Instagram is great for growing your business. It can help you reach out to more potential customers and convert them. But it would be a shame to limit Instagram’s scope only to promoting your product or service. For those who really want to make the most of this platform, endless possibilities await. And recruitment is one with which you can hit the bullseye!

Your Instagram account can be an awesome channel to showcase your internal business culture and pump up your employer branding. And offering nuggets of behind-the-scenes happenings will get you not only under the skin of potential employees but also under the skin of your customers. Showing your human-side will have nothing but benefits. But how do you go about creating a coherent recruitment strategy? And how do you find the right recruits on Instagram?

But first…

 

Reasons to recruit on Instagram

You might be thinking to yourself that there are other networks much more appropriate for recruitment. We bet they are, they were built for that. But employer branding is not built in a sterile environment. It’s built in the now. And the now happens on Instagram. Here is where the sizzle of everyday life leaks.

What’s more, Instagram gives you access to a pool of new range of candidates, which have a totally different mindset. Your kind of mindset. And you can attract them by showing off your true, genuine side.

Listen, nowadays everybody’s searching for a place to belong. A place where they can do meaningful work and feel happy. And that won’t show on your LinkedIn profile. That will show in your office lifestyle, beliefs and the huffs and puffs of every day. And that’s exactly why you should give Instagram a shot and a real recruitment strategy.

 

Now, let’s get down to the “how to”

 

Promote your company culture

If you want to use Instagram as a recruitment tool, then you need to put in some long-term effort. Or at least some witty thought into your overall content strategy. The best solution is to balance your promo content with some behind-the-scenes posts that talk about your values and company culture.

Thus, when creating your initial brand strategy, draft a plan about how to incorporate some well-targeted posts that are aimed at boosting employer branding. Go for a diversity of content types and balance photos with videos, with a ratio of more Instagram Stories to feed posts. Here are some ideas for content that can go into your strategy:

  1. Showcase your people: don’t be afraid to boast about how proud you are of your employees and their achievements; also, put them in the spotlight when it’s time to celebrate them and to always celebrate their uniqueness.
  2. Caption the goodies: whatever benefits your business offers to employees, flaunt them (with modesty) by putting them in context. Does your office have a coolish design? Do you bring your employees a fresh fruit basket every day? Do you offer them free workshops? Turn these benefits into posts or Instagram Stories!
  3. Promote internal events: from conferences to workshops and team buildings snap-shots, select the best frames and turn them into Instagram content.

As you can see, there are tons of happenings and ideas you can turn into employer branding content. That’s exactly why you need a strategy. Don’t go posting everything and all things. That won’t get you anywhere. Instead, focus on your core values and create a coherent image of what it means to work at your business.

 

Select your recruitment hashtags carefully

First and foremost, think long and hard about your branded hashtags. Then, start to grow them. If they’ll be catchy enough, they will soon be picked up and reach their goals. Once they do, the content you post by using them will become the cornerstones for your brand. One main strategy is to encourage your employees to use your company hashtags whenever posting something related to it. Don’t force them! However, suggest it subtlety. Because all the goodies and nice happenings at your business will look much more credible coming from a 3rd party.

Also, you can narrow your target audience by using specific hashtags that are preferred by people looking for a job. Sure, you can throw in a #newjob or #hiring hashtag, but try to diversify and hit hashtags that are more niche. Cisco is doing a very nice job at employer branding and using hashtags such as #LoveWhereYouWork.

Another strategy is to go looking for candidates yourself by accessing specific hashtags. Need a few ideas on what to search? We’ve got plenty: #recruitment, #jobhunting, #hireme, #lookingforajob.

 

Create job posting ads

While employer branding should be your main focus on Instagram, you shouldn’t exclude ads. These could actually hit their target well if you think creatively enough. Remember, a formal, straight job posting won’t get you anywhere. But a funky, well-crafted ad will put you in front of the people with whom you’d like to work with.

To create a different kind of job ad, think Instagram Stories. This format will give you more freedom and will allow you to play out your authentic side.

Of course, you’ll need to adapt all ads to fit your aesthetics and tone of voice. Keep it fun, but also keep it true to who you are. It’s not bad to be a little serious (some things must be this way), but don’t do it as a strategy.

 

Get started

Recruitment on Instagram is not a one-time campaign. To succeed, you must throw this idea in the recycle bin. Recruitment on Instagram is about employer branding and what your company is truly about. It should be fun, it should be appealing, it should be revealing. And, it should bring you joy!

Though we’ve only begun to scratch the surface of employer branding, these strategies are great to get you started. So start drafting your plan and don’t forget that Preppr is here to help you out!

Start your 10-day Free Trial

Author

Ilona Iftode is a copywriter with a taste for adventure. She lives to write, travel and explore new concepts in the realms of advertising, marketing, SEO and beyond.

Comments are closed.