Today almost all businesses can benefit from using social media to promote their products and services, strengthen their brand identity and increase customer engagement.
However, when it comes to deciding who should run their social media channels, many businesses are left flummoxed.
Whilst the majority would say the marketing department, as it seems to make the most sense, it is worth considering the benefits of a joint effort between both your marketing department and HR department when it comes to social media management.
Social media for recruitment
Not only can social media be used by businesses for advertising purposes, but it also has a significant role to play in the recruitment process. It is this area in which both your marketing and HR departments can collaborate to generate the most effective results for your business.
Strengthening your employer brand
Forming an alliance between HR and marketing will help you to achieve the most beneficial results from your social media channels.
Social media channels are great for strengthening your employer brand and making your business more appealing to potential employees. Encouraging your marketing and HR departments to work together on creating an effective employer brand will prove extremely beneficial. Whilst your HR team will have a clear idea of how they want the company to be presented to potential candidates and what values they want to portray, your marketing department will have the skills, knowledge and resources of how to get the word out effectively. They will understand how to tailor your brand messages and values in a way that will appeal to potential candidates and generate the highest levels of interest.
Advertising job vacancies
Social media channels like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are all great for advertising job vacancies. Effective collaboration between your marketing and HR departments will ensure that the right job vacancies are advertised to the right people. It will be the job of your HR team to produce the job vacancy ad and description and supply it to your marketing team. They will then be able to use the information to decide on the best social media platform to advertise it and how best to drum up interest in the vacancy and increase the number of applications.
Creating and maintaining a talent pool
Talent pools are a popular resource used for effective workforce planning. Creating a talent pool not only involves engaging with potential future employees for your business so you can fill roles quickly but maintaining professional relationships with those prospective candidates to ensure they remain interested in working for your business. One of the best ways a business can create and maintain an effective talent pool is through using social media. When it comes to creating and maintaining a talent pool for your business, a collaborative effort between your HR and marketing departments will be essential. Whilst your HR department will have identified the talent and initiated the relationship, your marketing department will be responsible for maintaining the relationship by engaging with individuals via social media. Not only will frequent interaction be required in order to maintain a good relationship with prospective candidates, but also valuable content that will appeal to them and make your company more attractive as an employer.
Conclusion
When it comes to running your brand’s social media channels, it does not have to be a case of deciding between your HR and marketing department. If you want to achieve the best possible results, it is highly recommended that you encourage both departments to work collaboratively. Both departments can contribute a great deal towards your business’s social media channels, especially when it comes to managing and improving the recruitment process.
The HR Booth can offer advice on the use of social media in business, and or course advises on and provide important documents like a social media policy. Give Alistair a call on 01383 668178 for great advice the won’t break the bank.