Social media can be a powerful tool for generating sales leads, reducing recruiting costs and improving relationships with clients, prospects and candidates. And it can also be completely overwhelming! LinkedIn. Facebook. Twitter. Blogging. Where do you start? And how can you find the time? No doubt, social media can be a huge time stealer--and when executed poorly, it can be a huge time waster. So what should you do? Start with a Plan Like any marketing initiative, the best results go to those with the best plans. The biggest mistake people make is that they jump in to building networks, tweeting and creating blogs without any real thought about their objectives. For example, if you're trying to generate sales leads, your strategy will be very different than if you're focusing on recruiting. When planning, the first step is to define your goals. What business results are you hoping to accomplish with social media? Next, pick the tools that are best for your goals. For example, if you're looking to generate sales leads, and your goal is to position your firm as a thought leader, then blogging, LinkedIn and online PR will probably be your top tools. If you're looking to lower your recruiting costs, then your job board (the one on your website), job aggregators, Facebook and Twitter will be key tools. (And if you have no idea where to start or what tools you can use, Haley Marketing will be happy to help...just give us a call at 1.888.696.2900). But how do I find the time? Once you have a plan in place, and you know the tools you need to use, social media can seem a lot less overwhelming. But they still require an investment of time. Most social media marketing campaigns require at least a few hours a week to execute. And when you're already swamped, how can you find the time?
Many staffing companies are outsourcing blog writing, PR development and other time-consuming parts of social media marketing. (Full disclosure, outsourced content writing has become one of the most popular services we offer at Haley Marketing). By outsourcing, you can ensure consistent, professional content development. You can create a strong online presence while keeping your sales team focused on selling and your recruiters focused on filling orders. If you have people who want to contribute to your social media marketing efforts, they can still do so--without having to worry about meeting quotas or deadlines.
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