My college marketing professor once told me; branding is like directing a marching band – you have to keep repeating your message because they just keep walking on by. Employer branding is similar in that the frequency and way you present your message within the marketplace will determine your success in attracting talent. Employer branding is an essential tool for companies trying to stand out from the crowd and attract top candidates.
What is Employer Branding
Employer branding is the process of managing and influencing your reputation as an employer among job seekers, key stakeholders and current employees. It embodies everything you do to position your organization as an employer of choice. Employer brand describes an employer’s reputation as a preferred place to work, and their employee value proposition, as opposed to the more general corporate brand reputation and value proposition communicated to customers.
With all the outlets on social media allowing people to review companies and their cultures, it is vital organization be proactive and control their message.
Historically, companies that attract the best talent have a strong employer brand. With all the outlets on social media allowing people to review companies and their cultures, it is vital organization be proactive and control their message.
An employer brand is an important part of the employee value proposition (EVP) and is essentially what the organization communicates as its identity to both potential and current employees. It encompasses an organization’s values, mission, and culture. A positive employer brand communicates that the organization is a good employer and a great place to work. Employer brand has a significant impact on recruitment of new employees, retention and engagement of current employees, and the overall perception of the organization in the market.
Consider the following when developing an employer brand strategy
- Know your organization’s business, vision, mission, values and culture. Understand the organization’s business objectives and what type of talent is needed to accomplish those objectives. Define the company’s unique attributes.
- Conduct an internal employer brand audit to understand how the current employees perceive the organization, as well as your target candidate group, and what these employees or potential employees want from the organization. Ask the top performers in your organization what they like about working for the company. Determine the attributes of these top employees that the organization would want to attract.
- Conduct an external employer brand audit to learn how the organization is positioned in relation to the competition.
- Determine an employee value proposition that clearly communicates the value of the brand the organization is developing. The employee brand should be aligned with its customer brand and reflect what is unique about the organization.
- Determine an employee marketing strategy. The strategy should have two focus areas. First, the recruitment strategy should focus on reaching the targeted applicant base. Attention should be directed to your career page, recruiting sites, social media and other external recruitment sources. The second focus area should concentrate on consistently communicating the employee value proposition message to current employees in order to retain and engage them – this is the marching band concept I mentioned earlier. Solicit employee testimonials. These are good vehicles to reinforce the brand.
- Align the employer brand with the overall company brand. Work with the marketing and communications groups to ensure a universal branding strategy.
- Ensure that the people and management practices support the organization’s employer brand. Coaching, training, compensation and other human resources- related practices can be used to support the brand.
- Develop and implement metrics to evaluate and track the success of the employer brand. Brand awareness, quality of hire, employee satisfaction, employee referrals re some metrics that can be used.
Research shows how a strong employer brand has a direct impact on talent acquisition. Organizations with better reputations have higher-quality and more satisfied employees.
An organizations recruiting and retention efforts are a series of individual interactions. Every touchpoint leaves an impression with candidates and employees that shapes your employer brand and your ability to hire and retain top talent. Without proper management, each one of those touchpoints can become a deal breaker, costing you candidates and employees.
What is your employer brand?