Attracting & Engaging High-Performing Team Members Using Social Media

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The labor market is tightening. In April, unemployment hit 3.9%, a low seen only twice since 1970 according to the US Labor Department. The fight is fierce to draw top talent into the senior living market, to drive down turnover and to improve team member engagement in a way that sets your organization apart.

More than ever, senior living organizations need to attract and retain great talent with a quality work environment and strong culture, but how? The average adult spends 116 minutes per day on social media. Not surprisingly, the platforms with the lion’s share of those eyeballs are YouTube, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter. Solutions Advisors’ VP of Sales and Strategic Services, Angela Green Urbaczewski, recently spoke at the Colorado Leading Age Conference about how to leverage social media and team member’s social promotion to attract and keep talent.

Step 1- Build the Foundation:

Decide which social media platforms you want to invest time and resources
Set up consistent, branded company pages on each that showcase your culture and message
Set a target for growth in followership or post shares and likes
If you’re just getting started, we recommend Facebook and LinkedIn

Did you know that 70% of new hires read online reviews of a company before accepting a job? And many read more than seven! For organizations that already have the basics down, we recommend an online review campaign that can populate your company website, Google My Business, Glassdoor and industry sites like SeniorAdvisor with positive feedback from team members and residents. This builds your profile with potential team members and potential residents.

If you already have company profiles on Facebook and LinkedIn, go ahead and set up a branded YouTube channel, Instagram feed or Nextdoor business listing.

Step 2- Empower Champions:

Uncover the social media mavens on your team. This is a great leadership development opportunity for the millennials in your community, regardless of position.
Lifestyle team members are typically the ones closest to the action that depicts your lifestyle and culture. Make sure they have the technology they need: a smartphone or tablet with Wi-Fi access.
Set expectations for frequency of posting. We recommend four to six times per week, with mostly lifestyle posts, including one to two posts per week that celebrate team members or community partnerships.
Nielsen research tells us 81% of consumers trust a social media recommendation from a friend, but only 34% trust advertising on social media. It’s a good practice to encourage associates to follow or link to your company page. As they like and re-share posts , those items start to reach their networks of contacts.

Step 3- Measure. Adjust. Promote. Repeat.

Measurement campaigns start by tracking and promoting increases in followers and likes. Once the audience is built, track likes, shares, new reviews and responses. We recommend measuring monthly. Share progress and benchmarks with your team, and show them the most interacted-with posts so they will think creatively about how to do more of what works. We’ve even helped some teams set up automation of new blog posts to team members’ emails.

What should I post to attract and engage great team members?

1. Always include a photo, a link to your website or company page, or infographic. Social media users are typically attracted to posts with visual appeal, and they get more interaction time on our smartphones.

2. Recognize, recognize, recognize.

Your Facebook audience is very likely comprised of team members, residents, their family members and, if you’re really engaging with others, some referral partners. This is your social media “inner circle.” Celebrate team members’ promotions, anniversaries, birthdays, graduations and accomplishments.
Your LinkedIn audience is presumably referral partners, competitors, industry leaders and professional staff. Promote company awards, training and community partnerships that build your credibility. Share thought leadership in original blogs and re-shared articles.

3. Showcase your core values.

Do you recognize team members who display your core values at your daily stand-up or monthly meetings? Extend that recognition to your social media channels, especially Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. Encourage your team members to re-share with their networks and family and friends.
Do you commit time and resources to team-building or community service? Set up a hashtag or sharing campaign for your next community service or community partnership event and reward those who share it to their social networks.
Do you create intergenerational opportunities for residents or team members to celebrate special events with their families? Create a photo booth as part of the event, and cue participants to share their photos.

4. Create Testimonials

Whether they are from happy family members, residents or long-time team members, video testimonials are a powerful way to connect with future teammates and reinforce the strong performance of current teams

5. Promote key roles on the right channels.

Use LinkedIn to promote managerial and administrative roles. Link back to postings on your company website so potential team members can explore your community and company. Ask key team members who have built their online networks to re-share the post.
Leverage Nextdoor and hyper-local social media for front-line roles like dining, housekeeping or part-time weekend roles that appeal to candidates who want to work close to home