By speaking with dozens of recruiters the past two years, I’ve found that many are interested in social media marketing but don’t know where to start for how it will benefit their recruiting business.  I began this article series to address the common questions I’ve been seeing and to help recruiters gain clarity around the ways social media marketing can benefit their business.

Many recruiting businesses often ask themselves, how important is social media to my business?  It was not too long ago that social media was thought of as entertainment for the “younger” generation.  No one could have imagined that it would become the central hub of our lives today, and the foundation for recruiting businesses, giving them an effective online marketing strategy.  

Consumers today consult their social media before making any decisions, including where their next job will be.  Because it is readily available, “anytime and anywhere,” they are able to browse through goods, services, jobs, and research companies in a matter of seconds.  This makes it important for all businesses, including recruiters, to be recognizable on social media.  Not only will it urge companies looking for help with their hiring to contact you, but you will reach a larger candidate pool.  Bottom line – social media is the wave of the future and a sound investment!

Many of the recent statistics show that recruiters who use social media as part of their online marketing strategy, have increased exposure to their target audience.  This equals an increase in revenue and so much more – such as, loyal customers, increase in followers (which equals larger target audience), increased brand recognition, access to more candidates, increase in business partnerships, higher rankings on search engines, the list goes on and on.

The average individual spends about 42 minutes per day on social media outlets, and businesses are spending an average of about 72 minutes per day.  So, of course, it makes perfect sense for recruiters to take advantage of this time to get in front of businesses and candidates.  While many recruiting firms are showing huge success when utilizing LinkedIn, there are many other social media platforms that are showing success as well – Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, and more.

Your main goal with social media marketing is to be consistent.  If you decide to post daily, then post daily – weekly, then post weekly.  Your target audience is looking for value driven information that they can engage in, therefore, success equals posting on a regular basis – this is the key to keep your target audience engaged.

If you are a recruiter that has held off on getting involved with social media marketing because you thought it was a phase, or it would not benefit your business….  It is not a phase, and it can benefit your business!  Social media is not going away, so do not put it off any longer.  Integrate social media marketing into your existing marketing strategy, and watch your business increase.  Keep in mind that social media should not replace your already existing marketing efforts, but be added to it!

If you are still hesitant about starting social media marketing for your recruiting business, consider your competition – they have probably already implemented social media in their business – business that could be yours!

Bonus Information: Get my Training “Using Social Media in Recruiting to Become an Irresistible Magnet for Clients & Candidates” In this FREE training you will learn KEY strategies on how to use Social Media the RIGHT way, PLUS, you’ll learn how to easily install a few strategies that integrate several common social media platforms that will allow you to: Get clients calling YOU (and working on YOUR terms) with hot new assignments email me at tracy@theRecruiterU.com and put “free social media training” in the message.

Editor's Note:

Tracy Gibb has been  the Director of Social Media Programs at The RecruiterU since 2015 where she and her team act as the marketing department for our recruiting firm clients.  Additionally, Tracy has over 8 years experience as a social media consultant with companies like Coca Cola, Chobani, Toyota, etc.