Five Ways You Can Build a Strong Social Media Presence

In this digital world, the first place that recruiters and hiring managers look for talent is online and if you don’t have an effective online presence, your chances of being called for an interview fall drastically. A study by CareerArc states that over 91% of employers now use social media to hire talent!

I am Tanushree Bagchi, a Senior Coach at Job Boosts. For over a decade and a half, having worked with hundreds of candidates, hiring managers and recruiters I can tell you, a strong online presence will help you build a strong personal brand and get you noticed. You can do this by investing one or two hours every week.

Your social media presence helps recruiters and experts find and connect with you for new opportunities. A study by Glassdoor states that 79% of job seekers use social media for their job search! Here are five easy & impactful ways for you to get started.

1. Select the relevant platforms
The first step to an effective strong online presence is to decide the relevant platforms be active on. You can choose from platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube keeping in mind your target audience. Job Seekers use LinkedIn for building a professional network. Jobvite Recruiter Nation Report states 87% of recruiters use LinkedIn to check a candidate before hiring. Remember you don’t need to be everywhere. If you are an Architect, an Artist or a Photographer, use Instagram to showcase your best work to your audience. Strategize which platform best fits your job search and then work towards building a profile on it.

2. Be consistent in your interactions
Once you have decided on a platform, the next thing you should be focusing on is to post regularly. Building a network requires consistency. You can do this by creating your content by blogging or sharing content online. Bookmark articles that you come across that can benefit you and your connections. Repost, retweet or comment on content posted by others online. This will help you get noticed and show you are an active professional. You can make a list of what you want to post online. These could be quotes or content from current or potential clients. Remember your aim to post regularly to get noticed within your network.

3. Build trust by listing your sources
Another way to get noticed in your network is by building trust. Do not forget to mention sources. Create a list of your followers and share relevant content that can benefit or interest your target audience. Use hashtags to engage with them. Tag the source in your posts. This will helps you get noticed within their connections too and show you are an active professional in your industry.

4. Create an action plan
Build a plan, a calendar, and set aside time accordingly. Use this time to share content, network and reach out to people online. Plan to post one thing daily. You will find content to share through people you follow online or pages you follow online. Strategize and work towards posting something that you and your network can benefit from. Dedicate specific days and post content accordingly. 

For example:

• Mondays, you can share an article from a magazine on new trends or recapping the previous week.
• You can share an inspirational quote on Tuesdays.
• Post a video of an opinion leader you found online on Wednesdays.
• Post a picture or promote a brand or a small company every Thursdays
• You can share an article written by you on Fridays.

That’s content for a week. Customize your action plan and build a unique approach to build an effective social media presence.

5. Stay updated with the industry trends
Finally, make sure you are updated with new trends in your industry. Aim at being relevant to your audience. Take out time to engage online every day. Check your messages and respond to connections online. If there are no new messages, take time to like or comment on a post. Focus on upskilling yourself. Remember to create opportunities for your network.

Conclusion
To sum it up, make use of Social media platforms to showcase your best work within your network. Strategize your process and select the most appropriate platform. Remember consistency is key and don’t forget to list your sources. Create an action plan and stick to it. Be updated and upskill yourself. Aim at building a network and create opportunities. Follow these five steps and I assure you that can transform your social media presence. Begin today!