Every company has its own employer brand.
No matter how actively you invest in developing it or how you communicate it, your audience (both internal and external) forms attitudes and perceptions about what it means to be part of your company.
These perceptions may result from employee experiences, social media comments, recommendations from former employees, or even the impression left by your job advertisements. Therefore, building an employer brand is not just a reactive process—it requires a strategic and continuous approach.
Just like building brands for different products and services, developing an employer brand requires a long-term and comprehensive brand strategy.
Pizza Day, Family Day, Wizz Air Marathon, Secret Santa…
I don’t want to generalize, but based on what I’ve observed over the past few years from companies’ communications about their employee activities, it seems there’s some kind of playbook that almost everyone follows.
While it’s understandable that not all employee programs and activities can be shared publicly due to confidentiality, one inevitably gets the impression that most employer branding strategies focus primarily on team-building activities.
There’s nothing wrong with occasionally organizing employee parties, blood donations, or giving gifts to employees’ children during the holidays. But is this all that can be done to build a successful employer brand?
On one hand, the repetition of these activities across many companies significantly reduces your company’s opportunity to stand out in the labor market. On the other hand, the EVP you offer should be tailored to the specific needs of your target employee groups.
For instance, younger employees most often in junior positions are more interested in learning opportunities, career development, mentoring, and company culture, while employees in senior positions focus on developing expertise, job stability, decision-making autonomy, and leadership opportunities. Activities and communications as part of your employer branding strategy should address these interests and expectations.
Topics such as artificial intelligence and innovation, greater flexibility and remote work, work-life balance, mental health, and financial well-being are increasingly important to employees and create opportunities for new initiatives through which you can build a strong employer brand.
Given trends such as “The Great Resignation,” waves of layoffs in certain industries, and talent shortages in others, there’s an urgent need to redefine employer branding strategies. This is crucial for maintaining trust in the workplace and protecting your company’s brand and reputation.
Much More Than Just Recruitment Marketing
Another trend worth noting is that employer branding is often conflated with recruitment marketing, with companies placing the greatest focus on activities related to promoting open positions and attracting new employees.
Employer branding is a holistic approach to managing a company’s reputation as an employer. Its goal is to define and communicate an authentic employer brand story and value proposition (EVP), as well as create a comprehensive, positive experience for both candidates and employees.
While recruitment marketing focuses on targeted communication aimed at attracting specific candidate profiles for particular positions at a given moment, employer branding encompasses long-term efforts to build a brand that will continuously attract and retain talent across various positions.
While recruitment marketing communicates a specific promise about what potential employees can expect from working at your company, employer branding demonstrates how your company delivers on that promise.
Employer Branding is Built from the Inside Out
Your employees are the foundation for building and communicating a successful and authentic employer brand. They are your company’s best and most credible brand ambassadors.
Organizational culture, onboarding processes, internal communication, and professional development opportunities are all critical factors that shape the employee experience and influence employee engagement in building your employer brand.
Culture workshops, onboarding programs and handbooks, internal newsletters, mentoring programs, and leadership development sessions are just a few examples of initiatives that can help you improve the employee experience and create a solid foundation for employee advocacy.
Additionally, create guidelines or provide training on what type of content and information can be shared, along with tips for social media use, personal brand building, and additional education that will help employees effectively share their experiences and tell your employer brand story.
Long-term Strategy Instead of a Campaign Approach
A successfully built employer brand brings numerous benefits: attracting quality talent, reducing recruitment costs, increasing employee retention and engagement, and improving organizational culture and reputation. Additionally, demonstrating your commitment to continuous employee development will position your company as an industry leader that other organizations want to partner with.
However, to fully realize the benefits of employer branding, you need a long-term strategy for building and developing your employer brand with continuous internal and external communication. A campaign-based approach to employer branding may bring immediate results, but sustainable success requires long-term, strategic commitment.
Companies that continuously build an authentic and sustainable employer brand story will be the ones that attract, retain, and inspire the best talent.
Reach out if you are ready to reset your employer branding strategy.
*Text was originally published in “Human Capital” magazine by the Macedonian Human Resources Association
