Why the Best Employees Expect a Social Presence

By Robert Conrad

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(Courtesy of Real Estate Classifieds)

Given the ever-growing prevalence of the Internet, job seekers have traded in their walking shoes and pens for online job searches. Even paper applications have fallen out of favor for digital ones that can be electronically stored. However, despite all of this technology, not every business has embraced an online presence beyond a company website, and represents workers as well as owners naturally.

It was found that companies who allow their employees to share their workday online via social media seemed to have the highest retention rates. But why is that exactly?

It’s More Efficient and Personable than Printed Classifieds

Thirty years ago, it was common for recruiters to post wanted ads in the local newspaper classifieds and wait for the resumes to start trickling in. Even if the ad wound up in the hands of someone who wasn’t qualified for the position, they may meet a friend or family member who is better suited to the vacancy. Though printed and word-of-mouth advertising still exist today, their delivery has changed due to the astronomic rise of social media.

If your company already maintains a presence on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, chances are you already have a built-in “fanbase” that may consider working for your company (or know someone who does). They’ve already expressed interest in your product or service, which can translate into a pool of qualified candidates instead of an influx of irrelevant and impersonal resumes one would typically get from an online job board.

Having employees who are engaging on social media at work, or to discuss work, helps give the impression that people are happy to work there, proud to be a part of that brand, and enjoy the freedom to behave like real people on and off the clock.

 

While having a Facebook page or a Twitter feed helps customers engage with your brand, encouraging employees to be social and transparent gives confidence to recruits, and helps ensure the people who do end up applying and getting hired will be a good fit.

By knowing where and when their target audience converses, recruiters can position their social media efforts towards the most relevant prospects who are already familiar with the brand.

Employees are Becoming More Sociable

(Courtesy of Barry Hurd)

The power of impersonal ads has been found to be largely ineffectual. In fact, according to Mark Burgess of Rutgers School of Business during his recent TedTalk, 90% of people don’t trust ads while 78% trust recommendations. In fact, word-of-mouth recommendations are ten times more powerful than ads, and employers who allow their employees to be more sociable offer prospects more authentic branding which then also creates more relevant leads.

Again, it is one thing to have a small marketing team managing your social media. It is another--and a much more powerful--thing to have average employees talking organically about their jobs, the company culture, and what it means to them.

If you are employing people who appreciate your brand, there is no sense in having them silence that enthusiasm once they become a part of it. Quite the contrary: social employees are good for your brand, and help ensure its social presence is natural and authentic.

According to the Pew Research Center, as of January 2014, 74% of adults online use social networking sites. With a dedicated following that is already aware of your brand through both your company’s efforts and those of your employees, this can translate to multiple qualified applicants.

A lot can still be said about the power of word-to-mouth, but imagine how much further your job posting on the company Facebook Page will go when it’s shared out hundreds, if not thousands, of times by those who already trust your brand?

Everyone Benefits

Given the natural brand exposure for both employees and employer, there’s no good reason why a company wouldn’t want to encourage their workforce to get more social online. By providing employees the autonomy to share their workday with their followers, they feel valued and are more likely to stay with the company. Even better, recruiters won’t find themselves bogged down with mountains of resumes that a random post in an online job board would produce.

Companies that have had great success with fostering and maintaining a strong online presence include Zappos, Nokia and Starbucks, who all encourage their employees to share their workday with their followers. Many of these companies also produce their own tweets through tools such as Hootsuite or dedicated teams, as well as creating relevant hashtags that help them interact with their employees online. Just make sure you do your homework before settling on a specific hashtag to use.

All of these companies have low turnover rates and a high level of employee engagement and loyalty. If you want the best, you have to show them that your company is the best one they can work for!

Now get out there and show the world how awesome your company is.

 

What does our team do?

The team at Social Hire won't just do social media management. Our team work closely with your team to ensure your business sees great value from the service and that your team gets tangible results.

Our digital marketing managers are the wizards that can give you the insight you need to develop your business. Have you had enough of making complex personnel choices that don't work well for your digital presence?

The social media marketers in our company are the best in the business at helping our partners enhance their online marketing. We outline and implement cutting-edge social media marketing plans that help our customers realise their organisational objectives and further their social media presence. Our experienced team of digital experts do your social media strategy creation and management in an uncomplicated monthly plan that is cost-effective and is genuinely useful, whatever results you demand from your marketing team.

Our specialists are a team that assists our partners improve their presence online by giving online marketing on a regular basis.

You might like these blog posts 7 Ways You Can Market To Millennials, Online, What Does the Internet of Things Mean for Social Media?, 3 Guidelines for Young Startups Starting out with Social Media Marketing, and How to Design a Great Website For Small Business - Tips & Mistakes to Avoid.

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