Digital Marketing Insights: Engaging Employees and Attracting Talent Through Review Sites

Technology, and especially social media, have reshaped the way people interact and communicate. When searching online, anyone can find the information they’re looking for within a matter of seconds, if that, and studies have shown that consumers and employees perform their due diligence before making a purchasing decision. Being aware of what people are saying about your company online is critical because it helps build your brand’s story and attract and hire new talent.

Most healthcare public relations professionals are already working with LinkedIn to monitor and engage new prospects. Another platform, however, has become extremely popular among job seekers, and it’s called Glassdoor. “With 22 million registered users, reviews on over 300,000 companies and an annualized growth rate of 160 percent over the past 3 years, Glassdoor is here to stay,” predicts Chris Carlson, president of Sales Talent, a recruitment firm.

Glassdoor is the fastest growing jobs and recruiting site with a database of over eight million company, interview and benefits reviews, not to mention salary reports. Its users submit most of that content. With all that user-generated information, companies don’t necessarily control their profiles and, if you had not heard of Glassdoor until now, you might already have an unanswered review online.

With an interface that makes engagement extremely easy, new reviews are constantly uploaded to the platform which leads to Glassdoor’s high search engine ranking. “In our role as talent scouts, we have seen firsthand the impact that Glassdoor has on attracting top talent. Simply put, the savviest professionals avoid companies with negative reviews,” explains Carlson.

So what can you do to help your company keep (or regain) its high rating on Glassdoor? We put together a few tips based on research and experience:

Be ready to react. Have someone in the HR team monitor and answer.
Respond promptly. Glassdoor lets you set up alert e-mails that will warn you when new reviews are posted.
Welcome all feedback. Acknowledge all comments – positive or negative – in a non-defensive and considerate way. Thank positive reviewers and tell your side of the story in a negative evaluation.
Address specific comments. Being thorough in responses shows that your organization takes feedback seriously and that you care about others’ experiences with the organization.
Amplify the positive. Adding Glassdoor reviews to your website’s career page can further enhance brand awareness and help attract talent. Keep in mind that this strategy will generate better results if the platform has good evaluations.
Request more reviews. Actively ask for reviews to engage employees and gain valuable insight into the company. Remind them that all reviews are anonymous.

With word-of-mouth becoming ever more influential, it’s better to listen and improve than to pretend criticism never happened. “Will you sometimes get a nasty review, whether warranted or not? Sure! But then you respond to it publicly, tell your side of the story,” clarifies Ben Eubanks, an HR expert. Answering quickly and thoroughly will certainly help your cause!

Does your organization have an active Glassdoor page? Have you found, when interviewing candidates, that the individuals you speak to have checked Glassdoor prior to meeting with you? Let us know by leaving a comment!

If you’re in healthcare, insurance, technology or other professional services industries, and need help with a PR, marketing or social media campaign, contact Scott Public Relations.