Using Social Media to AMPLIFY Your Recruitment Business: AAFA Nashville Recap
Founded in 1978, the American Association of Finance and Accounting (AAFA) is a network of recruiting firms specializing in the staffing of finance and accounting professionals. This year, AAFA held their three-day annual meeting in Nashville, Tennessee, and I had the honour of speaking at the Owner Track on how they can use social media to amplify their recruitment business.
Read on for actionable takeaways from my presentation:
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF SOCIAL MEDIA FOR THE RECRUITMENT INDUSTRY?
Not only can social help build your business’ credibility and reputation online, these platforms also increase job visibility to attract quality candidates, and open up avenues for reach and engagement with your community.
With 91% of businesses using social media, it's to your advantage to do it right in order to stand out from the competition online.
HOW DO YOU INTEGRATE SOCIAL MEDIA INTO YOUR BUSINESS?
With these simple steps:
1. Social media is a part of your marketing strategy
2. Integrate social into your marketing plan
3. Empower your team to use social media effectively in their roles
SOCIAL MEDIA & YOUR WEBSITE
Are your social media accounts linked on your website? It’s a symbiotic relationship: if you drive traffic to social, social will drive traffic back to your company website. Make sure icons are clearly displayed on your website that link back to all your social channels.
SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT: WHAT TO SHARE & SHOW
Client testimonials
Your business, areas of expertise, and team
External news
Job postings
VIDEO CONTENT
Did you know...
Videos under two minutes in length get the most engagement
33% of viewers stop watching a video after 30 seconds, 45% by one minute, and 60% by two minutes
85% of Facebook videos are watched without sound, while 60% of Instagram Stories are watched with sound
INCREASE ENGAGEMENT
Before posting, ask yourself:
Are you sharing content that people will want to like, comment and share?
Are you posting and ghosting?
SOCIAL MEDIA DOS & DON’TS
DON'T...
Announce job titles without a proper caption.
Share unflattering, blurry or low-res photos.
Publish personal updates on professional accounts or content that doesn’t align with your brand.
Post boring content with no call-to-action.
DO...
Create great captions that educate, empower and inform your followers with clear CTAs. When in doubt, re-share!
Post quality imagery of content your audience wants to see: pets, people, places.
Make sure your channels all have a coherent look. Post consistently and frequently…but not TOO frequently.
Use mix media! Video content is reshaping digital advertising.
HOW TO MEASURE SOCIAL MEDIA SUCCESS
Engagement
Website traffic
Target audience reach (demographics)
Growth
IN SUMMARY: THE OUTCOMES OF EFFECTIVE SOCIAL MEDIA
Grow brand awareness
Increase web traffic
Stand out from the competition online
Showcase company culture and brand personality to acquire top talent
A question I often hear from business owners: “Should I just hire someone to take care of social media for me?”
If you’re wondering the same thing and are ready to refine your social media strategy…
ABOUT ME
Since my time at the University of Iowa, one of the first few schools to be on Facebook, I have been an early adopter of social media. After 15 years of using this platform, I want to bring social media back to the roots: as a place to connect, update and share. When I started working with financial advisors in 2010, social media wasn't really being used for business yet. I therefore created the opportunity for traditional businesses to use these digital platforms. These tips are based on reviewing many recruitment firms' profiles and the key things I believe every business should know about social media in order to use it in the most effective and efficient way.