From Likes to Hires: The Role of Social Media in Modern Recruiting Strategies
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Quick: what do The Smithsonian, Wal-Mart, and The Milwaukee Public Library all have in common?
They all have an Instagram account, offer some sort of service, product, or mission, and fight for your eyes on social media. From that photo of your dog to a presidential candidate posting a reel, social media is a major part of our lives and communication. But when it comes to how businesses use social media, there can be some unexpected hurdles to clear. Content must be curated to the brand, have a clear call to action, and have to answer one huge question: how do we get from grabbing a customer’s initial engagement to conversion?
It’s a problem I’ve been grappling with myself. As a content creator with over 700 thousand followers, I’ve had plenty of experience turning casual social media users into listeners and, eventually subscribers.
At its base, social media conversion refers to measuring how frequently your social media content starts the process of a conversion event. This can mean downloads, subscriptions, or sales. But what counts as a “successful conversion rate”? I hope you’re sitting for these numbers, and if not, brace yourself: statistically speaking, a “successful conversion rate” is somewhere between 2 and 5 percent.
That feels insanely easy, especially when you’re used to looking at the average conversion rate for newsletters, which sits anywhere from 11 to 12 percent. But the reality is that 2 to 5 percent can be insanely difficult to hit. After all, you’re competing with everyone, from someone sharing that dog photo to a full business account with managers and designers.
I can hear you from here, “Just go viral!” Well, I think you’ve got a few things working against that mentality. For one, it’s not sustainable. Virality is only useful if you can harness it the moment the algorithm promotes your content, and if you don’t have a media conversion plan ready, you’re often just going to be a flash in the pan. Additionally, your overall brand can suffer if you’re only chasing viral content. There’s nothing wrong with using language in your content that will increase its chances of going viral. Still, you can’t completely abandon your personal voice — especially in a field like recruiting, where personal connection is paramount. Let’s face it: applicants have already been getting the corporate boilerplate language from the places they’ve tried to get hired, so they’re looking for something different, something that relates to them, something that makes them feel seen.
If you look at my pages, I keep my tone conversational, my format similar, and my swings big because I’ve noticed that people will show up for my hot-topic content but stay for my consistency and honesty. So, if I had to leave you with any advice to ensure your conversion rate hits that 2 to 5 percent, it would be this:
Have a plan: If and when your content gets noticed, have a real plan to scale. Plan your content, follow your branding, and ensure that you have real, reasonable calls to action so you can scale sustainably.
Be true to your brand: Don’t abandon your brand for one viral moment. Be sure that your overall content stays consistent and take swings that feel like would naturally exist in the scope of content you produce.
Be real. People are looking for honesty, not canned corporate language. So, whether it’s through an in-depth analysis video, an article, or a meme, give them the real stuff.
