In Ochre House and Pinstripe’s recent social media and employer branding webinar, we asked respondents whether they were using social media as part of their attraction strategy and 81% said that yes they were. However despite the majority using social media tools for recruitment, only 27% said that they put considerable emphasis on social media and just 28% had a dedicated resource within their business to manage social media. That’s despite the fact that according to the Department of Work and Pensions 14% of businesses are worried they’ll miss out on good candidates through not using social media, so it seems we have some way to go in terms of embracing it fully.

When it comes to using social media for recruitment it’s vital to have a strategy in place, however 45% of our respondents didn’t. Many people don’t know where to start when it comes to social media but it’s important to figure out what you want to achieve and how you’re hoping to do that before you embark on your social media journey.

Follow the POST method – think about People, Objectives, Strategy and Technology.

Who are you trying to reach and what social media spaces do they occupy?
What are you trying to accomplish?
How will your strategy develop and grow in the long term?
And what tools will you use to do this?

It’s important to follow these guidelines – there is no point in using Facebook for your HR needs if your target audience isn’t using it. Your strategy should determine what social media sites will be most effective although this often requires some research. 39 to 45 year olds are the biggest users of Twitter – is this your target group? If so, dig deeper and see if there are many prolific tweeters in your specific sector. If the answer again is yes, then that may be a tool you need to be using.

Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are undoubtedly the ‘big 3’ when it comes to social media. With users in the millions they all have different uses and potential for engagement, however make sure your strategy covers exactly how you’re going to use them. Joining up and getting a few fans / friends / followers / connections is only the first step. And a business with an inactive social media page or account can look worse than no web 2.0 presence at all. It’s all about establishing relationships with people, listening, talking and engaging. Try as much as possible to be authentic and remember that people follow people; a face is much easier to identify with than a corporate logo.

Success with social media will not happen overnight – building up a following and engaging with people takes time and effort, or in other words: dedication. Who will manage your social media presence? Will one person be in charge of it, or will different team members manage different aspects of the campaign? These are just some of the questions that need to be asked if your strategy is going to work effectively.

In terms of monitoring and measuring social media, as it’s a relatively new tool it’s good to protect your company by implementing a staff policy in place to outline acceptable behaviour when it comes to social media and the ramifications of what certain actions could lead to. However when it comes to social media the big question is around those three letters: ROI.

How can you measure success?

It all comes back to your strategy – what did you set out to achieve? Social media could be measured in terms of numbers, like how many Twitter followers you have gained. It could be aligned with specific outcomes like how quickly you fill an open requirement. Or it could be measured in business Results for example the relationships you have established. Because it’s a new medium new ways of assessing impact of social media are being developed all the time, but as social media expert James Falls says: “The problem with trying to determine ROI for social media is you are trying to put numeric quantities around human interactions and conversations, which are not quantifiable.” And you also have to ask yourself what is your ROI – return on ignoring a space in which your customers and competitors are already operating?

Social media is constantly changing and evolving but the only way to keep up is to give it a go – if something doesn’t work, assess why, make some changes and try again. And remember that it’s not a replacement for traditional tools, just another one to add to your belt. However adapting to this technology integration is key if you want to succeed in the next generation of HR and recruitment. It’s positive to see that many companies are doing so; but as our polls showed, there is still a way to go yet.