The youth of today spend a lot of time on multiple social networks, and these influence their opinions, views, and choices. According to Wearesocial reports (2014), around 19.19% (243 million) of the Indian population are netizens, of which 8% (106 million) are active on social media. Facebook has more than 100 million users, 33 million Twitter users, 26 million LinkedIn users, and 5.5 million Pinterest users.
The employer branding concept applies the branding concepts to HR in order to make the company a desirable place to work for the talent pool. Employer branding on social media is an excellent option for companies for the following reasons:
- Wide Coverage: – The viral nature of social media ensures that a firm’s post has the capability to spread the news farther within a reader’s network.
- Low Cost – Majority of social media sites are free to access, create a profile and post information. The advantage of reaching the targeted market for little or no cash investment is substantial.
- Visibility – Using social media for EB may ensure that firm’s posts will be seen and read by a larger number of candidates. This gives the firms the opportunity to connect with the passive market.
- Communication responsiveness: As there is less spam and, in most cases, one must be invited before one can send a message, using social networks to communicate may result in higher response rates.
- Others: Other advantages include building employee engagement, due diligence on prospective recruits; and also finding ways of building job roles and responsibilities in keeping with trends and industry alignments.
The Cons of Employer Branding through Social Media
- From an employer branding perspective, social media has the potential to damage an organization’s brand if it’s done incorrectly. “From an engagement and interaction point of view, it is vitally important that an organisation devote the resources needed to building and maintaining relationships with potential candidates and even customers.”
- Social media activity is difficult to measure. On Facebook, metrics include the number of “likes,” while on Twitter, metrics include the number of “followers,” “retweets,” and even “hash tags.” The problem is trying to convert these retweets/likes/hashtags etc into potential candidates.
Employer branding through social media isn’t just delivering a message, it’s a conversation between an employer, ,its employees, and the wider market. As Sandy Carter of IBM rightly said, “Social media is an amplifier.” If you have a great culture, it amplifies it, and if you don’t, it amplifies it too.
By—Dr. Prof. Dr. Vaishali Trivedi
Ph. D, JRF-NET, SET, MBA
SKIPS – best b school in ahmedabad
