How to Amplify Your Job Ad on Social Media

Social media isn't just for sharing the latest "What food describes your personality?" quiz or Beyoncé meme – it's also for hiring. In fact, 92 percent of businesses use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Snapchat to post job ads.

And why shouldn't they? It's an incredibly easy-to-use and cheap method of reaching a target recruiting demographic – i.e., those who have already expressed an interest in your company.

While LinkedIn is still the No. 1 social media site for sourcing candidates, why not amplify your message by reaching out to potential employees via all of the platforms already at your disposal? Find your future employees and interns by directly targeting those who have actively taken an interest in your company on social media. That way, you can avoid posting exclusively to costly job boards.

If you've noticed a drought has hit your talent pools, use these tips to better utilize social media for your job advertisements:

1. Create a Blog Post About the Job on Your Website

While posting about a job opening on social media is very helpful, you'll want to avoid pasting all of the details in a chunky Facebook post. Instead, share those specifics in a blog post on your website.

Feel free to add gifs and light-hearted quips while still retaining an overall professional and respectful tone. The job ad should be as enticing as possible so as to recruit the most competent and the most enthusiastic candidates out there.

2. Switch to a Premium LinkedIn Account

With a premium LinkedIn account, you can use advanced search filters to find the perfect candidate, and you get 30 free InMails that allow you to contact anyone on LinkedIn.

The account will also track candidates and open roles within projects, let you see who has viewed your businesses profile within the past 90 days, and even send "smart suggestions" to help refine your choices.

3. Convert the Job Description Into a Fun Facebook Video

Never has it been easier to put a face and personality to a brand/company than it is now, thanks to free videos on Facebook. Something as simple as text over a panning shot of your office space could be a visually appealing way to hook more applicants.

People often scroll through Facebook on their phones with the sound off. It's a good idea to create a soundless video with accompanying text, and then if necessary, you can also create an additional video with sound.

4. Schedule Multiple Posts During Peak Hours

Not all blog posts are created equal. Posting on Facebook at 6 a.m. Sunday morning will not likely result in as many click-throughs as posting at 3 p.m. Wednesday afternoon will.

For optimal results, avoid weekends and evenings. According to studies, posting on Facebook at 3 p.m. is likely to get you the most clicks, while posting at 1 p.m. will probably get you the most shares.

5. Create a Custom Tab on Your Facebook Page

If you have a development team at your disposal, it may be time to look into creating custom tabs on your Facebook page. This article will give you some insight into the step-by-step process, but be forewarned that this task may be above the level of the average marketer's technical skills.

Once you have the custom tab, you can import your careers page or a blog post detailing an open position into the tab. Now the job listing has constant visibility on your Facebook page instead of being just a fleeting post!

6. Post Targeted Facebook Ads

Start by spending a small amount of money on a targeted Facebook ad so that it reaches a broader audience. Not only can you geo target the ad to specifically reach those in the city or state the job is in, but you can also ensure it is seen by people who are already interested in and aware of your company.

After testing out how effective the Facebook ad is and during which peak times it performs best, you can experiment with spending more money to push your ad to an even broader audience, if you find the feature useful!

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With the vast majority of businesses flocking to social media to increase their pools of talent, it pays to be technologically savvy. Putting these tips into play will help you build a larger pool of applicants than you would have if you simply dumped money into a job board.

Happy talent hunting!

Valerie Veteto is a Bay Area resident and has previously written for KQED, SF Weekly, and MTV.