Posting job ads and waiting for suitable applications? Those days are over in many sectors. Companies should know their values and use them to build their employer brand. With relevant content on the appropriate social media channels, they create touchpoints on the candidate journey. Social CEOs and committed corporate influencers strengthen the employer brand.

People who want to change careers usually plan their move carefully. This includes thoroughly researching the potential employer in advance. In addition to job advertisements and websites, their social media channels are an important source of information.

Applicants typically search for their new employer and future colleagues on the social networks they regularly and enjoy using.

In some professions, there has long been an employee market. Companies that have little or no presence on social media seem to have little fear of the skills shortage. If you are looking for IT specialists or consultants, nurses or tradespeople, you have to make an effort as an employer. But how can you stand out from your competitors as a company? You need to build a distinctive employer brand, i.e. employer branding.

The employer brand authentically conveys which values are lived in the company. The values and strengths of the company can be conveyed particularly clearly with human faces. This is why the strategy of establishing committed corporate influencers as brand ambassadors has proven to be successful.
This works particularly well when a social CEO is present on social media and courageously engages with new things. Ideally, the topic will spread top-down, provided that the management is convinced of social media and sets a good example. However, a grassroots movement can also be successful.

First the strategy, then funny dance videos

Anyone who plunges into employer branding without a strategy should not be surprised if the desired success does not materialize. Before launching on one or more social media platforms, a thorough analysis is essential. This includes defining and understanding the target group.

Demographic criteria such as age, gender and level of education play a role here. With regard to social media, it is also important to find out what language people speak and what formats they prefer. By language, for example, we mean youth language as opposed to more technical or serious language. As far as formats are concerned, possible preferences of video over images or longer texts compared to infographics should be explored.

On average, younger people prefer short videos and stories to long texts. Your specific target group may well differ from this, which is why I recommend working with personas. It is also a good idea to experiment with different formats in a trial and error process.

Target group: Where are you?

Which platforms should companies use to strengthen their employer brand? Surely traditional professional networks such as XING and LinkedIn seem predestined for this? With around 20 million users each in the DACH region, these channels are undoubtedly important. Many people use them to keep in touch with current or former colleagues - and to reorient themselves professionally.

But how useful is it for companies to be active on LinkedIn or XING if they are looking for trainees, dual students or young talent in general? Teenagers and young adults do not necessarily already have a LinkedIn profile. And even if they do, they may only be active on the business platforms sporadically.

As soon as you can pinpoint your target group, you should find out where they are most likely to hang out. For the under-25 age group in particular, it makes sense to take a closer look at platforms such as TikTok, Twitch, Instagram and Snapchat.

The employer brand should deliver what it promises

Answer one important question at your company before you get off to a flying start with social recruiting on one of these colorful platforms. Do the corporate culture and how you communicate within the company match the external image? In other words: If entertaining employees in the TikTok challenge suggest that they understand fun, ideally the managers will also have a sense of humor.

Example video: Microsoft "Unexpected Jobs"

But it's about more than just a positive working atmosphere. Potential employees also want to assess the purpose of their work through the employer's attitude. To do this, they want to see how committed their future employer is to diversity, inclusion and sustainability. They question the rules of mobile working and want to know whether the health of employees is taken into account and whether the work-life balance is discussed. These and other topics are now just as important as salary and benefits.

If you want to attract the next generation, you have to get up early

When taking a strategic look at your target group, you should think a little further ahead. If companies repeatedly offer suitable touchpoints via social media and their blog, this pays off for their employer brand in the long term. The candidate journey of a potential employee does not just begin when they are actively looking for a new job - or are dissatisfied in their current position. Those who succeed in getting pupils and students interested in their own content will benefit later on when looking for junior staff.

Should all bank board members now dance to TikTok challenges and put on fake ears on Snapchat? Neither the management nor individual employees should be forced to be happy. Only those who recognize the advantages of a platform and enjoy it can credibly strengthen the employer brand there.

TikTok, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter - or just one channel?

The choice of social media platform(s) should be made strategically. It is particularly important to consider the objectives and target groups as well as the personnel resources or budget for external support. Particularly if the budget is tight, it is advisable to use only one or two platforms instead of being represented everywhere indiscriminately or, better still, lovelessly.

Once a decision has been made, it does not have to remain valid forever. Regular performance reviews are essential. This includes the question of whether the target group continues to use the platform. Ten years ago, there were significantly more young people on Facebook than there are today. It can be observed time and again that platforms "age" over time. For example, Instagram initially had a majority of users under the age of 25. Nowadays, you can also find many silver surfers over the age of 60 on the platform.

How do I find suitable content for my employer branding?

Do you know the problem? Does your management think that the demanding and complex training profession is difficult to explain in a 60-second video or infographic? What they really mean is that the investment in social media is not really worth it.

There are indeed topics and products that are particularly demanding and complex. However, this only means that more creativity is required to convey the content clearly. You can offer the knowledge in easily digestible units as "snackable content". Sometimes it's the "5 facts" and other times an employee opens her office door and gives exclusive insights. The honest look behind the scenes is priceless.

Apprentices or trainees can also show their everyday life in the company in a follow-me-around. There are few limits to the imagination. And don't forget what Albert Einstein once said so aptly: "If you can't explain it to a six-year-old, you don't understand it yourself."

Sophisticated content planning and dedicated community management

Content planning should be geared towards the needs of the target group. The content must be authentic, i.e. it must also fit the company. The more precisely you know your target group, the better you can offer them your content. If you talk about photovoltaics in a technically correct way, even though visitors to your channels are searching for "solar system", you are giving away potential contact points.

Committed community management at eye level is also important. This is how you win the hearts and minds of readers and fans. You also get the algorithm to give you more visibility through the interactions.

One thing should not be forgotten when it comes to employer branding and social recruiting. Your own employees are also an important target group for your social media channels. Strengthening their loyalty can be just as crucial as recruiting new team members. Loyal and happy employees are also happy to be contacts for applicants. People who find out about a potential new employer usually browse their contacts in business networks such as LinkedIn or XING. If a direct contact or a second-degree relationship works at the company, it makes sense to ask this person.

Checking the employer brand with smart success monitoring

In order to justify the resources spent on social media, regular monitoring of success is essential. It is therefore also advisable to check how many applications (and hires) can be attributed to a particular platform or campaign. How good were these candidates and how long did they stay with the company? If it turns out that an above-average number of employees resign during their probationary period, there may be various reasons for this. One possible explanation could be that the employer brand previously communicated and the reality of day-to-day company life do not match.

Social recruiting: no more "post and pray"

At the time when job advertisements were the only way to attract new employees, there was the phrase "Post and Pray". The ad was placed and now it was time to wait. Ideally, many applications should be received, but not too many - and the right candidates should be among them.

Today, it is clear that more needs to be done due to the shortage of skilled workers. Social recruiting and active sourcing should also reach so-called latent job seekers. These can be reached particularly well with the help of internal brand ambassadors. If they share job applications in their network, this increases the visibility of the company. It is also a credible recommendation. Anyone who is dissatisfied with their employer and has perhaps already internally resigned will only recommend the job to friends and acquaintances if they are very spiteful.

Positioning the company as an expert and contact for specialist topics also helps with recruiting. Anyone who regularly reads the company's posts and keeps up to date with news will also be more likely to notice the job advertisements. The algorithms of social media channels ensure that we see more content from those channels that we are already interested in.