Snapchat might not be the first social media channel that pops into your head when thinking about recruiting. In the past recruiters have utilised channels like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to target candidates – but now there’s a new channel joining the party which is set to make waves in the world of recruitment. For employers looking to show off their brand and capture the attention of candidates, look no further than Snapchat.
What is Snapchat?
Snapchat is a photo messaging platform that allows users to take photos and record videos, and send them to contacts for a set amount of time (between 1 to 10 seconds). After this set amount of time has finished, the content disappears from both the recipient’s phone and from Snapchat’s servers.
Why is Snapchat a channel that recruiters should exploit?
At first glance, Snapchat might seem not seem like an obvious avenue for recruiters to explore. After all, isn’t it just a platform that capitalises on the selfie-loving nature of millennials? But that’s just it: when taking a closer look at the market of users on Snapchat, which is largely comprised of students and young adults, you’d struggle to find a better network to capture the attention of millennials.
The reach that Snapchat has cannot be underestimated – Bloomberg News claims that Snapchat now delivers 10 billion videos to users every day, and also boasts frequency of use for its users, with allegedly over 100 million people visiting the platform daily.
How does this work for recruitment?
Snapchat is essentially a way of telling your company’s story – whether that’s:
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Capturing a company event
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A working environment
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A behind-the-scenes look into your company
When these stories focus on what potential candidates desire and value in an employer, this becomes employer branding.
As Snapchat influencer Branden Harvey put it: ‘Snapchat is very much built for storytelling’.
Who’s already using it?
AOL
When AOL were looking for new and innovative ways to promote diversity and talent, while also getting more millennial women to apply for jobs, they turned to various social media channels, but found the most success on Snapchat. They ran two 10-second Snapchat videos in the app’s discover section and live stories.
AOL reported that the campaign lifted applicant intent by 18%, which measured how inclined someone is to apply for a job after seeing an ad. There was also a 4% increase in brand awareness. Whether individuals actually applied is unclear, but we do know that overall, according to Snapchat, the week-long campaign reached 8 million users and generated 17 million views.
JPMorgan
JPMorgan have also taken to Snapchat to recruit millennials via targeted ads and geofilters, in order to show young people that a job in a bank can cater to all different types of people.
They’ve managed to get one step ahead of their competitors by targeting candidates in the platform that is native to them.
Making it work for your recruitment strategy
If your company is on the lookout for fresh and up-and-coming talent, then it’s worth exploring what Snapchat can do for you. Unlike other social media channels, Snapchat can be utilised to share more lighthearted and entertaining content, as opposed to sculpting a perfect brand image. By taking advantage of this innovative platform, you may well reach a wider and more diverse pool of engaged candidates.
Instagram’s recent updates that similarly feature impermanent video can also feature into this strategy, and may be initially more attractive to organisations, as your social media strategies may already have an established Instagram channel. This can therefore be a great place to trial or an alternative for featuring this type of content.
How can Snapchat be utilised by employers?
In order to reach candidates and enhance your company’s presence on Snapchat, paid advertising across specific ‘stories’ or ‘discover’ might be the way to go. However, these avenues are typically quite pricey, so may not be practical in the long run. This doesn’t mean that employers should rule Snapchat out, as it still offers a great deal of opportunities for recruitment outside the realms of paid advertising.
For example, you can create image or video advertisements and publish them on ‘stories’ that are most relevant to your business. It’s likely that your target audience are going to be following that story, and it also means your brand will have 24hr promotion and increased visibility on the network.
As Snapchat is designed for mobile, it also means your advertisements will already be optimised for mobile. Another feature of Snapchat is that images and ads are displayed vertically – this has resulted in, according to Snapchat, a nine times higher completion rate in comparison to horizontal mobile videos. The additional feature of ads being displayed in full screen also means that candidates’ focus is entirely on your content.