Kristine’s Cartoons: The Hunger Games of Red Branch Media

“We hired you because of your Instagram…”

If someone had told me a few years ago that someone would say that to me, I would have laughed in their faces. But recently it happened, and with a $157,000 contract on the table no less.

Instagram is more than just a picture service, it’s a culture delivery mechanism. This week, I’m in New York speaking at the GSMI inaugural event on employer branding. And part of my presentation is just how crucial Instagram and Facebook have been in creating our employer brand. It’s crucial for companies small and large. Don’t believe me? Check out these posts (which have awesome ideas included!)

Top 10 Companies using Instagram for Employer Branding (Blogging4Jobs)

5 Companies that rock at Employer Branding on Instagram (AfterCollege)

Or these stats from Software Advice:

• 70% of Instagram users log in once a day (at least).
• Tweets with images received 150% more re-Tweets and 89% more favorites.
• The largest group using Instagram is adults between 18-29 years of age with some college education.

But the final word comes from SocialTalent’s Siofra Pratt:

“Instagram’s strength as a recruitment tool, lies not in its ability to help you search for talent (although it can be done), but in its potential as a serious employer branding platform which can help attract both current job seekers and passive candidates to your company.

But Instagram isn’t just any old employer branding platform. This is not a case of “let’s just whack a few of our stock images up there and wait for the followers to come running“. Potential candidates don’t want to see just any old images on Instagram. Oh no! When it comes to Instagram, users want to see the unseen and glimpse into a world they would otherwise have no access too. That’s why celebrities like Kylie Jenner and Taylor Swift do so well on the platform – they give fans a literal snapshot into what it’s like to live in their world through their accounts and fans flock to catch a glimpse.

So when setting up your company Instragram account, you need to ask yourself; “Who is your audience and what do they care about?”

Maren Hogan

Maren Hogan is CEO of Red Branch and general Bad@$$

Maren Hogan is a seasoned marketer and community builder in the HR and Recruiting industry. Maren started Red Branch Media and, before she hired all the smiling faces you see below, she ran it on her own. In marketing for over 15 years, she has deep experience in strategic campaigns and a long-term, results-based operational approach.