Monster moves into Facebook: what you can learn

Monster has made a big splash with BeKnown, its job seeker app for Facebook. It’s the latest (and boldest) move into social media for the job board, and I think it has some lessons for all of us. So without further ado, let’s begin:

1. Pick your fights: Monster very wisely did not attempt to launch anything for LinkedIn users. I suspect they understood that: a) LinkedIn would fight back; and b) there was very little competition in the Facebook pond. Yes, BranchOut was already there with roughly 1 million users – but Monster knew it could dwarf that number very quickly. Smart move.
2. Think like a user: Sure, I like beating up on Monster like everyone else (it’s tough to be #1 but that’s the price they must pay). Yet I have to admit that when I set up the app for my Facebook account, it just made sense. It was straightforward, easy to use, and (gasp!) kind of fun – everyone likes to get a badge, after all. It’s exactly the kind of app I can imagine a lot of non-techie, regular folks using – the kind of people, in fact, that do use Facebook. It ain’t perfect, but what is? I give the Monster design team kudos for this one.
3. Be strategic: Monster is not naive – they know that Facebook may decide to move into the jobs sector at some point. But Facebook has many irons in the fire right now, including a not-so-distant IPO. They don’t live and die by recruiting in the same way that LinkedIn does – so Monster has time to grow, develop, and nurture BeKnown. For Monster, Facebook is just a better place to be social.
4. Know what you want: BeKnown is not just an app that Monster created so they could be ‘social’. It’s not eye candy, and it’s not a marketing gimmick. It’s a tool designed for a channel that Monster doesn’t own, to acquire new users and bring past users back into the fold. It’s a tool to grow their most valuable commodity: job seekers.

There have been and will continue to be other forays by job boards into Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social media channels. StartWire is keeping pressure from the job seeker side as well – take a look to see how they ‘think like a job seeker’.  And…be sure to keep learning from others’ mistakes – and successes.

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