Establishing Your Business' Presence on Social Media

​Businesses establish a presence based on the type of product or service they offer. For example, a restaurant or dry cleaner may use platforms like Facebook and Yelp. On the other hand, a manufacturer may use LinkedIn because that is where their audience is.

This means that you may want to select the platforms that a potential employee would use. For example, a great customer who follows your business on your primary social media platform might become your next hire or know someone who might be the perfect fit.

Let's address a few of the factors and the major platforms that you could use to find a new employee. If you would like more information on the platforms useful to hiring new employees, check out our worksheets that discuss each one or read our article on Recruiting for Your Business. You can find these worksheets in the Documents section of this article.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the platform that most employers use to look for more professional candidates. Share links to your job listings on your Company page, then to your own profile on LinkedIn.

To set up a LinkedIn company profile, you must have an email address at your company domain – e.g. mary@illinoisworknet.com. Follow these instructions to set up a company page.

Facebook

Facebook is a platform where your personal connections may be your best resource. Often, employers provide bonuses to employees who suggest new hires if the new hire stays for a certain amount of time. Post links to your open positions on your Facebook company page, then share them with your personal connections to see if your network might make a recommendation to you.

To set up a Facebook Business account, follow the instructions on this page.

Twitter

Twitter is a great search tool for recruiting because posting there is free, and it is easily scannable. Unlike Facebook, you can create more than one Twitter account. You can post links to open positions to a Twitter account focused on hiring. i.e. @workNetHires

To create a Twitter account, follow the instructions on this page.

Industry Associations

Consider joining industry associations or chambers of commerce. Completely fill out any profile information that is available to you. These organizations often provide free listing opportunities as a part of your membership dues. However, chambers of commerce and industry associations work differently. In chambers, the applicants are considered hyper-local. For national organizations, on the other hand, your reach to potential employees may be far greater.

Other Tips

Don't spread yourself too thin. You will need to maintain any profiles that you create. If you change your branding, remember to change it everywhere.

When you hire the new employee, don't forget to take down listings. Keep profiles up-to-date so the next time you need to hire, the information is correct about your company. Overall, use social media as a networking opportunity. Read about networking with social media in our Networking article.