Look Within to Make Your Employer Brand Stand Out

Employer Branding

To make your employer brand stand out, there are three key focus points: looking within, getting the right word out to the right people through the right channels, and transforming employees into advocates.

For a long time now, organizations have had a tendency to focus on corporate branding without giving much thought to employer branding efforts. But today, with never-before-seen challenges dismantling all known paths to success, several organizations are waking up to the realization that there is a dire need for their employer brand to stand out. So they can be regarded as one amongst the ‘top employers’. Especially if they want to grow despite obstacles and uncertainties.

Because without talented employees supporting their efforts and backing their standing in the marketplace, organizations can’t go far. And that’s just a well-standing fact.

The big problem here is, with employees having easy access to competitive offerings from brands of different sizes and from multiple geographies, standing out and making a strong impression can be difficult. Which can often result in a lack of innovation and an inflow of fresh ideas within the organization. Coupled with stagnant growth, decreased retention rates, and higher hiring costs.

So how can one go about making an impact? One that sticks in the minds of employees as well as customers?

Starting point: Look within

One big mistake organizations make during employer branding is that they jump straight to the advertising and promotion bit. Without much insight into who they are, what their current standing is, and how they are perceived by their own employees.

This has to be the starting point for a reason. Information is ammo and armed with it, organizations can initiate necessary transformations to make their employer brand unique and attractive. Plus, it is a great step that can help organizations identify their USP!

By focusing on what their current employees think of them, what the prevalent organizational culture is, if the current Employee Value Proposition is relevant or not, whether employees feel committed to the organization’s purpose, how efficient is the onboarding process etc., organizations can understand the problem areas and work on bettering them. Thereby making their identity as an employer stronger from within.

Because unless what’s communicated outside is not in line with what your employees experience inside, all employer branding efforts will be in vain.

Get the right word out to the right people through the right channels

Considering you have the best working environment, culture, and EVP in place. Have set up all the right policies and processes needed to better equip and engage the workforce. And have provided them with positive employee experiences across touch-points. Here, getting the word out about these systems can definitely help you set the right perception about your employer brand!

As per 86% of HR professionals, recruitment has become more like marketing. And for 75% of job seekers, a crucial deciding factor when applying to organizations is whether they manage their employer brand or not. All this clearly tells that unless you market your pluses well, you can’t expect to make your employer brand relevant.

And this is where a well-planned communication and marketing strategy comes into place.

The first step here is to understand your target groups, platforms they most frequently visit, and what communication will work for them.

But as a best practice, the following channels should be a major consideration when deciding to amplify your employer brand:

Company website and career page
Online professional networks
Social media platforms

Transform your employees into the brand’s best advocates

Employee advocacy programs are the talk of the town, and rightly so!

According to a Glassdoor research, 86% of job seekers are likely to take a look at organization reviews and ratings when applying for a job. This is highly indicative that applicants trust the verdict of current employees more than the word of the organization itself.

Hence, it’s important that organizations provide employees with not just experiences and offerings that improve their engagement and motivation levels, but also make available to them tools, resources, and platforms that make it easy for them to advocate for the organization. Helping improve the brand’s overall reputation and making them more credible in the eyes of both employees and customers.

While these are great at helping build employer brands that are impactful and appealing, organizations must always look towards continuous improvement. Measuring the employer brand and making revisions wherever necessary is integral to making the impact last long.

Feel free to connect with us if you wish to get started on building a great employer brand! Write to talktous@dfrens.com.