Building Your Employer Brand through Social Media

Strategic employers are increasingly investing in their employer brand to attract top STEM talent. With 75 percent of candidates looking into companies’ reputations before even clicking on the apply button, employers are learning they need to proactively put their best foot forward – before they start to actively advertise job openings and engage with candidates.¹ Social media continues to be a fast, cost-effective, and easy way to promote your business to attract STEM talent in an increasingly volatile labor market. Below are some simple steps you can take to promote your business as a great place to work:

Set positive guidelines: First things first,establish social media best practices and provide them to your entire organization. Rather than taking a ‘this is what you CAN’T do’ approach, give employees suggestions and ‘pro-tips’ that improve their social media presence and even elevate their professional image.² Encourage them to be smart about using social media so that they can avoid legal pitfalls and backlash, and update your employee handbook (if you haven’t already) to clearly define the company’s position and recommended best practices. Show your trust in them as brand ambassadors by encouraging them to list the company as their employer on their personal social media pages, like and follow corporate pages, and giving them hashtags (#companyxgives, #companyxpups, etc.) that highlight the best your employment brand has to offer.

Take time to be responsive: A successful social media and employer branding strategy is an engaging one that inspires comments and questions about your company. This back and forth is the payoff for all the loving creation and curation of your social media posts, so don’t leave people hanging. ¹ Engaging in an open dialogue earns you the most coveted marketing tool today: word of mouth. Take the time to respond to comments and likes. Personalize your answers whenever possible to show that your social media presence is authentic and trust-worthy.

Create share-worthy moments: Participate in activities employees want to share with their networks. The key is to create post-worthy moments that are meaningful, accessible, and fun. Work milestones, community involvement, and team building activities are prime opportunities for your employees to show how great it is to work at your organization. ³ There’s also a lot to be gained from inviting employees to share their passions or hobbies. Give them the chance to give and receive kudos on your corporate social media platforms and share aspects of their day-to-day work life. And remember, you can never go wrong with #petphotos!

Leverage social sharing: In the same way employers Google prospective hires, STEM job seekers routinely use social media to see what lies beneath that brilliant logo, heartfelt inclusivity and diversity statement, and slick website. Candidates are looking to see what your company culture is really like, making your employees your best social media recruiters. Candidates trust their peers and friends, and if your employees are saying your organization is a great place to work, their networks are much more likely to believe it.

Want to know more about using your employment brand to reach qualified STEM talent? AllSTEM is here to help!

1. Social Media Recruiting: How to Promote Employer Brand on Social Media, Anja Zojceska (03/12/18) https://www.talentlyft.com/en/blog/article/115/social-media-recruiting-how-to-promote-employer-brand-on-social-media
2. 20 Must-Have Guidelines For Employee Social Media, Sarah Goodall (02/26/16) https://www.business2community.com/social-media/20-must-guidelines-employee-social-media-01468373
3. 8 Employee Advocacy Examples, MarketingHub (11/19/18) https://influencermarketinghub.com/8-employee-advocacy-examples/