Every company is facing the same challenge: The increasing scarcity of qualified personnel. In order to stay one step ahead, it is essential that one establish a distinct employer brand. How can this be accomplished? By having your employees act as good-will ambassadors for your company. This boosts appeal and draws in new employees. Of course, that sounds complicated and time-consuming. That's why it is necessary to establish continuous and integrated communication. This is done by pursuing a clear strategy – which must be implemented in a professional manner.

Your own workers are your company's best ambassadors: That's a fact! Your workers must be consistently integrated into your employer branding communication. Of course, that can't be done in a day.
The first step must be taken at the executive level. It is the responsibility of corporate management to properly communicate its values and philosophy to the workers. Only after the company personnel have accepted these values can active employer branding commence. The use of social media is a crucial component of this strategy.

Today, social media are a vital part of a company's everyday activities. A company must maintain a strong presence in social networks. Failing to do so sends a clear negative message: "We don't exist!" The goals of maintaining a social media presence are manifold: Promoting sales, developing an awareness for certain topics, presenting products and services, highlighting one's employer brand, and so forth.

There are numerous different platforms – and each one requires a different approach. Each channel must be supplied with content in a different fashion, depending upon the given target audience the individual channel has. The content, the manner in which one presents one's company, and the target group must be adjusted for each channel. And now one can pose the question: What is the "right" platform for my company?

There is no single right answer to this question. That's because every company has its own, unique needs.
Thus, on Instagram, it's important to have an esthetically pleasing presentation and to create the proper mood using a corresponding gallery of images (feed). On Facebook, more-detailed information on various topics can be presented. On LinkedIn, a more business-oriented approach should be taken. And finally: Tik Tok. Here, fun and entertainment are at the forefront if you want to give your audience a glimpse "behind the curtains" of your company.

Every platform has its own USPs – consequently, companies must establish a presence where the target group can be accessed. Social media require a lot of attention and effort – something which should never be underestimated.

With regards to LinkedIn, companies sometimes fall victim to a fallacy: "If I'm not looking for personnel, then I don't need LinkedIn." That is no longer the case. LinkedIn is a pure business platform which is used for much more than "just" recruiting. Rather, a company can use it to present itself, its products, its services, its know-how, and its expertise. Professionals meet and exchange information on LinkedIn; they connect and converse nationally and internationally. It is even possible to collect worldwide inspiration. Of course, it is of great importance chiefly for executive personnel to remain active on LinkedIn. They act as good-will ambassadors for the company. And it frequently happens that old acquaintances and friends bump into each other while pursuing business goals!

We are often asked: "How can I attract more followers?"
And our reply is never the one that our clients want to hear. The number of followers one has is important – up to a point. But the target group is more vital still: We need to attract the "right" followers – i.e., those individuals who identify with our content and would like to learn more about us. We have to offer them added value. To achieve this, we have to interact with our followers. And here's where another parameter of inestimable importance comes into play: The engagement rate. The so-called "ER" reflects the intensity of interactions on social media platforms in response to a given contribution or item of content.

Generally speaking, it is vital that one be consistent; "piling on" is risky and should be avoided. Social media requires a strategic approach and careful planning.
For this reason, every company should ask itself the following questions:

• What is my goal in establishing a presence in social media?
• What are the relevant channels for me?
• Where can I find the different target groups of interest to me?
• What "added value" can I offer my target group?
• How can I utilize my USP in order to differentiate myself from my competitors?