1. Relate, don't just recruit.
Social media is meant to be...well, social. It's about relationships, not recruiting. And frankly, it’s as off-putting as an evil snail when a business gets on a social site just to solicit (whether they're selling a product, a service, or a job). It’s like that guy who goes to a party on the pretense of having a good time, but is really just there to promote or peddle something.
Don’t be that guy. Put relationships first on social media. Start an ongoing conversation with the people already on your team. Share good things with and about them. It’ll not only help you relate with and retain current employees, it’ll help you recruit new ones cause they’ll see that you actually want to be friends.
2. Date, don't just propose.
We’re pretty forward (sometimes even desperate) with our job advertising. We need someone now, so we immediately start talking long term commitments and making offers. That direct approach works for active job seekers, but what about those who aren’t—those passive candidates?
Social media can let them get to know us in a more personal, no-pressure way. Sure, it's an online relationship, so it's not as good as in-person. But it's definitely a degree or two more personal than our corporate websites. Or at least, we can make it that way by posting stories and pictures that give people an inside look at who we are and what it’s like to be with us.
3. “Try not. Do or do not. There is no try.”
What does a Yoda quote have to do with social recruiting? Force. Not the mystical kind, but the roll-up-your-sleeves and get-to-work kind. That’s what it takes to really do this and make it work.
More specifically, you’ve got to make social media someone’s job and make a schedule of what you’re going to post and when. Treating it like real work is what’s required to maintain an active presence, publish fresh content, and engage with employees and candidates.