Jun 26
Simple vs. Easy
Published by Amybeth (@researchgoddess) at 8:00 am under Social,Talent,Thoughts
Simple and easy are often viewed as interchangeable words. But to me, they’re quite different. There are some who seem to think that using social media strategically for business is easy. I beg to differ.
When something is said to be simple, that implies that it can be grasped by anyone.
When something is said to be easy, that implies that it can be grasped well by anyone.
Do you see the difference here?
What’s simple is signing yourself or your company up for a Facebook profile, or a Twitter account. What’s simple is claiming social media real estate.
But what’s not EASY – is knowing what to do next.
Any Joe Schmoe can sign up for an account on a social media site. That’s simple. But gleaning value from it? That’s not easy. Crafting a business strategy that involves social media and getting some value out of it is going to be time-consuming, because the very nature of it is social, and it takes time to develop lasting relationships in any social setting. It’s not easy, but the outcome can be quite rewarding.
Just because you have a Twitter account and you update your Facebook profile to let people know “I’m looking for a Java Developer in Colorado” does not mean you know how to use social media for recruitment purposes.
Remember: you can use social media for more than candidate search. There are other important applications, such as marketing, brand/reputation monitoring, and *gasp* learning from others who might actually know something of value. All of these aid in the success of your recruiting efforts, and you should recognize the value associated with them.
So, give them a shot. Try using social media for something other than candidate generation to add value to your recruiting, and to separate yourself from the masses.
Simple thoughts to grasp? I think so. Easy to put into action? Well, that depends on you… 
Amybeth, you couldn’t have been closer to hitting the nail on the head! I have been working with social media for a long time, but lately I’ve been using it for marketing for my department (current project) and personally for job hunting. It takes a lot of practice and it definitely takes a while to build the networks and lasting relationships.
Hi Amybeth
This is a very good way to explain the “why” use it and how it can help you in marketing, branding, job hunting or recruitment. I’d like to “see” more examples of how people are using it successfully specifically in recruitment. I completely “get” how you have to start with building relationships. I’d like to read about how to generate conversations using type restricted to 140 characters in the areas I work in. How can I use it to help me connect with faculty in the medical and veterinary field for example? I haven’t found one contact I’ve spoken to in 2 years on twitter and the 2 or 3 that are on facebook only use it for personal reasons. I am discouraged I suppose.
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