A leading survey found over 80 percent of recruiters and staffing agencies preferred social media as a channel for recruitment compared to traditional recruitment techniques. For hiring quality talent and closing difficult positions, the recruitment team preferred employee referrals and social media tools such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter over traditional methods of recruitment such as job boards and bulk mails. Â
 Â
Innovative methods such as social recruiting continues to gain prominence, and give greater performance output compared to traditional techniques, which are yielding mediocre results. Despite the increase in social media platforms and users, many businesses and recruiters don’t have a clear strategy on how to leverage social to meet hiring goals and make it a part of the recruitment strategy.Â
 Â
Here are some tips to implement when designing your social media recruitment strategy:Â
 Â
Analyse Which Social Channel Delivers Better Results
Â
Find out which platform is most popular among your potential candidates? Which is your target market and how do you plan to attract them? The size of the platform does not necessarily guarantee talent availability and access. Also, consider how you want to connect with your candidates. Design proactive methods to gain an audience with your talent people and be consistently in their eyeline. Use social to cultivate and nurture relationships with prospective talent. Â
 Â
Create A Strong Company Brand Via Your Social Presence
Â
Company branding is not just a symbol or name. Branding should incorporate multiple touch-points. These touch-points include; logo, customer service, treatment and training of employees, packaging, advertising, stationery, and quality of products and services. Any means by which the general public comes into contact with a specific brand constitutes a touch-point that can affect perceptions of the corporate brand.Â
 Â
Use Social Channels To Accurately Portray Company Culture
Â
It is a must to have a presence in all popular social channels. Use social channels to create awareness of company culture. Include a welcome video and a message from the CEO to engage users. Provide a glimpse into the workplace setup and office layout so that potential applicants can visualize what work is like in your company. Inform them about career opportunities and projects to attract and engage talent.Â
 Â
Optimize Engagement From Users
Â
Success of a digital campaign is dependent on user engagement. Engagement can be measures with likes, follows and shares. This principle is relevant in social recruiting as well. Building a talent pool is more challenging than creating a network of followers. Consider engaging talent by directing them to your company career portal or employment opportunities section. Post content that capture talent data and generate qualified leads. The people who interact are likely the most interested in your company, and by capturing information you can save a potential candidate’s information, even if you dont have a current requirement.Â
 Â
Personalize Your Approach
Eventually, to continue building your digital talent pool, you will have to connect with people you haven’t interacted with. As an employer, recruitment manager, HR manager, or staffing agency take time to connect with talent who have a genuine interest in your company. Engage in personal conversation when appropriate; you never know who might turn into your next employee!Â
 Â
Include Videos In Your Digital Strategy
Â
 Mobile and video are increasingly popular in the social mix and will need to form a big part of your strategy. Videos help add authenticity to your company’s brand and image and will also increase awareness. With many job seekers utilizing their mobile phones for information and employment opportunities, make sure your social media messages, videos, engagement and links are mobile friendly!Â