Monster takes on LinkedIn with Facebook app
Job site Monster has created a new professional networking Facebook app to take on LinkedIn, as part of a raft of innovations to extend its service beyond an employment search engine.
BeKnown has been designed to allow users to separate their personal and professional contacts in order to source new business and job opportunities, without conflicting with their original Facebook pages.
David Henry, EMEA vice president of media and digital marketing at Monster, says the app tackles the “new social dilemma” of networking professionally and socially in one place.
He adds: “People love Facebook but can’t use it as fully as they would like. BeKnown solves this problem by allowing at least two personas on one social network.”
BeKnown will also allow brands to have Facebook presences beyond their official brand pages, by creating new profiles for recruitment to post jobs and communicate what the company is like to work for.
Henry says there will also be further opportunities for brand partnerships with BeKnown, although these have yet to be confirmed.
It is hoped BeKnown will reach the 38.2 million users that currently use both Facebook and the Monster standalone service. By comparison, LinkedIn has an estimated 100 million users registered worldwide.
Henry adds: “We would hope that people will know the ’BeKnown bee’ as well as the Twitter bird.”
Monster will promote the launch of the app with a Facebook-focused marketing campaign.
Henry says Monster strategically changed its business in recent years after realising that targeted campaigns maintained the business better than expensive TV spots. The digital strategy will continue throughout the year, when it is expected a series of other online products will be announced.
Competitor professional networking service LinkedIn debuted on the New York Stock Exchange in May with an IPO, valued at $8.9bn (£5.6bn).
