I don’t think this information is news to anyone who works for a recruitment advertising agency, but many employers might be suprised by the costs of creating a Facebook Sponsored Group. As a media buyer, I have access to this type of information, but I wouldn’t post it to the masses, but recently Valleywag posted information from the current rate card. Since the info is out there, it’s worth a discussion. Sponsored Group costs are going from $150K for 3 months to $300K for 3 months. Even at $150K, the costs were steep for recruitment. It is very hard to make an investment like that prove a positive ROI for your organization.
I bring this up because many people tout the use of Facebook by a couple of organizations (Ernst & Young, CIA, for example) for college recruitment. From a pure ROI perspective, there is no way to make a sponsored group work. Sure there is branding value and it is extremely important for recruiters to start taking advantage of social media, since this is where college students and professionals are.
However, despite my agency roots, I’m not sure recruiters are going to do it by creating sponsored groups. I believe that social media sourcing is going become a specialized skill within recruitment. Just as we have recuiters that can put a boolean search string together that can find any specific skill set, we need recruiters whose skill is using social media to build relationships and network with candidates. And, of course, we need HR departments that put a budget against it and a formal program. Just layering social media sourcing onto a recruiter who is already too busy, won’t work. Smart companies will build teams that specialize in using this format and building relationships. It may even be that these social media recruiters are sought after by the size and quality of their networks. The great thing for companies is that the use of most social networks from an individual perspective is usually free. Just adding a few resources in this area could net a strong ROI.
