Year on year the daily usage of social media is increasing, as well as the number of people who actually own an active social media accounts. This year 11.6% of most organisations marketing budget is being spent on social media, this spend is not based on a whim. It is based on solid data that says that if you invest in social media, you will engage and establish deeper relationships with your customers.
The recruitment industry has always been slow to adopt new technologies/methods of practice, the very notion of investing in something that has never been needed before seems fruitless. In our industry there is a proverbial elephant in the room, everyone knows that the adoption of new and innovative methods of candidate and client attraction is essential but most directors and recruiters are burying their heads in the sand and hoping that the social media for candidate and client attraction is just a ‘fad’.
Well it’s not a fad and here’s why:
Traditional Methods of Communication Are Dying Out
When I say traditional methods of communication, I am not just talking about the tools that we use to communicate but the expectations that people have of each others communication etiquette has changed also. In our ‘on demand’ and ‘catch-up’ culture and much like how we expect to view our favourite TV shows we expect to communicate with people on our terms, not on someone else’s. When a recruiter wants to develop business, they spend their days calling countless numbers hoping to get through to a hiring manager and interrupt their day. This is not only an inefficient use of a recruiters time but it’s a great way of disgruntling your prospective client. Traditional sales methods just do not cut it when it comes to lasting value and relationships. We are spending less time with our ears to our phones and more time looking at them, how about you work out a way to make sure that they are looking at you the majority of the time through social media?
Mindshare Equals Consumption
Marketing has always been about mindshare, it doesn’t matter if the medium you are marketing through is email marketing or TV advertising and it certainly doesn’t matter if you are marketing a product or a service. The main aim to any content output should be to sustain mindshare. Recruiters talk about lasting relationships but many of them struggle to look further than the placements that they are making and their next commission checks. The average employee moves jobs every 2-4 years, which is an opportunity for a recruiter to place the same candidate every 2 - 4 years. Think about how much revenue this would generate if you were the recruiter for every one of those placements. Social media offers you a tool to stay on the minds of candidates and clients at scale, without having to interrupt them. By effectively distributing meaningful content on a regular basis, you will become a familiar face to your clients/candidates and when they are looking to engage with a recruiter - you will be on their mind. If you can grab the mindshare of your communities the majority of the time through providing value online then you will grab their hearts and ultimately they will consume your service.
So there you have it, change is not about to happen or happening - it’s happened. The main reason for recruiters not adopting social media as a marketing and engagement tool is due to their understanding of how to do it. If you knew the tips, tricks and hacks of each social platform and what it takes to create engaging and personal branded content than you would crush it.
Where are you on your social media journey? I'd love to hear your thoughts? Do you see the value in social media or do you still think it is a fad?