As you might’ve gathered from some of the other results in your search, there’s way more than 10 benefits of social media marketing. Many of the headlines say things like ‘the top 38 benefits of…’ or ‘75 reasons to…’
However, with attention spans now averaging less than that of a goldfish (present company excluded, of course), writing a blog called ‘101 reasons social media marketing is great’ seems a little counterintuitive.
If you’re anything like me, you wouldn’t have gotten much further than point 12 before subconsciously opening Facebook to absentmindedly scroll through your newsfeed, ending up 200 photos deep in your cousin’s album of his recent trip to Mexico before you even realized you’d lost interest.
(I think I may have been a little harsh on Goldfish over the years.)
The point (I promise I have one) is that social media is where people are spending A LOT of their time. In fact, currently the total time spent on social media beats time spent eating and drinking, socializing, and grooming (Source: Social Media Today).
Social media is by no means a new tool for recruitment firms–Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are becoming more and more integral in the recruitment process. But, with 79% of job seekers using social media as part of their job search and not all recruitment firms utilizing social media to its full potential, there seems to be reason to reiterate just how beneficial it really is.
I’ve picked out 10 top benefits of social media marketing for your recruitment firm, just incase you need more convincing:
1. Increased brand awareness
In January 2017 the number of active social media users reached 2.789 billion, 37% of the entire population. (Source: We Are Social.)
With billions of social media users, the pool of job seekers (active AND passive) you could reach is massive. Social media can gain you the kind of exposure firms from years past could only dream of.
2. Humanization of your brand
These days, people care just as much about who they are engaging with as what they are being offered.
Through brand voice, real time interaction, and strategic posting your social media efforts can humanize your brand, allowing candidates to engage with you on a level that fosters a stronger relationship.
It’s a great way to demonstrate your brand values!
3. Increased brand loyalty
When asked what drives brand loyalty, 83% of consumers felt it was about trust and 86% about likability (Source: Social Sprout.)
Through consistent interaction (the ability to respond in real time) and ‘tribe building’, social media engenders trust and makes a brand likable, which means the companies/candidates you’ve worked with previously are more likely to choose you again.
4. Ability to Manage Reputation
One of the first places a dissatisfied candidate/client will go to complain nowadays is social media…whether you are there or not.
This makes being active on social media a huge bonus in terms of being able to monitor what is being said about your firm, and having the ability to proactively respond.
5. Higher conversion rates
According to data from Hubspot, social media lead conversion rates are 13% higher than the average lead conversion rate.
When a candidate sees you are active on social media, they trust you more. The more credibility you have, the more likely they are to choose you.
6. Lower costs
Creating a profile and posting organically is free for most social media platforms (meaning you could have all of the benefits above for almost nothing). Even the paid promotions (more on that next) are a relatively low cost compared to other marketing tactics.
Social media is cheaper than any form of advertising available today. It is one of the only forms of media that can expose you to over 1,000 people for less than $3 (Source: LYFE).
7. Ability to Target Your Advertising
Social media platforms collect various data on their users from their profiles and online activity–things like age, interests, and even salary. This means you can get your ads seen by the exact people you’re trying to target.
Not only that, but you can retarget any candidates that have already landed on your site so that the next time they open their Facebook feed, your ad will pop up as a reminder.
8. Better search engine ranking
According to Blue Fountain Media, 58% of marketers who have been using social media for one year or longer see improved search engine rankings.
By gaining exposure for your website, social media can get you more backlinks and help you to promote relevant content, which will build your authority with Google. So, while social media doesn’t directly increase search engine ranking, it can definitely play a role in getting you to page 1.
9. Target Audience Research
Through social listening, you can learn more about your audience than any survey, questionnaire or general statistics will ever tell you (Source: Sprout Social)
Nowadays you don’t have to spend loads of money getting to know your target audience’s wants and needs. Just take a look at their activity on social media and you’ll glean plenty of information on what brands they engage with and what content resonates with them.
10. Thought Leadership Promotion
Besides search and peer recommendations, B2B buyers consume content from thought leaders when they have to make a purchase (Source: B2C)
Social media is one of the most effective ways to distribute and promote your content. With thought leadership marketing becoming increasingly powerful, getting your content seen is vital if you want to demonstrate your expertise as a way to promote your firm.
The benefits of social media marketing are obvious–it offers you an inexpensive and unobtrusive way to promote your firm. So it really is worth spending time making sure yours is representing your firm the way you want it to.
This list outlines the most important reasons not to ignore social media–if you’d like to discuss how we can boost your social presence, get in touch. We’ll make sure you’re leveraging social media to its fullest advantage in order to get your firm noticed.
