6 Employer branding strategy tips with examples
Companies around the world are now concentrating on employer branding strategies to have a competitive edge against other organisations and secure the very best talent.
They have identified the importance of broadcasting their ability of building a team that is positive, focused and has 100% job satisfaction.
Did you know that 75% of people research an organisation before applying for a job? Therefore it’s essential to make potential employees have the ambition to work for your brand, based on your company’s public image.
This is best known as ‘employer branding’: the company culture and how those in authority treat their staff.
However, employer branding is not just important for recruiting the best people, it is also important for retaining your current workforce and giving them the best experience possible when working for your company.
To sum up, employer branding is a form of marketing that advertises your company to job hunters and employees in a certain light. Therefore, putting in the time and effort to improve employer branding will certainly pay off when it comes to attracting the very best talent and retaining your top employees.
We’re now going to take a look at 6 key ways you can improve your employer branding strategy and some examples:
1 – Know your company values
To create a powerful employer brand, the first step would be to think deeply about your company culture, mission and values.
In doing so, you will get a clearer idea of what you’re looking for in potential candidates so you can attract the most suitable talent for your business.
This will inform potential employees of what to expect from the business. This will make it far more likely be able to retain the best talent in the years ahead.
2 – Recognising efforts
While business is fundamentally about making money, it’s also important to acknowledge the achievements of your employees.
Whether it is for successfully hitting a sales target, or having significantly improved social media engagement, everyone enjoys being recognised when they have done a good job.
Employees also want to feel as though the employer has full trust in their decisions and ability to manage their own workload without having every single task micro-managed by them.
Another aim should be to give employees a sense of control by giving them the flexibility to choose how and where they wish to work. This may mean allowing them to work remotely or perhaps even offering flexi hours to fit around their personal commitments.
3 – Bring some fun to the workplace
As your employees spend hours out of their day at work, it needs to be a fun place to be. Although there may be tight deadlines to hit and difficult projects to carry out, introducing some fun into the workplace should not be neglected.
A more enjoyable workplace not only makes employees feel happier in themselves but could also boost productivity.
This could be as simple as allowing employees to work on projects as a team, or hosting themed events, charity days and perhaps even ‘pizza and beer Fridays’.
Such events whilst incurring some cost, can significantly benefit your company.
When employees enjoy their job and the work environment, they will only have good things to say about your company, whether it be in their immediate social circles or on social media. This ultimately acts as free marketing which could encourage other people to research your company and potentially be interested in applying for future job roles.
4 – Check online reviews and social media
Before applying for job roles, it is almost certain that potential candidates will take a look at customer reviews to find out more about your company.
What’s more, past employees may also leave a word about what it’s like to work for your brand and your role as the employer. While reviews can be beneficial for brands, they can also be dangerous for your reputation so it would be best to stay on the lookout for new reviews left on your website, social media or Google.
If there do happen to be any negative reviews, it would be advisable to leave a polite comment in response which can dilute any bad feeling and shows you have acted to put things right.
5 – Listen to current employees
Regardless of their position within the company, all staff should feel comfortable speaking up when they have advice or feedback. Yet, many stay silent for fear of being penalised.
If there is a lack of trust between the employee and employer, then it won’t work in your favour as it’s important to know what is being said on the office floor.
Asking for feedback from your workforce is the very first step in gaining a real insight into your employee’s thoughts and opinions. In doing so, you will allow your employees to feel respected and appreciated by those in authority, which should in turn boost productivity and staff retention.
There are many ways you can create a safe and private environment for your employees to discuss their thoughts. This could be as simple as sending out a survey via email, holding a weekly team meeting or leaving your office door open on certain days of the week for chats. All feedback should, however, be taken on board without judgement.
6 – Show a human side
Whenever a job seeker is on the lookout for a new role, they will want to know who is behind the company.
This ultimately gives the business a human side.
A new job can be stressful enough without the fear that the employer is going to be judgmental, unconnected, and critical. Individuals like to know that the corporation they work for isn’t just a brand name, but the employer or business owner takes an active role.
Essentially, this is about giving your brand some personality within its marketing practices and having the ambition to build on relationships between staff members which is sure to have a positive impact on employer branding.
It may take time to implement every single strategy but we hope these examples and tips help you build a great employer branding strategy. Good luck!