Why is social media important for Human Resources?

The organization can live comfortably without social media. However, the modern organization needs to utilize the full potential of modern online communities. The online community has many listeners and several active members, and the HR Social Media Strategy should be focused on finding, identifying, influencing and involving the opinion makers present in social media and communities around them.

HR Social Media Strategy is about reaching the right audiences influencing HR issues internally and promoting the job brand name externally. The social media strategy is not about having the Facebook Page; it is about the right content on the page to attract and involve the audience.

The active social communities are trusted. The corporate HR website is not. That is the clear difference. People learned to filter precise sentences about the Corporate Social Responsibility. They understand the real meaning behind nicely constructed sentences. They use the social media to get real opinions from community members.

Currently, the presence of HR in the social media is chaotic. Very few HR departments have a clear vision and strategy for communication with different communities. They have Twitter accounts, but they have no consistent topics and they do not provide any steer to the online community. They do not focus on building the strong online presence, and they do not build the competitive advantage by involving communities.

The social media are about a trust. The dumb corporate promotion does not work. The online community loves in-depth view on the topic, and it accepts just real experiences. The organization cannot push the topic; it can just influence the community. It can provide useful information to enrich discussions. It can steer discussions.

Social Media Strategy Questions

The social media strategy should address several strategic questions. The answers should lead the HR Specialist in defining the channels and communities to be present at. The organization should not focus on building the entirely new online community, it should increase its presence in the existing ones. At least in the beginning of building the social media presence.

Being the contribution for the social communities, the organization cannot promote its products and services only. The organization has to provide the unique and compelling information for the community.

The social media strategy should be based on the following questions:

  • Who are our target audiences?
  • Where are they present at the moment?
  • What are their interests?
  • What can enrich their communities?
  • How can we earn their trust?
  • What is our value added for their communities?

The organization cannot develop the chaotic social media strategy. It has to focus on several key topics to be communicated. It has to focus on building the community, which contains several angels who share key messages across several communities.

The social media strategy is crucial for the modern organization. The job brand name is not about the enormous HR advertising budget. Today, the presence in the social media can build a strong, competitive advantage in areas of the recruitment, talent development and career management. The organization with the social media strategy can focus on building the right community, and it can ask the community for help.

HR Marketing Section Contents

HR Marketing:

Social Media:

Gamification of Human Resources: