Web 2.0, Social Media and Employer Branding

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Web 2.0, Social Media and Employer Branding

Web 2.0 encapsulates the idea of the growth of interconnectivity and interactivity of web content. More specifically, it involves building applications and services around the unique features of the Internet, as opposed to using the Internet as a new platform for traditional forms of communication. Whilst job boards have moved very quickly to fill the opportunities created by the advent of the web and some are embracing web 2.0, leading employer brands have done very little indeed to take advantage of the opportunity.

Changes in employee and candidate behaviour: As the Internet evolves and users become savvier, they find information about potential employers and companies through a number of sources. For employees and candidates, web 2.0 is all about user interaction via the web. This involves building communities and passing on feedback to others. This is especially prevalent in the graduate recruitment market.

In real terms, this means an employee or potential employee has the ability to research the views of other people on an employer to help inform their decision making process.

The implication for employers is a shift in influence from employer or recruiter controlled communication to audience controlled communication and the emergence of one on one personal branding experiences during which the marketer or Human Resources person has little or no involvement or influence.

This is where Social Network Marketing will play its part as a complimentary marketing tool to enhance your brand communication with existing and potential future employees.

Social Network Marketing is the process of engaging with these communities and can help employers counter negative messages. By actively engaging your audience and responding to or managing your reputation, you can generally improve the perception of your brand.

The more positive people feel towards your brand, the more likely they are to apply for a job. If employees have issues and a company is seen to address these issues head on in an open environment, then a company will appear to be an attentive and considerate employer.

It is important for an employer to engage with employees and candidates on these platforms and manage the relationships with individuals to provide a balanced view of any situation as well as to generate maximum positive awareness of your Employer brand.

5 ways social media can benefit an Employer brand

1) Blogging is a great way of building up your online presence and generating awareness of what it is like to be employed ‘on the ground’ within a company. They help the business engage with candidate and employee audiences directly. Moreover, with blogging comes the opportunity to ‘comment’, where readers can actually speak back to the business, giving their opinions and input: free market research.

2) Engage and respond to feedback. Responding to your candidate and staff opinions makes for a stronger relationship, gaining your customer’s trust and understanding. If people say good things about you, say thanks. This shows that they are genuinely being considered and their opinion matters.

3) Recruitment and HR Managers should welcome social networking sites such as Facebook, Bebo, Linkedin and Myspace into the workplace. Not only are they tools for colleagues to recruit, promote HR policies, interact with employees and build relationships with each other but having them viewable by the public makes the company seem more approachable and engaging. Many companies are now using these sites already to recruit new members of staff, search for new business or to induct new team members.

4) Advanced search facilities allow people of all interests and niches to find and target what they are looking for quickly and easily. New and evolving audiences can be identified and reached without spending a penny.

5) If you create media that people enjoy and find useful in some way, they are likely to pass it on. Therefore, it is worthwhile seriously thinking about how social media could be incorporated into your business. The beauty of the concept is that through processes such as word of mouth, making a success of social media means sooner or later your audience will start to do the work for you.

A Selection of Web 2.0 Media