Social Media Cheat Sheet [INFOGRAPHIC]

We throw around a lot of social media jargon on this blog. Social media is an invaluable (read: free!) tool to generate interest in open positions, and it’s a good way to keep in contact with a pool of top talent even when you’re not hiring. Social hiring strategies range from simple to complex, but they all begin by understanding the tools available to you. With this infographic “cheat sheet” from Flowtown (full size below) you can get on the fast track to discovering what social media tools might best suit your business. We’ve broken it down into a few categories of our own, below. If your business needs…

… Brand Exposure

Try YouTube, or Digg. Digg is a social news website that allows users to submit news stories, and users vote them up or down. Users are generally exposed to a wide variety of brands, including your company’s. However, Digg isn’t designed for customer interaction. YouTube has a similar problem, in that it’s difficult to get viewers to return to your company website after viewing video blogs/tutorials. However, it’s an easy platform to house your company’s video content.

… To Connect With a Younger Generation

Try Tumblr or Twitter. Your social hiring strategy may seem like it connects with a younger generation by default. However, Tumblr and Twitter are 2 great services for specifically connecting with millennials. Twitter is a microblogging service where you share text-based messages of 140 characters or less. Don’t get me wrong, plenty of people of all ages Tweet–this just makes the service all the more helpful in your social hiring strategy. Tumblr is a different animal altogether (although it will sync with your Twitter, Facebook, what have you accounts). Tumblr is especially great for sharing photo/video content with a younger generation of bloggers and job seekers.

…To Communicate with Clients/Customers

Google +, or Facebook. Both of these social media platforms are really built for customer interaction. Although some small business owners find that customers don’t use Google +, the service does sync with other Google applications, which is very handy. This is especially a pro, considering that Facebook isn’t SEO friendly. Facebook’s real strength comes with its massive network of users, which you can use to advertise job openings and interact with customers, clients, and potential hires.

…To Hire Some Great People

Try Facebook, Google +, Twitter, Tumblr, Digg, YouTube… All of these social media tools can help you achieve your social hiring goals. Let’s not forget about Pinterest or Linkedin either, even though they weren’t mentioned in the infographic. Although platforms like Facebook and Twitter are great places to start, due to their large existing network, any work you do on promoting your company and your brand will pay big dividends when it comes time to hire. Think about your business’s specific hiring needs, and choose a social media form using our tips.

1 in 3 small business owners are using social media and social hiring as part of their business strategy. How about you?