A strong and engaging employer brand is essential in both marketing and recruitment. What your brand communicates speaks volumes to what it may be like to work for your company, employee culture, and core values. How do you know if you’re doing it right? Check out our 10 factors for gauging employer branding success below.
75% of job seekers consider an employer’s brand before even applying for a job.
1. You know who you are, and you celebrate it.
The best companies and brands don’t suffer from an identity crisis. They don’t try to be everything to everyone and are actually OK with turning some people off. It’s essential to have a strong brand message and to ensure you’re communicating that in everything you do – from content marketing to social media posts to your job postings. Companies who know who they are demand respect and attention.
2. You maximize social media.
Your company may have fought it for awhile, but they’ve finally realized the not only is social media here to stay but that it’s a critical vehicle for not only reaching potential clients and customers but also prospective candidates. Not only do you have a company Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, but your employees are active in sharing your content and posts to their personal networks. They’re proud to work for your company, and want to show it off.
3. You show and don’t tell.
A brand isn’t what you say it is, it’s what everyone else says it is. You can claim to be the coolest kid on the block, but if your constituents are saying something different – THAT becomes the truth. You understand the power of showing who you are and what you stand for and know that speaks volumes over screaming it from the rooftop.
Also read: Millennials want to see your company values, not hear about them
Photos, graphics, and even videos are engaging and effectively tell your company story to you.
4. You embrace your company culture.
Are your employees Ph.D.’s, tattooed, creative geniuses or automotive gearheads? Do you work 24/7 or have yoga sessions during lunch? Whatever your company culture is, not only does the C-suite embrace it, they encourage it.
5. You love your employees and aren’t afraid to show it.
You know your employees are at the heart and soul of your company. You make sure to recognize them on a regular basis, whether it be a staff-meeting shout out or highlight in your next e-newsletter. It’s essential to make your employees feel they are an important part of what makes your company work. Telling their stories is a great way to make a human-to-human connection with prospective candidates.
6. Your HR and Marketing teams are BFFs.
You know that hiring should be treated similarly to marketing. If you’re really good, your marketing and HR departments work hand-in-hand when it comes to posting job openings and communicating company culture. What HR recruitment tools are you using, what does your Linkedin company profile say about you, are you sharing job openings on social media platforms?
Also read: How to Fuse a Partnership Between HR and Marketing
Stellar brands know that recruiting top-talent takes more than a simple job posting.
7. Your leadership is on board.
Companies with incredible employer branding have CEO’s and top-level executives who understand the value. They’re leaders and innovators who are constantly evaluating market trends, seek out creative solutions, and allow their staff to take ownership of company growth and success. If employer branding is important to the CEO, it’s important for the entire company.
8. Your entire staff knows what makes you different, better, smarter, faster than competitors.
If you ask employees from different departments, they’ll all be able to tell you what your company is the best, and most likely, they’ll all have a similar answer. Your brand message is strong when your employees are able to clearly call out and communicate what makes you better than competitors.
9. Your current employees are your best referral-source for top talent.
If the majority of candidates come from word-of-mouth or employee referrals, your employer branding is on point. You have satisfied, happy employees who think enough about where they work to want to tell their friends, family, and networks about open positions.
10. You create content that matters.
When you have a strong brand, you know what you want to say and what value you bring to the market. This means you create content people crave, and employee the knowledge and skills of your employees to do so. Positioning yourself as an industry-expert not only raises your company profile but attracts top leaders and innovators to come work for your company.
About the author
Joe O’Connor is the CEO and Founder of ViziRecruiter, a company that takes text-based job descriptions and transforms them into visual job posts that better engage candidates, strengthen employer branding and increase employee referrals.
Image licensed from Depositphotos.com
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