Marketing Your Business on Social Media

​To get noticed on social media, you must be active. If any profile on any platform sits stagnant, you might as well not have the profile. Google uses bots called web crawlers to find new content on websites 24/7. If they hit your site and find nothing new, they take longer to return to your site. These algorithms work similarly in many of the social media platforms. So, if you do nothing, you get nothing.

Sharing information on social media gives you a chance to show your thought leadership. In fact, this is one of the four reasons why businesses use social media. The other three are brand awareness, sales or lead generation, and customer support or advocacy. Blogs and LinkedIn are great places to share your business-related thoughts. Also, consider looking at social media or blog posts made by job seekers. This could potentially connect you to your next new employee!

Getting Started

Suggested practice for marketing is to post when your customers are viewing your target platforms. For example, a tutoring company might post to Facebook or Instagram at lunchtime, or after school as parents are picking up kids or waiting for them at practices.

When looking for a new employee, your prime time to post might be first thing in the morning or at lunch time. That is when most job seekers are likely to begin looking. Employees who are not satisfied with their current position usually look before or after work or over lunch breaks.

When looking for a new employee, consider posting things like:

• Employee achievements.
• Training opportunities provided to employees.
• Company growth outlooks.
• Infographics relating to your industry or jobs at your company.
• Questions in forums.
• Questions in LinkedIn groups.

How often should posts go out? Remember that it takes five to seven times for someone to remember seeing your name. It takes as many as 21 times for someone to act after seeing your name. This comes from Marketing 101.

On many social media channels, people do not see every post from people they follow. The more connections a person has in a network, the more posts they can potentially see. If you are actively seeking a new employee, try to share or participate in some way three to five times a week. On Twitter, try to post more frequently, as many people don't scroll back as far in their feed.

Watch for posts in which you or your company are tagged. Potential employees could be trying to gain your attention. You may not have an open position at the time, but you can keep those people on your short-list.

Dos and Don'ts

Whatever you post on social media, keep these points in mind:

Do:

• 
  Keep it professional – Or at least on message.
• 
  Be consistent – If it is once a week, post once a week.
• 
  Stay on target – Keep your brand in mind.
• 
  Be mindful of your audience – Who is reading, job seekers or customers.

Don't:

• Overshare – Don't share too much information. For more information about what this means, see our
  Oversharing article. Also, certain platforms allow more frequent posts. Be aware of where you are posting.
• Forget that you have a social presence. To attract the right audience, you must be present.

Overall, what you share should show that you are staying current in your field. It should not make any potential employee second-guess whether your company is a fit for them.

Next Steps

If you're looking for more information on business marketing, you can find some in the Publications & Business Guides section of DCEO's website.