In a world in which the internet has made us increasingly connected, and increasingly globalised, “information about you is out there, whether you want it or not,” Rachele Focardi, Senior Vice President APAC, Universum Global, told
HRD.
The wealth of information available online means that your employer branding exists even if you aren’t managing it: “All employers have an employer brand. Even if they don’t actively control it, it exists and it influences whether or not students and young professionals choose to work with them,” Focardi explained.
This means that an organisation's senior leaders need to prioritise cultivating a strong employer branding online, and social media plays an integral part of this.
“Going on social media can be scary, but the reality is, you already have gone digital,” Focardi said.
“With the vast amount of information available online, talent has a lot more to base their decisions on, and [that] more means power.
“In fact, talent might have already made up their mind about an organization and what it is like to work there even before getting any direct contact,” she added.
Social media, according to Focardi, is no longer pioneering – its where talent expects organisations to be.
The need for organisations to engage via social media requires a well-thought out strategy, Focardi told
HRD - one that is consistent across channels, and that centres around content that is data-led, human and purposeful.
“Every post needs to speak and breath the organization’s EVP, and the stories need to be authentic, and come from within.
“It is also imperative that social media be taken as a full time commitment; it is dangerous to have someone with limited experience working with it part-time.
“The content has to be constantly updated, reach and engagement need to be monitored, and posts and comments need to be immediately addressed.
“Being on social media and doing it wrong is like inviting people to a mediocre party where very few people show up and then talk about it to everyone, it is better not to have the party at all.”
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