How to leverage Pinterest to support your employer brand

You’ve heard the stats:

• Pinterest is the fastest-growing social network.
• Pinterest has over 20 million users.
• Pinterest drives more referral traffic than Google+, YouTube and LinkedIn combined.
• Pinterest is the 19th most popular website in Canada.

So, is your company on Pinterest?

While many companies have taken a “wait-and-see” stance rather than experimenting with the visual social platform, it’s clear now that Pinterest is here to stay and it’s a great tool to leverage your employer brand – after all, a picture is worth a thousand words.

How to use Pinterest for employer branding

First off, determine what you want to get out of Pinterest and set up a strategy for achieving those goals. Do you want to attract new candidates? Do you want to interact with customers? Do you want to “give life” to your company’s brand? Considering this in advance will help you determine how to create your boards and what to pin to them.

Pinterest allows you to paint a visual self portrait of your brand and the topics that are important to you. Take advantage of this by pinning genuine photos that show who you are and what you do, not corporate stock images. Your followers (and potential candidates) will appreciate it, plus it can help differentiate your company from competitors and show off the brand’s personality.

And remember your pin etiquette: share content from others as frequently as you share your own! Re-pinning relevant content from other users is appreciated and a great way to build your network. We also recommend installing Pinterest’s “Pin Button” to your bookmarks bar for easy pinning as you browse the Internet.

Pinteresting employers

Looking for some examples of who is using Pinterest right?

Women At Accenture

Knowing that Pinterest is the number one social network for women aged 18-34, Accenture created a Pinterest account that appeals to this demographic.

Their pins highlight the personal style of Accenture women, and introduce the company’s career opportunities and female leaders.

Taco Bell Careers

Taco Bell was named the top employer brand on Pinterest by SmartRecruiters.com for their engaging boards that share details about company culture, current openings and employment branding.

Northern Health

Northern Health is passionate about two things: healthy living and life in Northern British Columbia!

They’re using Pinterest to share healthy living tips and recipes plus visual reasons to love Northern B.C. (including stunning scenery, the Northern Lights and wildlife).

Just-Eat.ca

Just-Eat.ca appeals to their audience’s love of food by sharing images of – you guessed it – food!

Among their images of mouth-watering dishes are pins that direct back to Just-Eat’s website so users can use Just-Eat’s take-out delivery service to satisfy their cravings.

Ideas for your boards

The possible topics for boards are limitless!  Think about who you are trying to attract, what they are interested in and how you can use that knowledge to strengthen your employer brand through visual storytelling. To get you started, here are a few theme ideas for your boards:

• Behind The Scenes: Give your followers an inside look into your company with photos of real employees at work or company events. This is your chance to show your company culture, not just talk about it!
• Company History: Pay homage to your company’s roots by pinning photos of the early days and showing how the company grew and evolved over the years.
• Meet Our Employees: Gather testimonials from your employees and pin their words along with their headshot.

• Meet Our Recruiters: Start a group board with your campus recruiters and encourage them to share photos that represent who they are and what they like so students can identify common interests and make more meaningful connections with your recruiters and your company.
• Job Search Tips: Attract active job seekers by sharing valuable job search articles, infographics and tips specific to your company or industry.
• Corporate Social Responsibility: Show off your company’s CSR efforts!
• Recommended Reads: Present your company as an industry expert by sharing relevant books and articles from both internal and external sources.
• We’re Hiring!: This is the place to post your current openings and link back to the posting or your company’s career page.

TalentEgg Tip: Board titles should be descriptive, but don’t be afraid to get creative!

Check out TalentEgg on Pinterest! Is your company using Pinterest? Share your best practices and link your Pinterest profile in the comments below.