Using social media to boost your employer brand

A positive brand experience isn't just something you aim to achieve for your potential customers - it's also a major priority among those using recruitment agencies like Webrecruit (http://www.webrecruit.co.uk), in recognition of the fact the customers and job candidates can be one and the same. Just as you may screen candidates prior to interview, so they will almost certainly investigate you as a future employer in the same way, so you will want them to be engaged by your employer brand from the start.

Online visibility and interaction is all-important for employers using recruitment agencies, given the importance to top talent of working for a company that they are already not only aware of, but trust. With information about your industry and competitors so readily available, you will need to do your own share of astute online promotion just to compete.

However, your current and previous employees also have a major role in play in convincing others that you are an employer of choice. If this isn't the case for your present workers, after all, prospective employees aren't likely to be convinced either. People who have worked for your company should be your greatest brand ambassadors, always saying good things about you online - and if they aren't, you need to investigate why.

On social media as elsewhere, companies that use recruitment agencies while also wishing to bolster their employer branding should have a clearly defined culture and aims, and communicate this as consistently through their Facebook and Twitter profiles as they do on their main site. Does your company place an emphasis on staff self-development, for example, with abundant training opportunities? Or is it care for your staff outside the world of work that defines you as an employer - perhaps giving them their birthday off?

Indeed, your culture, aims and values may dictate the exact social media platforms that you use, given the different audiences relevant to each. Given the hundreds of different possible social media routes, trying to use them all simply isn't practical. The right choice of platform should be part of a joined-up approach to employer branding. You might choose YouTube, for example, to host videos of your staff, showing that you are a 'hands-on' and people-oriented employer.

Your social media employer branding efforts should carry a consistent tone and message throughout, ensured by appropriate collaboration between departments if necessary. You will also need to deal with negative comments from time to time, showing that you are a solution-oriented firm responsive to the concerns of customers and potential employees.

Perhaps above all else, you should measure your social media success, using a good online tracking tool like Google Analytics. With its emphasis on interaction and close conversations between companies using recruitment agencies and prospective candidates, social media can be integral to building a strong and sustainable employer brand.

Editor’s Note: Webrecruit (http://www.webrecruit.co.uk) are represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Email: info@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.