When it comes to using social media for recruiting, law enforcement has been a bit behind compared to other industries.
Officers love social media, it helps them stay connected with loved ones while away for work. Yet, departments are afraid to implement any type of social media campaign that reaches these officers.
Here is how to start social media recruiting for Law Enforcement:
- Prioritize the
- Platforms Officers Use Most
- Setup Your Business Account on Each Platform
- Create and Post Engaging Content
- Begin Running Paid Ads
- Hire a Professional!
Prioritize the Platforms Officers Use Most
“Fish where the fish are.”
Some wise person who loved fishing
If your department is new to social media recruiting, it may feel overwhelming. Especially when you consider there are 17 platforms with 300 million+ users.
How do you start marketing on 17 platforms at once?!
You don’t.
To start, focus solely on the platforms that officers use the most. Then as you master recruiting on these platforms you can begin expanding to tertiary social media outlets.
Considering this, you need to start with Facebook.
81% of American adults have a Facebook account, and 7/10 of those people are on the platform for over 34 minutes every day.
Facebook has the largest officer audience size and engagement of all the social media platforms. Plus, by starting on Facebook you can easily use Instagram as well to reach younger demographics.
Set Up Your Business Account on Each Platform
Each time you begin recruiting on a social media platform, you need to first set up a business account for your department.
Do not set up a personal account with your department’s name. Doing this comes across as unprofessional and limits your marketing capabilities.
Business accounts provide you with more tools, like insights into how many people your posts are reaching.
Also, if you ever decide to hire an agency to manage your social media, you need a business account to give them access to your page.
Create and Post Engaging Content
Many people new to social media recruiting assume that it is all paid advertising.
But, that is not the case.
Before you spend any money on paid ads, you need to begin creating and posting content that engages your target audience (current and potential officers).
Doing this will attract people to your page organically and help you learn what kind of content generates the most engagement before you spend money on ads.
Tools like Canva, Figma, and Adobe Creative Suite are excellent places to start making content.
Begin Running Paid Ads
At some point in your social media recruiting campaign, you are going to need to pay for ads.
Organic reach will only get you so far. It’s unfortunate, but paid ads are how these platforms make their money.
Before launching any paid ad campaign you need to first determine your budget, campaign goals, and the audience you are targeting.
Your advertising campaign can get officers to apply to your open positions, follow your page, and engage with your content.
A combination of defined goals, well-built audiences, and quality content are necessary for advertising success.
Hire a Professional!
The quickest, most effective way to start social media recruiting for your department is to hire a professional.
Hiring a professional ensures your department will implement the best practices from the very start.
You will not have to spend the time and money learning the complexities yourself.
Are you interested in social media for recruiting? Fill out the form below and speak with a SAFEGUARD specialist today!
