We know how popular Facebook is these days – but how many of you are using the tool as part of your sourcing strategy?
Yes – I am sure that many of you are saying “We dont allow Facebook access in our company” – its important to note that your employees and other potential employees on the network access Facebook on their mobile phones, as well as after hours on their computers at home or at internet cafes.
A glance around a popular internet cafe in central Cape Town recently blew me away when I realised that more than half of the 50 or so PC’s users were on Facebook – an easy observation with the now familiar blue header and facebook logo in the top left corner.
I continue to witness more and more companies, allowing Facebook during certain hours of the day which I believe is a great approach instead of blocking then network outright – this definitely has a direct effect on employee satisfaction & retention, an important consideration which needs to be taken note of.
Before we proceed it needs to be re-iterated that any recruiting strategy using online tools such as Facebook needs to be carefully & meticulously planned before roll out.
Too many businesses have simply created a Facebook group on the network, with some basic branding and information – leaving the group to its own devices, never coming back to engage with new members and basically having no communication strategy in place to build the relationships that have been created. This could potentially do more harm than good – so remember to plan ahead, and create a marketing & communication strategy for at least 6 – 12 months ahead before launch.
Facebook allows for 2 networking tools that businesses can use:
- Creating/ joining a Facebook group;
- Creating/ joining a Facebook fan page
1. Facebook Groups
Facebook groups are clusters of individual users who share a common thread. With Facebook Groups, you can join and create up to 200 groups. Groups can be based around shared interests, activities or anything you like. The Groups application page displays your recently updated groups as well as groups your friends have joined recently
Here is a great resource to help you create a successful Facebook Group – http://www.webanalyticsworld.net/2007/09/successful-facebook-groups.html
2. Facebook Fan Pages
A Facebook Page is a complete solution within Facebook to showcase your business, band or brand. No need to know HTML or another programming language, your Facebook Page can be created in just a few minutes with our simple interface.
Start the Conversation
When your fans interact with your Facebook Page, stories linking to your Page are sent to their friends via News Feed. As these users click through and interact with your Page, News Feed keeps driving word-of-mouth to a wider circle of friends.
Drive Customer Awareness
Spread the word even further with Facebook Ads. You choose the graphic and text of your ad, and select when Facebook shows it to your target users. We’ll even try to add information about their friends’ interacting with your Facebook Page, if you choose.
To learn more & get started with Facebook pages go to http://www.facebook.com/advertising/?pages
—
Now that you understand more about Facebook groups and pages – you may be asking, well whats better? Groups or pages? Stay tuned for our next post on this, followed by a look into the powerful world of Facebook advertising.
