Picture this: It’s Sunday morning, and you and your friends are trying to decide on the best brunch spot. You’ve narrowed your choice down to two places. However, after some quick digging on Yelp and social media, you see a review from one of the restaurant’s employees saying their French toast is soggy. The idea of dining at that establishment is quickly thrown out the window.
Now, apply this scenario to something much more significant, like a potential employer. If you uncover evidence of employees talking about toxic management and low pay at a company, would you even consider applying? Probably not.
This is why a strong employee branding strategy is essential. Like restaurants, organizations must build a solid online reputation that positions them as a top-notch employer. And that reputation starts with a staff that has nothing but glowing reviews.
With 86% of workers stating they would not apply to or continue working at a company with a bad reputation, a positive employee brand is the difference between more empty roles and hiring your dream team.
Employee branding encourages teams to develop positive perspectives of their company and become brand ambassadors. It also involves helping current employees internalize and embody an organization’s desired brand image to the outside world.
When discussing a company's working conditions, an employee’s voice is three times more credible than a CEO’s. To influence a candidate’s perception of your business, you must first create positive employee buzz.
Despite that pesky little one-letter difference in their names, employee and employer branding have a few key contrasts between them. Employer branding techniques mainly focus on company perks, corporate culture, and career opportunities. Employee branding, on the other hand, prioritizes the experiences employees have with a company and their work. It also focuses on improving the way your current staff sees your brand.
These internal branding initiatives have many valuable benefits for both an organization and its employees, including:
Almost 70% of employees believe it’s essential that their employer has a brand they’re proud to support. Building employee advocacy is crucial to hiring top-tier talent while retaining your star workers.
Now that you know what an employee branding strategy is and why it’s so important, let’s dive into some recruitment branding tips to help develop your own successful plan.
The best employers don’t just define their mission and values. They also practice what they preach. If candidates don’t understand your values or, even worse, don’t see them in action, they’ll quickly lose faith in your organization.
Ensure that all recruitment and training material, both internal and external, has a mission statement detailing what you stand for. You should also promote these values within your company through employee engagement and educational initiatives.
If you don’t know where your brand currently stands, you won’t know what direction to head next. Assessing your current employer brand allows you to identify opportunities for improvement.
Remember, a solid employer brand starts from within. Collect employee feedback about your company culture through meetings or anonymous surveys. Ask them what they love most about working for your organization and what could be improved.
Some questions to ask your team to gauge your current brand perception are:
Employees’ answers can help you identify your strengths to highlight in employer branding and identify any weaknesses you can improve upon.
Flashy career pages and polished employee testimonials can look great, but they may not feel genuine to candidates. A key component of effective company culture marketing is authenticity.
Not all employee branding materials have to be pristine. Unedited videos capturing employees’ day-to-day activities or company events feel more real and natural. This can build credibility and deepen trust.
The operative word in employee branding is employee. If you fail to showcase your staff, your efforts will miss the mark entirely.
Create a content library of employee testimonials and stories. These could be short videos, pictures, or quotes. Spotlighting employees’ achievements, workplace anniversaries or milestones, and even birthdays demonstrates you value and invest in your team.
Social media is a powerful recruitment tool. Encouraging employees to engage, share, and create posts about your organization allows them to feel part of something bigger than themselves. This can foster feelings of empowerment and excitement. Plus, it helps you reach top talent within your employees’ networks, organically boosting your reach.
Establishing a strong employee branding strategy isn’t a one-and-done deal. For sustainable success, you must continuously monitor results and adjust your tactics.
You can measure your employee brand success through:
Understanding what you’re doing right and what needs improvement will help optimize your efforts.
When it comes to hiring top-shelf talent, your biggest asset is your current staff. A strong employee brand can foster trust, position your company as the employer of choice, and enhance your talent pipeline.
Need some help crafting an effective employee brand? ProIQ’s marketing experts will design personalized strategies that help your organization put its best foot forward. We can assist with:
Ready to create a compelling employee brand that encourages more quality candidates to apply? Contact us today for more information.