How Social Media Can Help Your Business and Customers

​It takes a person seeing your company name 5-7 times to remember that they have seen it. It can take as many as 21 times for someone to follow a call to action. With that said, marketing your company is one of the ways to increase the likelihood of a person acting on that call. One of the most cost-effective ways to market your business while promoting a product or searching for a new employee is through social media. There are several benefits to consider when using social media in your marketing activities.

First, understand that when seeking a new employee to fill a job, you are selling the position to a potential new employee. Consider these basic benefits to marketing with social media:

• Cost
  
• Thought Leadership
  
• Brand Awareness
  
• Customer Support or Advocacy
  
• Sales or Lead Generation
  

How do these apply to your search for a new employee?

Cost

Understand that the major social platforms we recommend using cost the same to sign up. This applies whether you are a small local business with no budget, or a Fortune 500 company that employs 200 in its marketing department.

99% of social media platforms let anyone create an account at no cost. All of them sell advertising. This is where bigger companies might have an advantage and use advertising dollars more effectively. As a small business owner looking for a new employee, you can use certain strategies to recruit efficiently. Follow the tips in our article on Establishing Your Business' Presence.

Thought Leadership

When looking for a new employee, watch for individuals on social platforms who express their informed opinions about keywords and topics relevant to the career field in which your job is posted. These individuals may be able to solve your problems as a new hire.

Blogs are a good place to express opinions. Another good platform to use to express "Thought Leadership" is LinkedIn. Read more in our Marketing Your Business on Social Media article.

Brand Awareness

When posting a new position, job seekers often spend as much time checking out your company as you do checking references for that person. Businesses promoting an open position should include information about company culture and how current employees enjoy working at your business. Be sure to be consistent with message and appearance. Read more about branding in our article on Branding Your Business for Hiring.

Customer Support or Advocacy

Utilize customer support within the new hire arena. Consider phone calls and follow-ups as the primary aspects of customer support when it applies to the hiring of a new employee. Employers need to follow-up and provide feedback when promised. When seeking a new employee, consider filtering posts on social media to look for posts from people seeking employment.

Sales or Lead Generation

For new hire purposes, lead generation is what it is all about. You may not find the perfect employee through a job board like Career Builder, Monster, or Indeed. Instead, online and face-to-face networking may help you find the perfect match.

For more information, look at the tips in our Networking article.

Other Benefits

Other benefits that vary by user include:

• Mobility – You can manage many of the social media platforms from a smartphone, tablet, or laptop.
• Advertising – The user sets the limits for advertising.
• Flexibility – The user selects which platforms work best for that type of user depending on their needs.
• Visual appeal – Social media is a very visual type of marketing. It includes text, photos, video, audio, and the like. Overall, the multimedia aspect of social media makes it a great marketing tool,
• Spontaneity – In-the-moment give you the ability to sell your achievements with the click of a mouse or a tap of the finger.