In Monday’s edition of Promotional Consultant Today, we shared some ways to keep your social media content fresh. This can help you stay top of mind with current clients and engage with potential buyers. Social media can also be a valuable tool if you want to add a few new professionals to your team. A study from the Society for Human Resource Management reveals that 84 percent of organizations currently recruit talent via social media and nine percent plan to start using social media for this purpose.

Using social media to find talent involves more than just browsing LinkedIn for potential candidates, according to Nicole Miller, the director of people at Buffer. She says you should consider all of your company’s social media channels as possible candidate pools.

In this issue of Promotional Consultant Today, we’re sharing Miller’s best practices for finding the best talent through social media.

Take a targeted approach. Instead of blasting all your social channels with job openings, think about where your ideal candidates spend time, Miller says. Consider the demographics and makeup of certain social media networks and how that aligns with the type of candidates you need. For example, if you need someone with more content creation experience, you may find better candidates on TikTok or Instagram. And if you need a seasoned sales pro, LinkedIn or Twitter may be better channels to begin your search.

Do more than post the opportunity. When you’re recruiting via social media, don’t just share an open role and then hope the resumes start rolling in. Miller says you should use all the capabilities each platform offers in order to show off your culture, answer questions about your company and engage with potential candidates. She recommends sharing behind-the-scenes videos or interviews with current employees. These ideas can help attract candidates who may be a good fit for your team.

Make it easy to learn more. When engaging with potential job candidates, make it as easy as possible for them to learn about the job and how they can apply. Keep in mind that people expect a seamless experience on social media, so candidates who find your job postings on various platforms will expect the same thing from you, Miller says. Make sure your links work and allow followers to share opportunities with those in their network.

Nurture relationships. Even if you don’t immediately find the right fit on your social media platforms, you can still develop relationships and share information about your company and mission. The larger you build your network, the more exposure you get for your business. Miller says it’s important to keep sharing information because the next person who follows your company could be the perfect fit for the role you’re hiring for.

Make sure social media is part of your overall recruiting strategy. It’s a free way to build relationships, expand your talent pool and find candidates for your open roles. When you apply the best practices above, you can keep your team running like a well-oiled machine.

Source: Nicole Miller is the director of people at Buffer.