Using Social Media as a Conversation Starter for Cold Outreach

I get it. You’re busy. You are under pressure. You need to fill that role fast and with the right person.

You can run a quick database or LinkedIn search using a few key terms and, without so much as checking your results, send mass emails or LinkedIn InMails and gain great results, right?

Wrong.

If it worked, why is it so easy to find LinkedIn profiles like this?

Mass mail may have worked in the past, but as we near the end of 2016 the spray ‘n’ pray approach is no longer effective, especially for those people with highly sought after skills.

If it was working we wouldn’t be hearing recruitment industry influencers like Allison Kruse use terms like #FightSpam or Kerri Mills discuss Hyperpersonalization as the way to get a response. So rare it is to receive a personalized considerate InMail that 6191 people retweeted and 8935 favorited this tweet!

Holy smokes. A Google recruiter sent me an email using the skills listed on my LinkedIn Profile.
It is *gold*. pic.twitter.com/1zGkDgRwku
— Paul Fenwick (@pjf) May 11, 2016

And even with this considerate approach, this highly skilled professional took 11 months to see this InMail because he had clearly had turned off the associated email in his settings.

You will always have greater success by crafting an email that shows you have done your research, by emailing directly, and by scheduling messaging to arrive early in the morning as potential candidates are waking up.

But, as often is the case, some things are easier said than done. So how can you personalize your candidate communication in a way that makes that next potential hire think twice before relegating it to the spam box or just ignoring it quickly?

Use social media as your conversation starter, both before you email and to personalize your email.

Here’s how I’d use a few channels to go about looking for a new recruiter…

1st stop: LinkedIn Recent Activity

Recent Activity is tucked away under the dropdown on a user’s profile, and it’s a goldmine for conversation starters and engagement.

Tris has only been at Indeed for 5 months, so a boring InMail is likely to fall on deaf ears, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t start a conversation.

You could ask an open question on this update like, “How was your first SourceCon, Tris? Is it as good as the hype?” If he responds, you’ll be notified and probably find he’s more likely to be open to connecting, which then gives you the opportunity to message or organize a call.

2nd Stop: Instagram

Personally, I think overlooking Instagram’s 500 million users is crazy. People are more relaxed there, sharing 80 million photos and videos each day, and as they say, a photo tells a thousand words.

As Tris shared an Instagram snap, it was easy make the connection from LinkedIn, and once there I could see a different side to his character.

I know that hiring a SourceCon grandmaster finalist would be a score, so it is definitely worth congratulating Tris. His Instagram profile is public, so I can simply click the heart to favorite or add a comment. He’ll be notified and be able to see what I am about on my own profile.

Looking at Tris’s whole profile tells me even more. I now know he lives in East London, likes craft beer and good food, and has a beard.

3rd Stop: His blog!

As a blogger myself, if you tell me you read my blog, believe me, you get my attention! It’s flattering because these are our musings, and we’ve put time into sharing them with the world.

Right there on Instagram was a link to Tris’s blog, and in seconds, I’ve connected dots and learned more. His recent post shows that he has a true passion for what he does and isn’t just putting on a show.

You could start your email with something like:

“Tris, your recent post called Agency Vs. In House Recruiters; The Truth?” was a breath of fresh air. I especially like that you were seeking to collect facts rather than make a parody of the age-old debate.

I know you’ve not long been at Indeed, congratulations, but I would love to hear about your future career plans as I think you’d find we have like-minded individuals working here. Is there a good time to connect and chat?”

It is personal, it expresses interest, and it shows you’ve done your research, research that took under 60 seconds.

4th stop: In-person

You are after someone highly skilled, right? You may have to go beyond.

Right there in Tris’s post is a link to an event he’s running (humor me and pretend it’s current), so there is nothing stopping you from going along and saying hello. Why not?

You don’t have to open with, “Want a job?” You could simply say, “Tris, I’m Katrina, we were chatting on LinkedIn recently” and see what evolves.

Even better, there are four other recruiters named in the event details who would also be great to meet, and of course, a room full of even more recruiters to connect with. It’s worth the time to go!

In 2016, the average attention span is a mere 8 seconds, and you are competing against a staggering 150 million emails that are sent each and every minute. A quick search for something unique to include in your cold outreach will make all the difference between failure and success – and social is a great place to start for that little golden nugget of info.