However, numerous companies are yet to include social recruiting as part of their hiring efforts.

Although 98% of HR managers say social networking is an important tool for recruiting, the majority of HR departments don’t seem to have a specific strategy in place when it comes to talent acquisition on social media.

An effective and easy solution to this state of things is provided by employee advocacy on social media. When used to show the human side of a brand to the world, social amplification platforms prove particularly beneficial for the HR department of a company.

In particular, employee advocacy on social media can:

1) Facilitate talent acquisition through referrals

In the age of digital communication, finding the right kind of talent has potentially become less of a challenge. Information travels fast, with new possibilities of communication opening every day.

Employees’ social networks include a number of individuals who share their same interest, their same academic or work experiences. Through social amplification, HR departments can access a pool of potential hires it would otherwise take much longer to get into.

2) Boost companies’ efforts with employer branding

One could ask, what are the actual possibilities to brand an employer? Generally, it is a process of establishing a company’s reputation as an employer in order to attract and retain talent. Precisely, employee advocacy on social media can generate a positive impact on employer branding.

When employees share relevant content about their company through an employee advocacy platform, they amplify their company’s message and show how fun, stimulating or interesting it can be to work there.

This affects significantly on the way their personal connections perceive the company’s role as an employer.

3) Increase employee engagement online and offline

Communications on social media provide an alternative and engaging form of interaction.

Online, the relationships between people in business gain a possibility to be more personal and interactive. Not only does this encourage social connections, but it also makes a HR professional’s job slightly more efficient offline. Studies show that at least 20% of socially engaged companies are more likely to retain talent.

Also, employee advocacy platforms help create a sense of community while mitigating risk associated with spontaneous content sharing. This is where employees have the opportunity to share content while being sure they’re staying on brand.

In a nutshell, employee advocacy programmes can be particularly useful at supporting HR’s recruiting and community building efforts.

When you think that employees have a social network approximately 10 times larger than the one of their company (2013 study by Cisco), the opportunity for social amplification of the company’s message becomes even clearer.