Twitter looks a lot different than it did just two years ago, and when we say “looks” we mean it: Twitter is becoming a visual network.
As more photo- and video-friendly social networks were born—i.e. Instagram, Pinterest, Vine–established social networks had to evolve their platforms to deliver more visual media, or risk losing valuable active users.
This led Twitter to expand the type of content it delivered and break its one, definitive golden rule: The 140-character limit.
Twitter’s new rules have also set new standards. Individuals and brands that can navigate this increasingly visual landscape will edge out slower adopters who are left behind. Mastering these new rules quickly also show the marks of a true Twitter expert, where Twitter Cards and Inline Twitter Images act as badges of social media fluency.
Below we’ve listed three signs of a Recruiting Ace on Twitter. Are you and your brand showing all three marks of Twitter expertise?
- You know the difference between Inline Twitter Images vs. Twitter Cards, and you know when and how to use each.
What are Twitter Cards?
In June 2012 Twitter introduced Twitter Cards which expand the limit beyond 140 Characters, giving recruiters more real estate to describe job openings without ever needing to leave the Twitter stream. Below is a Tweet Card from our client, Bayada Healthcare. Looks like a regular 140-character tweet, except for one important detail.
By clicking the “View Summary” link on the bottom right corner, the tweet expands to reveal more information.
Why should recruiters use Twitter Cards?
They give pause and invite curiosity. By extending beyond the 140-character limit, Twitter Cards can house more information about a requisition, giving candidates a chance to further consider your job posting when they may have just been on their way to view a different tweet.
Twitter Cards require some back end development work, which TweetMyJobs takes care of on behalf of our clients. To learn how to create your own Twitter card, go to Twitter’s Development blog for guide on getting started.
What are Inline Twitter Images?
In October 2013 Twitter introduced Inline Twitter Images and Videos. Below is the Twitter job channel of our client, Ghirardelli Chocolate Company. Unlike Twitter Cards, this tweet does not require an extra click on a “View summary” link to expand and view the photos and videos embedded in them.
Why should recruiters use Inline Twitter Images?
They pop. Below is how the Ghirardelli tweet will look in a typical stream. You can see how the top two tweets—although they themselves are Twitter Cards (note the “View summary” links)—are visually supplanted by Ghirardelli’s Inline Twitter Image.
- You optimize Twitter Job Cards, Inline Twitter Images, and Text Tweets for search. Always.
Using Inline Twitter Images and Cards may capture more attention than a text tweet, but are your tweets and images even reaching your targeted audience?
The images embedded in the tweets are themselves not searchable on Twitter and thus can only be found via text-based search. Take for example the media-rich tweet below from Geico, also a TweetMyJobs client. The tweet—which includes an inline image—displays some of our best practices in optimizing job tweets by including job title, location, shortened URL, and relevant hashtags in the industry (#Insurance) or locale (#CaliforniaJobs).
We prescribe this type of optimization because it matches how Job seekers primarily search on Twitter: typing keywords that specify job function and locations into a Twitter search query.
Geico could have tweeted this picture alone without any text above it, but candidates who would have searched for “Insurance Jobs” or followed the #CaliforniaJobs channel may have never been able to see it.
This is why the amount of followers you have on your job channel isn’t the end all, be all. Twitter’s powerful search capabilities allows one to locate specific messages from a stream without ever needing to “follow” it.
- You Measure Performance. Period.
To really push your recruiting campaigns on Twitter and build a program for the long-haul, you must track your Twitter performance and constantly tune your social recruiting engine. The truth is a vast majority of brands have yet to develop a social recruiting strategy or track campaign metrics. We get it: for many, analytics is not the most enjoyable aspect of social media recruiting. But it is essential.
Some of our clients have hundreds of requisitions to manage a week, and we regularly track how many clicks job tweets receive, when they convert most, and where. This insight has helped our clients shift social media messaging and has even adjusted business objectives and hiring priorities. One of our clients just recently was able to track amazing results such as decreased time-to-fill, increased quality-of-hire, and boosted employee retention. To show results, one must first track results.
Cut Through The Noise Now. Twitter’s Bound to Get Louder.
A photo or expanded Twitter Card provides a place to rest your eyes amidst a stream of text tweets—they pull focus, and grab real attention. Twitter has already released positive results on how much more attention that can mean: tweets with photos result in an average 35% boost in retweets and in one case the Twitter Card increased URL clicks by 62%.
With a new visual standard set, brands are in a mad dash to produced media-rich content that seems to be eclipsing the old text tweet. How fast are you evolving to the new Twitter environment? Are you a Twitter Recruiting Ace?
