Planning Developing and implementing employer brand strategy is complex. This step-by-step guide will show you how to go about it, as well as some tried and tested methods. A strong employer brand will help you stand out from the competition. It can also reduce your hiring costs and increase overall retention.
Reports and case studies show that a strong brand is an excellent asset for any company. It can also generate actual results. What does it take to create a "good" employer brand? We have compiled these steps based on our experiences working with companies worldwide. They will help you get started and create a plan.
What is Employer Branding?
Employer branding is a process that creates a positive image of a company. To enhance employer branding, you can promote the company's current job openings, highlight employee satisfaction, and showcase the company culture, values, and initiatives. Employer branding is a way to attract potential employees and build positive associations between the company's culture and brand.
Employer branding is a sum of all potential employees' impressions about an employer. This branding includes the company's statements about itself, others' opinions about the company, and the way the company behaves towards its current, former, and potential employees.
How to Create a Winning Employer-Branding Strategy
Now, look at the steps to build the most effective employer branding strategy.
1. Examine the Employee Value Proposition
You should first study the company's employee value proposition to begin your branding effort. This statement describes a company's employees' benefits, including compensation, work environment, and development opportunities.
Consider what makes your organization a great place for employees when developing an EVP. It could include competitive salaries, exciting work, flexible working hours, and a supportive company culture. Do you allow remote work? What aspects of your work culture may appeal to potential employees? You can create an EVP by identifying the company's unique selling point. This will attract potential employees.
2. Identify the Right Candidates for your Company
You will need to know what people think of your company before you can implement your employer branding strategy. Market research can help you learn how potential employees perceive your company and what they seek in a prospective employer.
What are the qualities and characteristics of your ideal candidate? You need to know your target audience to attract new talent. You should also consider the demographics of potential candidates (such as their location, education, and experience). Research their interests, values, and needs. What social media sites do they use, such as LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and Instagram? Who do they follow on these platforms? You can identify your target audience by collecting relevant data.
3. Set Measurable Goals to Improve your Employer's Brand
You should be clear about what you want to achieve through your employer branding strategy. You can set several quantifiable goals that will help keep you on track, show your ROI, and measure your actions. These include:
· Increase the number of job applicants
· Improve the quality of candidates
· How to increase the engagement of your candidates with your brand
· Employers, you can use this to build awareness about your company
· How to improve your employer's reputation
4. Provide Feedback Opportunities for Current Employees
Your employee's branding strategy is your ears and eyes on the ground. Anonymous employee surveys are an excellent way to achieve this. Include opportunities for employees to give their opinions on how to improve your company's culture. Also, ask them what they think you are doing right so that you can build on it.
5. Create Candidate Personas
A persona represents your ideal candidate in a semi-fictional way. It was developed to help recruiters understand the candidates that they are pursuing. It gives insight into what motivates candidates to accept or reject a new job.
You will need to interview prospective employees to gather the feedback you require. 10 is a great place to begin, but more is better. Include recent HR in your schedule of interviews. They can provide you with valuable insights. This is done by breaking down your interview template.
6. Encourage the Involvement of Leaders
To be successful, an employee brand strategy must have the support of all levels. This includes leadership. Engage top management to ensure they understand the importance and value of employer branding. They will help provide resources and act as a model to align the brand.
7. Monitor, Measure, and Refine
Employer branding only happens after some time. Track metrics such as application rates, employee retention, or satisfaction to regularly assess the effectiveness of your strategies. Adapt your strategy based on these insights to continue improving.
8. Create a Compelling Narrative for Your Brand
Storytelling can be a powerful tool for any branding project. Create a story around your company's history, mission, and culture. This story will be the basis for all content related to employer branding on your website, recruitment ads, or onboarding.
Conclusion
Consistency is the key to building an employer brand. Most candidates place great importance on receiving a consistent and honest message from a potential employer. You and your staff should have a thorough understanding of the strengths and values of your business. Employer branding will reap the rewards when you communicate with your target audience.
