The 5 “Ws” of LinkedIn Marketing for Recruiters

Looking for more success recruiting on LinkedIn? Stuck wishing you could journey over to 221B Baker Street to get some answers from Mr Holmes? No need to hire a detective! We answered the main questions about LinkedIn marketing for recruiters so you can replace those questions with more placements!  We’re confident that these are the answers Sherlock and Watson would have provided.

Below are the “Five Ws” of LinkedIn marketing for recruiters we have learned through our own efforts.

Who?

One of the first rules in marketing is you have to reach the RIGHT people. Make sure you are connected with jobseekers and hiring managers. The best way to do this audience is to first engage with them in LinkedIn Groups. Find Groups in your niche, and then participate in conversations within the group. Share your tips and trends, but don’t be overly self-promotional. Once you have conversed with someone in a group, they will be more likely to accept your invitation to connect on LinkedIn.

What?

The simple answer to this common question is USEFUL information. But where can you find this useful information worth sharing? You can search the Web for industry news and tips to share within your Groups. The best source however, is your own blog—provided your blog offers helpful articles that are not self-promotional. Don’t have a blog? Consider starting one! A blog not only gives you shareable content for social media, but it also drives people to your website and establishes you as an expert, not just a recruiter.

When?

Due to the nature of this social platform, users are more apt to use LinkedIn during business hours. According to Inbound Marketing Agents, the best times to post are 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. But remember, the best time will all depend on your industry. If you work with an industry which doesn’t work the standard hours consider utilizing Linkedin during those popular hours.

Where?

After all, it’s not like Twitter or Facebook, where you are limited to one status field. LinkedIn allows you to post on your own profile, your company’s profile, or within any of groups you joined. The key point here is to keep self-promotional items, such as press releases or blog posts focused on your firm, OUT of the Groups. Groups are particularly skeptical of members who are looking to sell their services. If the group moderator doesn’t think your post is helpful they might move all of your posts to promotions, or worse, not post them at all. Keep your Group postings ultra-useful. Don’t dismiss those promotional posts just yet! Those promotional posts will be great content to use on your personal profile or company’s profile.

Why?

Aspire to be viewed as an expert in your field. Doing this will make candidates or companies come to your first when looking for a recruiter. Establish yourself as an industry expert with insightful comments in Group discussions, posting relevant industry news, and writing your own blog articles with useful information.

How?

In order to provide useful information, you will need to find ways to gather potential articles to post or use for inspiration. You might choose to utilize a RSS feed reader, such as Feedly. Feedly allows you to keep tabs on relevant websites, providing a list of new articles posted to the sites you are monitoring.  Another useful tool is Evernote, which allows you to save articles you may want to repost later or use as a reference for an upcoming blog post. As an added bonus, these tools have mobile apps to help with your content marketing on the go.

Case closed! Let us know in the comments if you have any remaining recruiter mysteries.