Crawl Before You Run: How to Take Your Employer Brand to Social Media

Published on: September 20, 2018

I often encounter customers who have a “go big or go home” mindset when it comes to social media. They are inspired by creative videos they’ve seen online or case studies which tell them that real impact comes from size and scale of activation.

We play an icebreaker at the office that asks new team members “If you were an animal, what would you be and why?” Everything is a competition and more often than not, the answers we get are typically “Lion” or “Eagle” over an “Ant” or “Fly.” This is perfectly understandable and a key insight that being number one is always the end goal.

I find, however, that organizations who take the time to understand their objectives, resources, constraints and target talents are in a better position to succeed in the long term. Before even asking “how can we become number one?” successful employer brands ask “how can we compete?”

Understanding what you want to achieve on social media is essential for crafting a solid strategy that works for you.

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At TalentView, we’ve established our 5A Framework™ for employer branding to guide our thinking and deepen customer conversations. Have a look at some of the social media-related questions we ask across each phase of the 5A Framework™ and see how you can leverage your responses to meet your hiring and retention goals.

Phase 1: Audit “Get a baseline”

What are my employer branding objectives?
Who are my target talents and what online activities do I currently have to connect with them?
How do these activities fare with my competitors?

Phase 2: Articulate “Communicate key messages”

Have I established Employee Value Propositions (EVPs) to connect with my target talents?
Are these EVPs shared on all my online channels?
Do my social media campaigns align to my EVPs?

Phase 3: Activate “Rollout on selected channels”

Where should I focus my online efforts to yield the greatest results based on my objectives?
Are there any untapped channels I can use to increase my talent reach?

Phase 4: Advocate “Get everyone on board”

Are my recruiters engaging with candidates online or do they just post and pray?
Are my employees encouraged and equipped to share their experiences on social media?
Does my team structure support a sustainable, consistent and engaging social media presence?

Phase 5: Assess “Measure your success”

What metrics are in place for me to know that I am successful in my online activities?
Is there an established technology or analytics process to gather relevant metrics in real time?
How do these metrics connect with the business? Will they help me to justify future projects and campaigns?

Understanding what you want to achieve on social media is essential for crafting a solid strategy that works for you. These questions are designed to effectively activate your social media efforts, complement the corporate marketing strategy you have in place and guide the way you approach the employee lifecycle going forward. When you have the answers, don’t forget— it’s okay to crawl before you run.