It isn’t only for the Kardashians #TeamKhloe, but it’s also a powerful employer branding tool!

The Gram.

Admittedly much of my belief of the power of Instagram for branding comes from anecdotal evidence (speaking with talent via my client work). Candidates will consume whatever content is available for them to make an informed decision and validate what they have experienced via the interview process.

Seventy-five percent of candidates will consider an employer brand before applying. “Sixty-percent of jobseekers said that research about a company was very or extremely influential in their decision to apply for a position” iCIMS found. And, in the same study, “94 percent percent of jobseekers are more likely to apply to a job if the employer actively manages their employer brand online.”

My belief is that Instagram is a research tool and conversion enabler vs. a hard selling conversion source (thus the data challenge).

Below is some grammunition to help you close the deal on launching an IG careers feed for your organization.

1. Humans are visual creatures — We naturally process visual information in a more comprehensive and efficient fashion than text. Science has got your back on this one. Did you know that the human brain can process images in as little as 13 milliseconds? Give prospective talent more content to consume than simply review sites. Instagram creates a clutter-free visual storytelling experience that can be both efficient and memorable. And for a more inclusive experience, Instagram has also announced that it is committed to creating a more accessible platform for the visually impaired via automatic alternative text (alt text) functionality.
2. It’s human and credible — Ditch the perfectly edited stock images and ignite employee pride. Capture real employees in action. Or, better yet, collect employee-generated content to help share your epic story. This can be done by way of social ambassadors who understand the broader content vision and are trained to capture the employee experience. From there, they can be granted posting access. Or for a “safer” process, route all content to a centralized curation team who can caption and schedule content to ensure it is both “on brand” and optimized for engagement. Use fun filters and animation features to humanize any piece of content and show your playful side.
3. It’s community oriented — In a time when globalized and distributed work is commonplace, create a sense of unity and belonging online. Instagram creates a sense of community both within the career feed and also among a broader business eco-system. From rallying around important causes via compelling visual content and hashtags, to inviting others to share their perspectives and support, Instagram can be a very feel-good digital destination for employees and candidates alike.
4. You can archive content and create video/image reels — Creating professional video content is expensive and credibility can be questionable if overly produced. Authenticity is where it’s at. With Instagram highlight buttons, organizations can create free video/image reels and categorize them to highlight their employee value proposition pillars (for example: one highlight focused on innovation, another on corporate social responsibility, recognition, etc.). Use content that is raw and fosters trust.
5. It’s global — Instagram is a global phenomenon. Unify your global workforce by speaking a visual language. Captions can be translated according to the user’s settings and preferences. Use the highlight buttons to categorize content according to region and voila .. free video/image reels that don’t exclude more remote parts of the world (for example: one highlight featuring the Tokyo office, another for New York, Toronto, etc.).
6. There is discoverability — Instagram has great discoverability features helping organizations reach new audiences via geo-location tagging and building hashtag sets. You can follow hashtags and join the conversation.

For the data stalkers, expect your follower-ship to be largely employees both current and former. While you may get some candidate followers, unless you are Google, chances are that candidates will lurk more than follow.

Instagram is great for top-of-the-funnel awareness building and as well as a lower funnel conversion enabler. It can help talent learn more about your organization, inspiring them to sign on the dotted line.  As such, make sure your content is being consumed via impressions and worry less of about follower-ship numbers. Put yourself in a candidate’s shoes. You would likely be creeping all over a company you are interviewing with but may not hit the follow button for fear they may check out your feed. Candidates love social stalking anonymity. Ask any of your new hires what content they looked at and if they followed or subscribed prior to being an employee … mic drop!

A billion monthly active users can’t be wrong. Peel back the curtain and show your raw and real selves. From casual lunch outings to odd desk collections, the name of the game is “document, don’t create” a la Gary Vaynerchuk. Unite your existing workforce while magnetizing others to join the journey with the gram. Now back to some serious Kardashian scrolling.

This article was originally published on ere.net and can be found here. 

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