Katy Perry (twitter handle not necessary) is now officially “Queen of Twitter” with more than 50 million followers—or “Katycats.”
Go ahead and ask, “What does this have to do with HR and recruiting?” The answer is social media talent branding. Branding is no longer limited to the marketing domain. Your talent is your brand, so the recruiting and talent acquisition function of HR needs to be precise in crafting social media campaigns.
Although Perry can drive engagement simply by being a pop media icon, she also had three pertinent insights when asked how she managed to tame the social media dragon:
1. “Less is more”
You want to attract followers and keep them. In order to avoid a social media breakup (hemorrhaging followers by the hundreds or thousands) you need to be concise with quality, and tasteful with frequency. Being pithy helps you convey news and updates with the most minimal details that are still attention arresting. Find ways to craft titles that leave people curious without giving them too much to digest. Take some pointers from CNN’s twitter account and ask tightly packaged questions rather than howling answers:
Do you see a missed call from a strange number? Think twice before you call back. http://t.co/aAjitLFmD3
— CNN (@CNN) February 5, 2014
Want to pick up a pack of cigarettes with your prescription refill? A major pharmacy chain is breaking that habit. http://t.co/e0AhIl3emh
— CNN (@CNN) February 5, 2014
JUST landed an interview with @ClayAiken! Haven't you heard? He's running for Congress... as of today. Tune in: 2:30pmET ON #CNN.
— Brooke Baldwin (@BrookeBCNN) February 5, 2014
2. “Don’t be self-indulgent”
Since Twitter’s inception, it has been criticized as a medium for technophiles to share vain, trivial, insights into their daily lives. Clearly there’s more you can do with the microblog, but just remember you’re not the only company in the world that has interesting stuff going on. Your best approach is to make sure your narratives are fresh and never repetitive. Make sure to rephrase the information if it’s already appeared on your feed and ask, “How can we offer a new perspective on this topic?” If you’re going to retweet someone else—make sure you add in your own comments and opinions. HubSpot has a great resources piece on this topic: How to Retweet the Right Way in 4 Easy Steps.
3. “Don’t use it just to promote yourself. That’s boring”
When it comes to establishing authority, you can’t make everything about you and your company. You have to join in on conversations in your industry (and even related industries). This means sharing news, connecting with professionals and peers, and engaging in knowledge transmission. If you only use it to promote yourself it’s more than boring, it’s out of line with social media etiquette and values. If you’re wondering how conversations work on Twitter check out the details behind #TChat with What is #TChat Twitter?
Some final pointers on talent branding:
- Let the voices of your team be heard, and highlight their achievements
- Share articles, presentations, status updates, and job postings
- Provide industry facts and stats (and useful infographics)
- Show potential customers, and prospective employees, the creative projects you’re working on
