Most companies spend a lot of time on their customer-facing brand, but fall short when considering the merits of paying attention to their brand as an “employer.” Strategic companies place as much importance on boosting their employer brand to attract the best job candidates (for them) and increase their chances of hiring and retaining talent. It’s been a challenge for everyone at this historically unique moment, so carefully crafting an employer brand is crucial. Here’s how to get started.
What is employer branding?
Your employer brand is the company’s reputation and values as an employer. Just as you want to create a positive image to customers, employer branding strives to communicate a positive image of your organization as a place to work in order to attract a potential employee who would be a good fit. Your employer brand should showcase your values, benefits, and career opportunities. The marketing deliverables include anything that would be a touchpoint for a potential employee; website career page, recruitment ads, social media posts, videos, flyers, job fairs, and more.
How is employer branding different from customer-facing brand?
Your target audience is different for potential employees than customers. For example; if you are selling trendy fashion apparel to young teens, a company would design and brand their products, ads, and messaging to hit the hot buttons of young girls between the ages of 10 & 14. That same brand strategy would not be effective in attracting professional staff to work within your business. An employer brand strategy is crafted to appeal to people who could work for your company, who have the skillsets, and education required.
How do I get started on my employer branding image?
- Define your target audience. For example: If you are an accounting firm hiring accountants and support staff, you would define your target audience as accounting/ business majors, people who are already working in the accounting field, or a comparable office environment.
- Where you will find your target audience? What schools have good programs? What are some of the hobbies or interests of your target audience? Where is the biggest concentration of your potential target audience? What other sectors might be comparable and have similar attributes to yours?
- What type of artwork and messaging will appeal to your target audience? If you are an energy company who requires a lot of outdoor work, you would want your look and feel to reflect the advantages of being active and not working in an office.
- Research what your competitors are doing. What do their materials look like and what do they say? How are you different? How can you stand out? Knowing your competitors doesn’t mean copying them. Be creative and original.
- Ensure your website has a strong career page. Everyone searches for and researches potential employers online. Your website should have an easy to find career page that includes an overview of company values, your vision statement, the employee benefits package, as well as job listings. Make it easy to upload a resume or make contact with the appropriate person.
- Don’t forget social media. A lot of companies don’t place enough importance on their social media and sometimes make the mistake of leaving it to chance or to anyone on staff willing to do it, which creates a haphazard image. Social media is the perfect place to demonstrate that a company values its team with photos of picnics, team building, awards, employee profiles, community engagement, charitable activities and more.
- Attend career fairs. Nothing is more powerful than meeting people face to face. Portray a professional image by ordering a branded tablecloth, signage, giveaways, and brochures to hand out. Also be ready to take in applications and interview on the spot. Some companies make the error of directing candidates to apply online which defeats the purpose of being onsite.
Companies that take employer branding seriously have a better shot at attracting and retaining staff because they’ve taken the time to carefully craft their image and communicate their values, thereby hiring staff that shares those values. It’s a recipe for success. Lead on!
Contact: Allison Madison at amadison@madisonapproach.com / 914-428-4800
