Employer Branding - What is Really Important!

In the battle for fresh and established talent in the labor market, employer branding is non-negotiable. There are a variety of recruiting strategies and channels, but employer branding can serve as a foundation and an amplifier for recruiting and the applicant experience. So what should you look for and how can good employer branding be implemented?

What is Employer Branding?

Employer branding is a strategy for positioning a company as an "employer of choice" both for existing employees - as a retention measure - and for potential applicants - as a strategy for attracting new employees. Your employer brand describes the way current and potential employees see the company, what they value about it and what it is like to work for the company.

Employer branding has two goals. On the one hand, it is an internal strategy to optimize employee retention and referral rates. On the other hand, it is an external strategy to attract top talent to the company through marketing, additional benefits and the style with which the organization is presented to the outside world.

Employer branding, then, is a marketing strategy used by the HR department to create an attractive brand for potential applicants. Just as companies develop marketing and communication initiatives to attract and retain high-value customers, employer branding communication tools and strategies attract and retain top talent.

Why is Employer Branding Important?

Employer branding is much more than a simple marketing strategy. Good employer branding is a competitive advantage for your company in the fight for the best talent in the industry. Simply put, employer branding helps to highlight all the things that make your company stand out and stand out to potential applicants. At the same time, it can also help highlight areas where work needs to be done. It can help expose the weaknesses in the company in terms of attracting and retaining talent. What does employer branding look like in practice?

Employer branding can take many different forms. However, some of the most common examples of employer branding in the workplace are:

• Having an attractive careers page on the website and using it.
• Using social media or a company blog to post employee success stories.
• Managing and using employee/applicant review sites.
• A thoughtful strategy for pleasant applicant experiences.
• Presence at career fairs and other relevant events.

How can an Employer Brand be Established?

The employer branding process consists of five individual steps. These can be customized for each company. It is important to develop and follow a comprehensive plan to establish successful employer branding

Step 1: Define value proposition as an employer (EVP)

The first step should be to think about what the company stands for and what Employer Value Proposition (EVP) differentiates the company from the competition. The following questions can be helpful:

• What kind of employer is the company?
• Are there things the company stands for? What does the company want to stand for? Is there a long-term vision here?
• What makes the company unique and distinctive as an employer?
• Why should existing employees stay with the company and why should new employees join?
• To what extent is the company already an attractive employer in the eyes of the target group?
• Where and on which channels can the target group be found? How can they be reached?
• How does it compare to competitors? How does the company differentiate itself from them?

Best practice: It can be helpful to turn the tables and ask yourself first instead: what doesn't make the company stand out? What are things that you don't want to stand for?

Step 2: Create a communication plan

Too many companies stop at step one. They create unique EVPs, invest a lot of time in them, and then consider them done. But that's just the beginning of the journey! Because now the EVP must be communicated to the world. To do this, you should take a closer look at the "talent audience" and understand what touch points already exist. A deeper understanding of where this contact can occur should be developed:

• Career site or blog
• Social media channels
• Online media
• Newsletter
• Employee/brand ambassadors
• Events/meet-ups/career fairs.

The EVP reflects what makes the organization special, but they may need to be tailored to the target audience. This will then be reflected primarily in the communication channels used. Therefore, channels should also be used in which the desired candidates and candidates.

Step 3: Implement content strategy

After the corporate brand has been outlined and the communication channels have been determined, it is time to think about marketing and its content. The following considerations are important here:

• What type of content should be published - when and at what intervals, and through what channels?
• Which events should be used as employer branding events to present the company as an attractive employer?
• What employer branding materials are needed for this, e.g., articles with employee interviews or image videos?
• How can employees be used as brand or company ambassadors? Proven strategy: an editorial calendar for social media is a good cornerstone for regularly publishing high-quality content.

Step 4: Find and recruit employees.

In this step, employer branding initiatives merge with recruitment initiatives. Since employer branding feeds directly into the hiring process, it now becomes the first point of contact with the company. If a company can convince at this stage, it will have a positive impact. Best practices: The recruitment process is key here. Applicant tracking software is probably necessary to really impress candidates who can also help the company grow in a big way. There are various offerings here that work with licenses or even as a SaaS solution.

Step 5: Retain top talent at the company

If possible, the recruited employees should stay with the company. The positive impression they have gained in the application process should therefore be confirmed in their day-to-day work. This means that companies must constantly work on their employer brand. Employee surveys are a simple and direct way to find out what existing employees like and don't like. Internal communication channels should be used to talk about the benefits that are already offered. Negative feedback should also be addressed internally in order to find solutions together. Positive company benefits do not always have to be financial. A good work-life balance or a hybrid work model are also popular.

Conclusion - Employer Branding is Becoming Increasingly Relevant

A strong employer brand is important to engage and retain the top talent in one's industry. With professional support, it is possible to play on all channels appropriately and develop a comprehensive concept. We are happy to support your company in all areas. Contact us now and we will plan the future success of your company.