Social media - Recruitment drive

From management to catering, nursery nurses to special educational needs co-ordinators, it is your staff who make the difference between inadequate and outstanding provision.

Recruitment is now a diverse business, with many trying a mix of online adverts, specialist press and listings sites. So what role can social media play? And how would you begin? Here's a guide.

1. Be clear on the benefits

We have talked before about making the benefits of your setting clear to parents through your social media channels. To recruit successfully, you now need to apply the same logic to your staff.

Ask your current staff what they like about being with you. Do you offer good working conditions? How do you reward loyalty? Are you great at professional development and training opportunities? The settings that manage this successfully do it in a way that involves current staff and makes them feel valued.

2. Ask your staff to do the selling for you

Make the most of the person-to-person nature of social media by recording short videos of your staff talking about what a great place it is to work. This, coupled with your latest vacancies, will sell your setting far more effectively that any amount of blurb.

It implies endorsement, and encourages prospective employees to empathise while giving them a feel for the setting beforehand. It also makes the listing personal, and more shareable: perfect for social media. Parents will like it too!

3. Create a targeted ad

Let's assume you now have active Facebook and Twitter pages, you have drawn up a strategy that focuses on the benefits of your setting and you have involved your staff in a way that shows you value them. It is time to get the ad out there! Of course, you will want to share it on your website and social media pages, but I would encourage you to create a Facebook ad to promote the vacancy, too.

Facebook allows you to be extremely targeted. You can choose who sees the ad based on age, location, training and interests so you can be sure it is being seen by the right people. Make sure you include the key information and conform with equality legislation, but try to stand out too and use it as an opportunity to promote your nursery. A personal video, with facts, a link to a job description and an application form will work wonders.

4. Don't forget LinkedIn

Nurseries tend to focus on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter, but LinkedIn really comes into its own when recruiting - especially for senior positions. As a starting point, it is important to build your own profile and the community around it on areas of particular interest.

Connect with other early years professionals. Share your thoughts on changes in legislation. And keep an eye out for potential candidates who are moving on or relocating. Creating a business page for your setting also means you can advertise on LinkedIn. It costs more than Facebook, but it can also be targeted and great for recruiting at management or director level.

5. Thinking all year round

It is worth keeping recruitment in mind at all times, regardless of whether you currently have a vacancy. The best way to do this is to make your current employees feel valued. Say thank you to them on social media. Remind parents and staff about what a great place your nursery is to work in.

Kate Tyler is managing director of Shake Social, a social media agency for the early years

- Let us know how you get on using the #nwsocial hashtag on Twitter

Facebook

The most popular network and the most powerful for nurseries. People can collect 'friends' and companies can collect 'likes' for their profile pages.

Twitter

This real-time service is unrivalled for fast-paced, breaking news. Use hashtags (#) to group conversations together. Tweets are limited to just 140 characters.

Pinterest

A virtual pinboard for all the things you love. Boards are based on different themes, with images 'pinned' on your board linking back to the website they came from.

YouTube

YouTube is now the second largest search engine in the world. Owned by Google, it is immensely popular and affects your online search rankings.

Blogs

A blog (web-log) is an online article or journal that can include text, images and video.

Google+

Although not as widely used as other social networks, Google+ does influence search engine rankings.

LinkedIn

Connects people for professional purposes.

Instagram

With its square format and retro filters, Instagram gives your images a polaroid feel. Only available for use on mobile phones, it is intended to be about recording the moment.

Snapchat

Allows users to create 'snaps' - photos or videos that only last for up to ten seconds once the recipient has opened them.