Consistency is key…except it isn’t  

Although the phrase ‘consistency is key’ is frequently applied throughout social media marketing, it’s important to understand the difference between consistency versus repetition and content fatigue. Company profiles should have consistent branding (brand colors, photos, verbiage, and designs) and posting strategies (posting consistently across all active platforms). However, posting the same content across different platforms can lead to repetition, which may leave your audience feeling like they don’t need to follow you on all platforms. Repetition can also cause content fatigue, which is exactly what it sounds like. Content fatigue happens when your audience is over exposed and tired of seeing the same content, which can result in lower engagement. The best way to create a successful employer brand across multiple platforms is to be consistent in branding and messaging, but to experiment and diversify your content to appeal to the specific target demographic per platform.  

Add more channels to your platform palette  

The odds of your target audience only being on one social channel is very low, which means if you aren’t present on multiple platforms, you are more than likely missing candidates. Being active on multiple channels can help increase reach, visibility, and awareness, diversify your engagement, and increase opportunities for creative content. According to Universum’s annual talent survey, students in the United States rank social media as the #1 channel to learn about employers. As touched on previously, because each platform has a slightly different core audience, it is important to change your content to match the interests of the specified target demographics seen on each channel.  

Based on our client experience and data collection, the target demographics and most relevant content per platform consists of: 

Source: SproutSocial, Instagram statistics you need to know for 2023

If you are a global company, there is a little more work that goes into it. Along with being active on the top channels, it is also important that you are targeting and being active on platforms that are relevant to your specific regional markets. Although you may have a larger following in one region, showing current and future employees that you are active on all relevant social media channels will help create a more successful social strategy. 

TikTok is a popular channel that many businesses have been adding into their platform palette because of its vast audience and creative opportunities. Given the fact that there are over a billion users of all ages active on the app, there is a strong chance that your demographic can be found here. While some companies are more comfortable using this channel than others, what many companies don’t know is that with TikTok’s addition of their Ads Manager, businesses do not need to have an active personal profile (although it is recommended by TikTok) to reach their target demographic on this platform. All you need is to create an ad account through Ads Manager and enter all of the required business information. Once you are approved, you can run campaigns just as you normally would on Meta. This gives businesses a way to reach their desired audience without needing to be as involved in the platform itself.   

Listen And Connect With Your Audiences 

One aspect of social media that many companies tend to overlook is the importance of community and reputation management. While being consistent with posting is great, going a step further to frequently respond to comments and reviews builds trust with your audience as it shows that you care about their feedback. Only caring to respond to reviews and comments when your company is flying high or down in the dust will not help the overall reputation of the brand. As mentioned in our previous article ‘First Impressions Matter’, a strong employer reputation can increase employee confidence, build loyalty, and show your current, former, and future employees that their voices matter. 

Gamify your User Generated Content (UGC) 

UGC is any form of content that has been created by users on social media platforms. According to Everyonesocial, 84% of consumerstrust peer recommendations and UGC above content created by brands. Campaigns that incorporate UGC also see a 50% increase in engagement. Utilizing current employees to help highlight your company culture creates an authentic and trustworthy association with your brand. These employees are also known as brand ambassadors. When trying to recruit these individuals, there are a couple of important points to keep in mind. Start with defining your goals and communicate them clearly. Make it easy for employees to understand what your objectives are and think about incentivizing them to participate. Employees will be more willing to volunteer if they know they will receive something in return. 

Here are a few ways to get creative and have your brand ambassadors excited to join in: 

• Internal Competitions: Incentives are EVERYTHING. Turning your objective to collect content into a competition where employees can win a prize or reward if they send in the best content has the potential to increase their participation and engagement. 

• Build a Hashtag Campaign: Creating a hashtag that your employees can use on social media helps bring visibility to your brand and encourages others to participate.   

• Find your Social Media Superstars: See who is sharing your content the most, who has the most engaging networks, and who is posting their own content already. Not only are these members your prime targets, but they can also show you what content works. Get their feedback on current and future content and use them to help promote social media sharing in their own teams! 

Let the data tell the story   

Understanding what your target candidates want is essential when creating a successful Employer Brand social media strategy. Using Universum’s data for both students and professionals will help take your company campaigns and social media presence to the next level. With the use of our data, you’ll have insight into the differences between what talent wants or values in their next opportunity versus what attributes they currently associate with your brand. By understanding how talent perceives you, you’ll be able to better develop campaigns and social strategies that align with what your audiences want to see.