When it comes to using social media as a true sales and recruiting tool, the secret’s out (actually it’s been out for a while)…this stuff works.

And while I can preach email after email, week after week about ways in which the leading staffing firms are using social media to their advantage, research into the staffing industry shows an overwhelming amount of agencies are still undervaluing and underutilizing a tool that should be at the forefront of their strategy.

It’s time to have an honest conversation about Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+.

You are not too old to get started.

You are tech savvy enough to make it work to your advantage.

Social media is more than Candy Crush requests.

Social media can (and does) drive a ton of traffic back to websites.

Let’s get to the data.

Real Clients. Real Results.

In the example below, a staffing firm located within New Jersey came to Haley Marketing Group with a request, to help educate them on the proper usage of social media and put together a world class social sharing program…that works.

In June, our team started created weekly blogging content and sharing that content through the company’s Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google+ pages. This strategy was measured, evaluated, and definitive decisions were made to make sure we were posting the right content, at the right time, to start driving more traffic back to blog content and top job opportunities.

The results? The graph above speaks for itself, but the past 3 months saw a 838% increase in website sessions generated from social media compared to the 3 months prior .

What Did We Do? How Can You Get Similar Results?

Healthy Mix of Content

When sharing on social media, consider your audience. What content will help them with their day? What type of posts will help a job seeker prepare for an upcoming interview. What type of articles can you share that will help a struggling hiring manager find their next all-star? Develop an understanding of your target audience and then try different types of content. Measure what works (and more importantly what doesn’t) and start sharing more content that appeals to your audience.

Measure What Works

This was touched on in the first point, but no social sharing strategy should be left unattended. Sharing content and “hoping for the best” is a way of the past. Share a blog article and the next day go back into Facebook or use additional social media tools to see how it performed. How many people did it reach? How many people engaged with the content? Any likes or comments? If not, evaluate the messaging and what can be done differently next time.

Post at Optimal Times

On Facebook the Haley Marketing audience is most active at 8:00pm. That said, there’s no value in us sharing content at 4:30am. Use Facebook Insights and other tools to help evaluate when your audience is online, active, and listening to your message.

Share Content Daily on Company Pages

64% of Americans now own a smartphone (source). “I don’t have time to share content” isn’t a believable excuse anymore. With all social platforms having mobile apps, you can share a blog post to your company Facebook page while watching TV on your couch at night. Tweets can be sent while waiting for your lunch to heat up in the breakroom. Whatever works best for you and your team, develop a process where at least 1 post can go out each day on your company Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ pages.

Total Team Support

This last tip is arguably the most important. Get total team buy-in. Sharing content on your company pages is important, but having that content then shared through personal channels is critical. In fact, that’s exactly how the client above saw such amazing results so quickly. The whole team understood the importance of social media and everyday they began to share content that was published to the company social accounts through their personal channels. Not only does this drive traffic back to your website at a significant rate, but it also positions those individuals as thought leaders and experts on given topics.

Still not convinced social media can help your team?

Call our team and give us the chance to answer any questions you may have. Want me to answer your questions directly? Connect with me on LinkedIn.