The meaning of ‘digital presence’ has changed throughout the years. 20 years ago it simply meant having a great website that was able to be found. Now, social media, online review platforms and search engines all dictate your digital presence and the way you’re perceived by the public (or prospective clients!).
As a recruiter, your online brand perception can impact your credibility and your capacity to attract talent. A LinkedIn 2016 Global Recruiting Trends Survey found that 39% of recruiters felt that their main source for finding passive talent was social and professional media outlets. Meaning 39% of your potential talent was exposed in some way to how you conduct yourself online.
How your perceived online by customers is best answered with the following questions:
- When people search your name or business online, what do they find?
- Is your website found on the first page of search engine results for your desired keyword(s)? I.e. Recruitment agency Sydney.
- Does your business have positive online reviews?
- Are you active on the social media platforms that your customers are also active on?
- Does your social media have positive reviews?
Even if you don’t have a website or much of a social media presence, it isn’t too late to create a strategy for doing so. After all, information about you can be found online regardless of your levels of activity on the respective platforms. Being involved in those online conversations at least gives you the ability to handle criticism and enable your customers where they are active.
Here is a look at six ways as a recruiter you can optimise your online brand presence:
- Set a goal – What do you hope to achieve by creating/updating your online presence?
Do you want to be seen as a thought leader? Improve the quality of your candidate/talent pool? Once you’ve determined your goal you can then adjust the next steps of your strategy accordingly.
- Optimise your Website – Your website doesn’t have to be too fancy or complicated. Keep it simple with pages that showcase your work, a bio, contact information, testimonials, and a blog where you can share your expertise and unique voice (Forbes). This is where your goal becomes utilised.
Search engines work by providing answers to users’ queries. If your goal is to increase your access to candidates, then attracting candidates to your site through SEO(Search Engine Optimisation) improves those chances. By creating content that answers a candidates search queries, for e.g. “How to improve your resume”, your not only providing useful information to potential talent, you’re establishing yourself as a thought leader within the industry.
- Choose your Social Channels wisely – Your customers aren’t located on every social channel and neither should you be. To do social media successfully it takes both time and resources. Find where your ideal talent is located and optimise those social channels. Create content that your users would find engaging and relevant. Link this back to your overall goal.
- Close your inactive social accounts – Being inactive on a social channel that your customers are located on is worse than not having a presence at all. If your customers are messaging you on a platform that you’re unlikely to respond on, this is sending a bad message about your engagement and customer service abilities.
- Actively engage in audience reviews – Audience reviews offer market research into the minds of your customers. Review sites like Google Reviews, Glassdoor, Facebook and Sourcr allow for open and honest communication regarding what people liked/disliked regarding your brand. Positive reviews emphasise what you should enhance about your business. Negative reviews give you the opportunity to apologise and make amends.
All in all, enhancing your online brand presence among the public.
- Present audiences with a consistent voice – This entire article is about your brand and how your perceived. If you act one way on a specific platform and different on another, it sends mixed messages to your audience about who you are and what you stand for. Make your personality obvious with how your website is styled and how your messaging is constructed on social media.
Research shows that 91% of people regularly or occasionally read online reviews, and 84% trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation (Inc). In a world where every recruiter can be found on LinkedIn, what is your differentiator to stand out?
Understand the fundamental details about your audience and where/how they like to be engaged. Through doing that, you can tailor your online presence for their needs and improve your image among your customers.
The six ways a recruiter can optimise their online brand presence:
- Setting a Goal
- Optimising their website
- Choosing Social Channels Wisely
- Closing your inactive Social Accounts
- Actively engaging in audience reviews
- Presenting your audience with a consistent voice
RECOMMNEDED READING If you enjoyed reading this article why not dive deeper into learning about personal branding and how recruiters can improve their digital footprint. - Expanding Your Active And Passive Digital Footprint - Six Tips For Building A Personal Brand As A Recruiter - 5 Hacks To Boost Your Personal Brand As A Recruiter - 6 Innovative Ways You Can Use Your Sourcr Profile
