Why Social Media is Your Best Tool for Recruiting

Adi Smith

April 17, 2023
1:25 pm

If you’ve subscribed to our emails or our blogs, you’ve seen more than a few articles about social media. We’ve covered everything from platform updates to algorithm specifics—to even writing a book on it! We’re pretty big fans of social media. We even offer a social media product which helps leaders represent themselves on platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook because we believe in it so much!

But why is social media so important that it takes up that much focus?

Well, in today’s digital world, social media is one of the best tools you have for recruiting.

And the reason for that is simple; people join leaders – not companies.

Most leaders’ ideal avatars are high-performing sales professionals. Not only are they likely to be the people you want to join your team the most, but they’re your competitor’s top pick also. So they are receiving a LOT of recruiting calls. And they are able to be picky with who they choose to join.

So how do you get them to join you instead of your competitors?

This is where social media and having a personal brand come in.

They will get you in front of your ideal recruits and get them to move toward you.

However, social media is often misunderstood. It is seen as either a personal platform or a business platform, when in reality, all social media is both.

What you post should encompass all facets of you – both business and personal.

Recruits can’t get to know you if you only post about what your company offers or if you just talk about business.

Recruits won’t get to know you if you only post reviews from customers.

Recruits won’t know you as a person of value if you don’t show up online.

Recruits won’t turn to you when they want to make a change if they don’t see you as a leader worth following.

But, recruits will turn towards the people that are.

The truth is that by not taking advantage of social media, you’re limiting your reach.

So how can you take advantage of it?

First, look over your profiles and see how you can revamp them.

Make sure you have a professional (and recent!) headshot.
Include a banner photo (this is a great place to add your contact info!)
Include a catchy & descriptive headline.
Make sure you have a bio that encompasses the following:
- Who you are personally
- Who you are professionally
- “I Believe” statements
- How do you help others?
- And all of the ways people can contact you!
Your experience section should be concise – you can consolidate your companies and roles into just one industry experience!

If you need more room or want to add more links, I highly suggest using a tool like Linktree. In addition to adding links to your other social media sites, you also have access to analytics.

Post Often

Another great way to take advantage of social media is to post often about more personal topics. In last month’s blog on crossing the epiphany bridge, Richard discussed the importance of sharing stories to build connections. A great place to share them is on social media.

One of the trends that we’ve seen from our clients is that posts about personal stories get more traction than their other posts. This is because it helps others build connections with us.

Some great content ideas that you can activate are:
Sharing your life story
Sharing your values and beliefs
Sharing the vision you have for your team
Share memories you have with the people that have had the most influence on you
Share your life as it happens
For more ideas, check out Megan’s recent blog post about content generation

Once you get consistent with your social media efforts (which will probably take a few months!), you will notice that more and more people are reaching out to you.

Social media and your personal brand are the foundation of your recruiting success. Invest in them, and you will see the rewards.