Is it possible that finding targeted talent can be done easier, cheaper and more effective than using online job sites or job recruiters?

Consider using Facebook advertising to find your next talented employee.

While Facebook has become an integral marketing tool for businesses to promote their brands, products and services, there is another opportunity that is often overlooked: recruiting.

When it comes to recruiting talent, most people still believe the myth that finding talented employees should to be done using LinkedIn. The fact of the matter is most young jobseekers are not actively using LinkedIn. They are, however, still one of the biggest demographics on Facebook and it’s very easy to target them.

While you can post status updates on social media telling people you are hiring, and ask your audience to help spread the word by sharing your post, this generally doesn’t accomplish much since the reach of your post is generally limited to your immediate audience, and perhaps their friends, versus highly targeted individuals who live near your location and possess the skills you are looking for.

Facebook advertising allows you to create a visually appealing Facebook post that can be presented to highly targeted individuals by tapping into the vast amount of intellectual information Facebook collects about their users, going beyond the generic demographic information to include interests, job titles, educational background, interests, philosophy, etc. And, all of this can be done at an extremely cost-effective price point.

Consider these two case studies:

A client was holding a free STNA (State Test Nursing Assistant) class where attendees who successfully completed the class could potentially be offered an employment opportunity. Because this was relatively open to anyone, the targeting was not as specific.

• Facebook advertising ad image was created with ad text that included a call to action for interested individuals to register.
• Using Facebook advertising, we selected 18-40 year old men and women living within a 25-mile radius of the campus. Spending $20 over a 2-week period provided the following results:
• 2,866 people saw the ad; 63 people clicked on the link associated with the ad; 9 people signed up for the class.
• From a cost perspective, the cost per 1,000 people reached was $6.98 and assuming all 9 attendees of the class finished successfully, the cost to hire an individual was $2.22.

In our second case study, the select criterion was more highly targeted with the client looking to specifically hire LPNs.

• Another ad image was created for this with ad text that included more details about the positions and a call to action for interested individuals to apply.
• Using Facebook advertising, we selected 22-60 year old men and women living within a 25-mile radius of the campus. We also specified the ad should be presented to individuals who’s Facebook profile indicated a field of study in LPN Nursing, Licensed Practical Nurse, Nursing or Practical Nursing (LPN) or with a job title of Staff Nurse, LPN Nurse, Licensed Practical Nurse, and Nursing.
• Spending $20 over a 1-week period provided the following results:
• 1,434 people saw the ad. 46 people clicked on the link associated with the ad, 7 people who saw the ad shared it with their friends.
• From a cost perspective, the cost per 1,000 people reached was $13.98 but if only 1 of the individuals who clicked through the link to apply was hired, the cost to acquire that single employee was only $20.

In conclusion, Facebook advertising provides a simple, cost-effective solution for reaching qualified candidates through targeted marketing.

Next time you are looking to fill a role within your organization, consider giving Facebook advertising a try.