If you’re in charge of your company’s employer branding, you might be frustrated because you think that all your efforts have been going toward creating an appealing image of your business and trying to attract the best candidates, but nothing seems to be working out. If that’s the case, you might want to take a step back and analyze what exactly you’re doing wrong and how you can put a stop to it by applying the following do’s and don’ts of effective employer branding. This article will tell you everything there is to know about this matter so pay close attention!
Define your employer’s brand
It’s important to have a well-defined image for your company. You want your employees, future candidates, customers and prospects to all see you in a consistent way across all your branding efforts—and that means it’s up to you. What are you known for? What do you want people to know about your company? These two questions need to be at the core of an effective employer brand strategy. For example, if you’re known as the company that cares, make sure that image is conveyed through every touchpoint with potential employees.
Get feedback from current employees
If you already have a successful employer brand, ask your current employees why they think it’s effective. You may be surprised to find out that some of your assumptions are wrong—and that employees have opinions about what could make your company stand out even more in their eyes. If you don’t already have an employer brand, try surveying some current employees to get an idea of what makes them proud to work for your company (as well as what they wish was different). This can also help you identify pain points that might need addressing. Speaking with five or 10 people should be enough to tell you if there are any major issues present.
Choose an online channel that works best for you
Some firms do well with Twitter. Some are all about Instagram. And some find more traction on Facebook. It’s up to you to figure out which one(s) will work best for your brand, but keep in mind that almost anything that has value is being shared online. That means you need to make sure that your content is worth people’s time. Think quality over quantity when deciding how much you should post each day/week/month.
Build a portfolio with case studies, testimonials, etc.
When looking for a job, it’s important to put your best foot forward. An excellent way to do that is with an online portfolio. Your portfolio can include anything from a list of projects you’ve worked on at previous jobs, photos and descriptions of your ideal dream job, or something that you would like to start in your free time. A well-designed, creative resume is another excellent way to differentiate yourself from other candidates who might be equally qualified. But instead of focusing on your work history or other extraneous information, focus on skills. Make sure those skills match up with what employers are looking for in terms of experience and education—or else it may seem as though you are underqualified for the position!
Keep up with trends in recruiting technologies
Companies are always looking for new ways to attract, engage, and retain talent. Today’s job market is more competitive than ever before, which means companies must continue to innovate in order to stay ahead of competitors. In 2015 alone, LinkedIn saw over 600 million unique visits a month – that’s more than Facebook! Forrester Research estimates that by 2019 job boards will bring in $9 billion in revenue; however, only 26% are projected to break even. With such stiff competition in today’s industry, it’s important to keep up with trends and emerging technologies to ensure your company maintains its competitive edge.
Make sure all your different channels are in sync
Most people only think about employer branding when they’re searching for talent, which means it only comes into play at one point in your recruitment funnel. But effective employer branding can help you build a good impression before candidates even start looking for jobs with your company. As job hunters search for companies to work for on their own time, social media provides a great way to get your brand noticed. You can use Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram to show off all that makes your company unique—and why working there would be amazing. Make sure your content gets noticed by posting regularly, but don’t neglect platforms like SlideShare or YouTube as well!
Use technology to streamline communications across teams
A key element of effective employer branding is constantly communicating your vision to employees, customers, and stakeholders. In a competitive talent market like today’s job market, it can be difficult to make sure that everyone understands why they work at your company in order to successfully fill roles with candidates who are a good fit. If you have separate departments responsible for recruiting, internal communications, HR outreach, marketing, or brand management – use cloud technology like CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software or marketing automation software to communicate efficiently across teams. This will help you quickly address concerns from both employees and job applicants while increasing candidate conversion rates.
Measure success to inform future actions
In addition to measuring your program’s effectiveness, it’s important to review its ROI in order to determine whether or not investing resources in employer branding is worth it. One way to gauge ROI is by tracking how much time potential employees spend on your career site or engaging with your employer’s brand initiatives overall. If their average session on your career site exceeds three minutes (or another benchmark you’ve set), it may be a sign that they have an interest in learning more about working for your company. It also helps to evaluate if there are any trends among candidates over time—are they applying more frequently now than they were six months ago? That might indicate higher engagement with new features, which is good news!
Remember: Your Employees are Your Brand Ambassadors
Employees are your brand ambassadors. Are you engaging with them? They are your go-to reference for new applicants. New hires will want to know what it is like to work at your company from current employees. Also, keep in mind that word-of-mouth recommendations from current employees are some of your most effective recruiting methods!