There are myriad ways to improve your employer brand, but for the time and effort you will expend, it’s hard to beat the returns possible by focusing on LinkedIn. LinkedIn has 610 million members in total and 303 million active users per month, 40% of which visit it daily. Even more important, a full 27% of Americans use LinkedIn, and that figure would be much higher if it only included Americans of career age. Ready to make the most of LinkedIn as an employer brand-building platform? Here are 5 ways to do it!
- Showcase What Candidates Want, Especially Millennials
Millennials are not only the generation that accounts for the largest percentage of today’s workforce, but they are also the most active on social media, including LinkedIn. Deloitte’s 2019 Global Millennial Survey reveals quite a bit about what attracts them to potential employers and what deters them. More than their predecessors, this generation values experiences and the ability to make positive impacts on society and their communities. They are skeptical of the profit motive and prefer employers who show interest in causes and people. So use the LinkedIn platform and tools to show how your company and employees engage with and help one another, and the community. They are also interested in product and service innovation, travel opportunities with work, and creative ways that companies enhance the quality of life for employees.
Millennials are quick to exit jobs that don’t offer competitive salaries, advancement opportunities, recognition for strong performance, and a variety of challenges in their work. They want to be appreciated and excited, so use the methods and tools below to match your company’s strengths to what they want.
- Encourage Employees to Engage on LinkedIn
Think of LinkedIn as a window that candidates have into your organization. Through it, they hope to see the passion in your employees for your work, products, and services. You can showcase that passion by having internal influencers who publish content in the form of long-form blog posts and answer questions related to the industry in LinkedIn Groups. Ask other employees to chime in by liking the content, sharing news and perspectives, and engaging with one another.
- Help to Produce Voice-of-the-Employee Content
LinkedIn users are especially interested in the voices and experiences of your employees. Share your company’s story through employees’ perspectives. Consider shooting videos showcasing the intellectual stimulation of a marketing strategy session or the many learning and professional development opportunities available. Ask employees to submit photos of the most exciting moments in their daily work, or the thrill of a big accomplishment. If your company is socially aware and involved in the community, use multimedia to display this compelling facet of your company.
- Use Sponsored Content
Just like Google Ads let brands proactively target consumers, LinkedIn sponsored content – the ads that run on the LinkedIn feed across devices – lets employers capture talent interest by extending reach beyond company followers. You can use it to drive targeted candidate pools to see the content on your company page including videos, employee testimonials, and blogs. These should showcase what it’s like to work at your company and focus on compelling people and their positive employee experiences.
Video is especially helpful, because it draws viewers in at high rates, is shareable on other social platforms, and can be used to promote your employee diversity. Consider producing videos of different employees talking about their experiences and suggesting that candidates explore your listed job opportunities. All content can be leveraged across other communications channels and platforms, as well as LinkedIn.
- Try LinkedIn Talent Insights and Career Pages
The Talent Insights service provides data and insights to inform and support your strategies to acquire, develop, and retain talent. With this service, you can understand how you compare to your competitors in talent management, including how your workforce compares with specific competitors, and from which organizations you’re gaining and losing talent.
Career Pages give candidates a snapshot of your culture with videos and photos, employee-created content, testimonials, and tailored messaging. You can also use targeted ads on other LinkedIn pages to drive candidates to your Career Pages.
When you consider that a strong talent brand reduces cost per hire by up to 50% and lowers turnover rates by 28%, according to LinkedIn’s Employer Brand Playbook, it follows that investing in your employer brand on LinkedIn is an endeavor that should pay dividends in 2020.