Welcome to the exciting world of building an employer brand! If you are just beginning on your EB journey, let’s lay a solid foundation and start with the basics.
So what is an employer brand anyways?
An employer brand is the organizational identity related to the employee experience. It is what you are known for as an employer.
“Brand is not what you say it is. It’s what they say it is.” Marty Neumeier
While this quote is absolutely true, an organization continues to have the ability to shape its brand. Brand is built through a variety of tools, stories, and experiences. The practice of employer brand management is the art and science of helping to share an organization’s story and shape its reputation. The first step in employer brand management is getting at the helm. Brand or be branded!
Gone are the days when employer branding was optional. Today, 59% of organizations are investing more in their employer brand (LinkedIn). This is because employer branding is more than a talent attraction tool that helps create a pull strategy. An employer brand can also unite an organization.
So how do you get started in employer branding?
- Understand your business objectives. Where are you going as an organization? What are your critical talent populations? This step is fundamental in creating a brand that will hit the mark and attract the talent that the organization requires now, as well as in the future. The practice of employer branding is a strategic endeavour. Plant the seeds now for the harvest your organization will need in the future.
- Understand your employee value proposition. Who are you as an employer? What are the critical attraction and retention drivers for your talent population? This is discovered through your people. Talk to talent you wish you could clone in order to find the magic in your organization.
- Determine your brand personality, visual identity, market positioning, key messages, etc. A brand matures through the stories we share and the experiences we create. Consistency creates brand trust. Once you determine your visual identity, brand personality, and key messages, it is important to train your ambassadors. There is no point in investing time, money, and energy in brand management only to have a hiring manager erode it through a poor candidate experience or inconsistent messaging. Train your team to deliver the brand experience.
- Get your employees involved! At Powerhouse Talent, our Brand Foundation Program is as much an exercise in employee engagement and organizational self-discovery, as it is in employer branding. Making this a top down exercise will not deliver the desired outcome. Having employees aware and participating at every stage helps with authenticity and employee advocacy.
- Select ideal channels for your target talent population. You don’t need to be everywhere. Be where it matters and consistently show up. Channel selection is critical.
- Use real images. Sorry stock image lovers, but if you are looking for authenticity and to ignite employee pride, glossy stock images will not do your brand justice. Get your employees involved! Capture the real you!
Remember that employer branding is a journey. This is crawl, walk, and run! Through consistent steps, your team will be EB rock stars soon enough!
Looking for more employer branding help. We have tools, programs, and resources to help you get your EB game on. Give us a shout today.
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