In September of 2017, the number of monthly users on Instagram reached 800 million. This number doesn’t just include folks sharing their vacation photos or hawking their fitness and wellness advice. Brands are active on Instagram as well. They aren’t there just to sell products either. Many are using Instagram as a tool for appealing to prospective employees.

To be clear, Instagram is not an active recruiting platform. Instead, employers are using it to build and broadcast their branding to the target audiences they believe would be the best possible for their companies. The content that they share gives followers insight into company culture that they may not quite understand simply by catching up with the brand on LinkedIn or even Facebook.

Some businesses are using branded hashtags to add to their appeal, and get themselves in the sites of their target audience. As long as they aren’t overused, hashtags such as #brandnameproud or #brandname life can create positive associations between a businesses and their branding.

Giving potential employees a behind the scenes look

Celebrity Instagrams attract legions of followers for one simple reason. They pull fans into the celebrity’s world. Whether it’s a TV star sharing a picture of their kids playing at home, or photos from a luxurious vacation, people love the sense that they are getting a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes. This is true for potential employees as well.

To accomplish this brands including TripAdvisor, Passport Center, and Zendesk engage in many of the following tactics:

Sharing photos of happy employees at the office
Giving followers a glimpse at employee celebrations and other events
Showing volunteer initiatives undertaken by employees
Showcasing offices that are comfortable and inviting
Providing visual evidence of the perks of employment

The latter can include sharing photos of a company’s free cafeteria, in office exercise facilities, or comfortable and ergonomically designed workstations. Potential employees may not list it as their top priority, but knowing that they will be comfortable throughout the work day is important to them. By sharing pictures of offices, cubicles, and meeting rooms that are attractive, functional, and comfortable brands can do just that.

The brands who are most successful at using this technique to appeal to potential employees are the ones that are the most consistent and most genuine. Images that are weeks or months old aren’t going to accomplish that.

People are also going to catch on quickly if the images brands share don’t reflect the actual company culture. For example, a brand that showcases bright open workspaces may initially appeal to young creative types who want to work in modern, collaborative spaces. However, if the reality is that those spaces are reserved for c-level staffers, and the majority of employees work in cube farms, those attempts will backfire quickly. Not a good tactic when potential employees are just as likely to vet out employers through sites like Glassdoor as employers are likely to view candidate’s Facebook pages.

Sharing inspiration

Whether it’s watching someone’s weight loss journey, getting fashion and style tips from a Kardashian, learning makeup tips from a prolific blogger, or getting motivational advice, for many, Instagram is a source of inspiration. People follow feeds that make them feel good and motivate them to do better. Companies that wish to attract candidates can use this to appeal to them as well. They can do this by:

Sharing inspirational quotes
Profiling employees who have accomplished great things or overcome great obstacles
Curating inspirational stories and other content

By doing this, and staying on brand while doing so, companies can consistently appeal to their ideal candidate segment. For example, an athletic shoe brand Nike shares inspirational quotes and images almost exclusively related to sports. That’s a great way to appeal to athletic enthusiasts as customers as well as employees.

Using Instagram to enhance recruiting efforts on other social platforms

Instagram also works very well when used in tandem with other social media platforms. This is especially true when companies use Instagram with platforms that are more engagement heavy such as Twitter. The fact that tweets with Instagram photos are more likely to be retweeted than others. In other cases, visually appealing content can simply serve as a gateway to get potential recruits interested enough in a brand to seek them out on other social media channels.

In order to remain competitive and attract top talent, companies must highly consider becoming active on Instagram. Conversely, if they are already active, companies might consider sharing content for the purpose of appealing to candidates. Some brands have even gone as far as creating separate Instagram pages dedicated solely to the function of recruiting.

(Original article)