There has been a lot of discussion recently about influencer marketing and its place within the recruitment industry.You have probably seen influencer marketing at work; outside of recruitment it’s been put to good use by Avon.
Historically delivered by door-to-door sales and aimed at women aged 30+, they have recently worked with a number of beauty bloggers of different ages who have amassed large online followings. Avon’s goal is to reach the bloggers’ audiences by working directly with them and getting them to share content to encourage and generate action (the link to the video is at the bottom of this article).
Working with influencers can increase your online exposure, and in some cases they may promote your company even better than you do. It’s certainly true that candidates believe third party views over the company line.
How is influencer marketing being consumed within recruitment?
Influencer marketing goes hand in hand with social media. Influencers generally have a large social following and use a variety of channels to push content and engage with their audience. Plus:
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87 percent of companies use social media for recruitment
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79 percent of job seekers use social media in their job search. This figure increases to 86 percent for younger job seekers who are in the first 10 years of their careers
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About 1 in 5 have applied for a job they learned about through social media
Source: Glassdoor
Why use Influencer Marketing?
More companies are now utilising social media to recruit; there’s a mass of online content and it’s harder to differentiate yourself. To cut through the noise, candidates are looking for clear signals on which companies to trust. They are turning to peers and recognised online voices to inform job hunting decisions.
This is widely happening in other industries and rather than using TV advertising, sponsoring brands or celebs, companies are going to bloggers and those with digital high-profiles for exposure to their audiences. Using this technique within recruitment could push you ahead as our industry is only just getting started.
What is an influencer?
Someone who has perceived authority on a certain subject, credibility amongst their network and the ability to persuade and affect actions amongst that network.
They may be a known expert in their field, an opinion leader, a predictor or a trendsetter.
How could you use influencer marketing?
It’s about working with the influencer, providing them with the right kind of assets and opportunities for them to share and create relevant messages. They should be able to use this content to aid their own personal goals. It has to be worth their while and a shared viewpoint is recommended.
How to find an influencer
Is there anyone out there who you have already identified as having a good online following and some synergy with your company? Is anyone talking about your company online already? Are there any leaders in your target market?
After identifying an influencer you’d like to work with, you’ll need to reel them in. Expect this to take a little time.
Here are some ideas for doing this:
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Start to follow them
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Share their status updates
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Comment on recent blog posts
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Ask for an interview with them
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Interact with them “in real life” if you have the opportunity to do so
What to do once you’ve hooked your influencer
Build a long term strategy together, ensuring benefits and input on both sides. Work to generate the right kind of content that they can tailor and that will resonate with their audiences; they will know a lot about what works for them already.
An added bonus of influencer marketing…
It supports SEO. As well as promoting your company and driving more traffic to your careers website, it also helps your ranking across search engines. The more people mention your company on social media, the more popular and relevant you will be on Google!
Read What is social apply and why should you offer this to your candidates?
To read more about influencer marketing, click here
Watch the Avon video here