Leveraging Social Capital to Support Talent Marketing Initiatives
I currently work for a private project management firm that puts an immense amount of effort into its LinkedIn presence. This is the main platform the firm utilizes to reach two key publics—potential clients and potential employees. Because the firm has deep connections in regions all over the United States, and most of its engagement is a result of word of mouth advertising, the potential employee public is the main target.
Above all else, the firm positions itself as a thought leader in its operating space.
“Social capital “refers to the ability of individuals and organizations to benefit from communication behavior. In the context of social media, ‘Gaining social capital really means becoming a strong, consistent member of the online community.’”
One way this firm accomplishes a regular, trusted level of social capital is its use of organic content. The Marketing team will regularly search for and curate original quotes from real, active employees that highlight why they enjoy working at the firm.
The firm also builds social capital is by highlighting the regular charitable and philanthropic efforts of the company and its employees. This attention to social corporate responsibility is aligned to one of the firm’s key fundamental values—caring. The firm selects a new charitable cause every quarter, and every office is responsible for seeking out volunteer opportunities aligned to that theme across the country. It is imperative that these stories are disconnected from the firm’s profit-seeking strategies; they are presented independently of operational concerns and highlight to the public that they are responsible members of society who want to make an impact.
Because the firm’s main goal is to maintain an identity as a thought leader in the project management space, they keep the fact that LinkedIn is first and foremost a professional engagement platform in mind.
“Vaynerchuk…instructs brands to do storytelling with the context of a particular social media platform. He calls this type of social media marketing ‘native,’ in that it understands a platform and is fluent within it. ”
The firm makes sure to create appealing professional content packages relevant to key events within the space. It is important that on top of presenting the firm as a close-knit, ethically responsible organization, publics realize that they are experts in their field—always present in the conversation.
For my firm, social media content is incredibly relevant and impactful. It is how we consistently generate interest from the best talent in the country. As a consulting firm, our resources are our most important asset, they represent the company and carryout our services. Because of its impact on our operations, a clear, powerful, authentic presence on social media—in this case LinkedIn—is pivotal to company growth and success.