How to Use Social Media for Employer Branding

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How to Use Social Media for Employer Branding

Reputation matters—especially in this technologically driven age. The purpose of employer branding is to demonstrate to consumers and employment candidates alike that your position as a company exceeds the standards of your chosen industry. This can be done through:

  • Integrity
  • Morals
  • Causes
  • Work ethic
  • Product quality
  • Work and store atmosphere

…and everything in between.

But your reputation itself? Well, that begins with social media employer branding. Before introducing the features and benefits of employer branding, David Brudenell shares some wisdom on the unique ways to use the top 4 Western social media platforms to expand your business enterprise.

“Facebook is who we are as an employer brand, LinkedIn is what we do, Twitter is what we say, and Instagram is what we want other people to believe we look like and how trendy we are.”

Communicate with Customers

Social Media is your business’s number one way to communicate with your consumer base.
Companies like Netflix, Taco Bell, and Denny’s are famous for responding to their consumer base through social media. Taco Bell has a very famous meme on their Twitter account which goes like this:

“Men’s Humor: ‘This morning, I gave birth to a food baby, and I think @tacobell is the father.’

Taco Bell: ‘I want a DNA test.'”

Laughter aside, Taco Bell has a legitimate reason for this response: People connect through humor. Humor gives a face to a faceless corporation. Taco Bell is suddenly more than a logo you look for when you have the munchies by staying current with culture and making memes with their younger consumer base. Humans run taco Bell, and those humans—though you’ll likely never meet—are your friends.

This connection is a powerful marketing strategy because it appeals to common human emotion.

While Taco Bell uses social media to address legitimate complaints and resolve customer issues, the social media heads of the famous Mexican chain know that people connect through humor. So not only will your consumers notice you, but your potential future employees will too.

Use Visual Storytelling

According to a study done by Forbes, 65% of the population qualify as visual learners. So if over half of the world’s population are visual processors, it only makes sense to use visual stimulation as the primary marketing brand.

  • Infographics
  • Videos
  • Typography
  • Photos
  • Posters
  • Office photos

…The list goes on. Humans are emotional creatures. Humans are visual creatures. So, use those graphic designers, photographers, and videographers to show your consumer base who you are personally as a business.

Not only does product information come through in videos, infographics, and the like, but videos and photos are the ideal opportunities for you to show off your company culture.

Show Your Company Culture

Using social media to demonstrate your company culture is paramount for an employee, employer, and consumer relations. Showing company culture is where you post about your causes, fundraisers, and personal passions and goals, which drive the company forward. As we said before, consumers don’t want to purchase from another faceless monopoly. Instead, consumers want to know that you are human and care about other humans—humans like them.

Some of the most common ways to show off your company culture are by posting visual media of:

  • Exciting projects your office is developing
  • Holiday or “Just Because” Promotions and Giveaways
  • Charity Involvement
  • Non-confidential footage from office meetings
  • Worker Testimonials
  • Company and Employee awards and recognitions
  • Perks offered by your office:
    • In-house yoga classes
    • Team bonding trips
    • A fun break room
    • A weekly theme day
  • Responding to consumer tweets with humor

Your options are truly endless for showing off your company culture. Showing the world your identity through online transparency generates trust and connection whether you’re advertising or recruiting.

Involve Employees

“When it comes to employer branding, there is nothing more authentic and transparent than hearing about it through employees.” So involve your employees in your social branding.

Please encourage them to take and post non-confidential photos from work and company events.

Please encourage them to post their daily insights on Twitter with a clever hashtag and an @ to your company. In addition, offer social media training to your employees in their initial work training to brief them on what they can and cannot share.

Give your employees a voice in the company, and the consumers will feel they have a voice too.

Respond to Feedback

Lastly, use your social media to respond to feedback. Respond to complaints, respond to humor, react to everything with a positive, enabling attitude. Your disgruntled consumer may not understand your policy, but other viewers will find your professional response timely and refreshing. By being honest with your consumers, you may lose one customer and gain many others.

Conclusion

Employer Branding via Social Media is an increasingly powerful tool by transparently offering up your brand to the internet microscope. But this vulnerability is applied to your character, which is what consumers and employees will respond to with loyalty, respect, and trust. So, make an excellent online reputation for yourself, and the sky is the limit.


Jen McKenzie
Jen McKenzie

Jen McKenzie is an independent business consultant from New York. She writes extensively on business, education, and human resource topics. When Jennifer is not at her desk working, you can usually find her hiking or taking a road trip with her two dogs. You can reach Jennifer @jenmcknzie.

How to Use Social Media for Employer Branding

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