’s attitude has changed, how well you’re getting your point across, for example. A face-to-face allows you to view body language, tell whether the person you’re speaking tois truthful, as well as a half dozen other things. In short, personal meetings provideinvaluable insight into the individual you’re speaking with. Most of which you don’t have the opportunity to determine with social comments and postings. You must engage and endeavor to build trust with every comment and post you make.

Says Courtney Seiter of Buffer.com -" Creating a strong, consistent voice is the key to building a real relationship with your audience. Whether you’re B2C or B2B, people ultimately buy from people — more specifically - people we like and relate to. And social media gives brands a chance to develop personality, style and characteristics of their own. All the good stuff that attracts you to people can also endear you to a brand or company .... A social media voice can be hip, communal, playful, educational, sophisticated, fun, irreverent, inspirational, helpful or a million other adjectives. So how do you find your brand’s voice? Explore the three Cs: culture, community and conversation."

What’s your social voice?

SOCIAL TIP #5 – MONITORING ALL SOCIAL COMMENTS IS A MUST

Says top blogger Jeff Bullas of jeffbullas.com:

“ It is imperative to monitor all social comments and respond in a timely manner. Good or bad, all feedback needs to be addressed."

A 2011 Harvard Biz Review report found positive reviews for restaurants boosted business as much as 5%. What does this report, or any other report regarding the importance of Yelp reviews have to do with your talent brand and posting on social sites? As it turns out - a lot.

Bottom line - Reviews, posts and comments tell you how people are perceiving you and your brand. The fact is - good or bad - what you post, how it's written, the voice you use, all help provide a picture of you and/or your brand, how it functions, what it cares about; even how it

can be expected to treat employees and job candidates.

"Social media is all about impressions" says entrepreneur Neal Shaeffer. "When a Facebook “friend”, for instance, "says something positive about a product, service or a brand, you are more likely to check it out. Conversely, if they say something negative, you will probably take their comments into serious consideration."

What good is social if you don't know how it's affecting you and/or your business, marketing efforts or candidate search? None. That said, you should know what people, posters, fans and followers are saying. "It's important to investigate the validity of the negative comment and address it immediately", says Bullas.

Monitoring your social sites, on a regular basis helps determine what your audience responds to and on the other hand what they ignore. Monitoring can provide insightful info to help you plan future comments, posts and content. Furthermore, says Bullas, "This can really provide insight into your customers (clients and candidates) behavior".

SOCIAL TIP #6 – UTILIZE GOOD KEYWORDS TO CAPTURE A TOP CANDIDATE’S ATTENTION

Keywords isn't about overwhelming your content with words to catch Google’s attention or rattle their cage. It's about adding specific words into posts, sites and content. Words which best represent a job you’re hiring for or your talent brand. These must be those Keywords which easily resonate with the candidate (audience) you intend to reach.

For example – looking to hire someone in the marketing/advertising department.There’s no doubt a variety of unique Keywords which reflect that particular job.Not sure what they are? Do some research on Google.

Use LinkedIn to discover Keywords other companies are using. Or use a good keywordsearch tool. There are a number of good ones available; many are free; some with freetrials.

Adding these Keywords into the natural flow of all types of content - ads, blogs, sites,social posts, content - for example, will act like beacons.

These keyword beacons will grab the attention of and engage individuals you specifically intend to reach.

Bottom line - the use of good Keywords cannot be over-stated or underrated when marketing to any audience – even, and especially, job seekers.

SOCIAL TIP #6 – DO SOME RESEARCH TO DETERMINE WHAT SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM IS BEST FOR YOUR TALENT BRAND

According to Matt Bailey, President of SiteLogic, deciding on a social platform depends on what your plan for intended outcome is.

In a recent Marketing Sherpa webinar for Eloqua Bailey says "How you use a medium will greatly determine the interaction that you can develop through that medium".

Ask yourself these 4 questions before choosing a platform. Is my plan to:

* Raise brand visibility? * Educate potential candidates? * Reach out to job seekers with job info; get response? * Keep job seekers engaged with content, company culture info?

Regarding blogs (also considered social platforms) says Bailey, "It’s ideal (a blog) for communicating high-trust content. … I love that ability of communicating clear information and providing a great network of resources,” he says.

SOCIAL TIP #7 – GET CREATIVE - USE A VARIETY OF MULTI-MEDIA METHODS TO ENGAGE YOUR AUDIENCE AS TOP BRANDS DO.

Podcasts can provide solid, actionable info. They can include interviews with a variety of people, experts in their field or skilled in a specific area of value to your job seeker audience; even employees can fit the bill. Podcasts can provide insights into a company, it's culture, it's mission.

Use photos, graphics and infographics in each post. Photos are one of the top two items most frequently viewed. They receive the most engagement and shares.

Host Google Hangouts. This free method allows you to spread your brand fever, cover topics like culture, interview tips, your company’s mission and causes, for example. All topics job seekers are eager to discover more about.

Create dynamic, engaging videos. Videos are the most viewed marketing tool you have at your fingertips. They can be educational, entertaining, inspirational, for example.

Develop surveys, games and quizzes. These 3 marketing tools will serve not only to engage, but can provide you and your brand with a variety of valuable information, not to mention help develop your job seeker email list.

RESOURCES

http://goo.gl/4ozadF

http://goo.gl/2exnXl

http://goo.gl/vfy5TQ

JEAN L. SERIO, CPC, CMCINTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED LINKEDIN, SOCIAL AND BRANDING STRATEGIST

KEYNOTE SPEAKER | TRAINER | WORKSHOP PRESENTER

See Jean at:

RecruitCon – May 12, 2016 - Las Vegas

People Before Profits – May 12-15, 2016 – Las Vegas

CareerConference – May 24-25, 2016 – Portland, OR