How does the outside world see your employer brand?

It’s important to have a clear and distinct employer brand, as this is how your organisation is perceived by current and potential employees. It encompasses your company culture, values, mission and overall employee experience. 

Your employer brand can significantly impact your ability to attract and retain high-performing talent. A strong employer brand can differentiate your company from competitors, increase candidate interest, and boost employee engagement and satisfaction. 

How to build a strong employer brand

You need to be intentional about cultivating your employer brand to ensure that it showcases your company culture and values. 

We’ve created a step-by-step guide you can use to build your organisation’s employer brand.

1. Define your company culture and values 

Your company culture and values are the foundation of your employer brand. By establishing your company’s core values, you can clearly define your culture (since this is typically so intangible) and ensure that it is evident to people outside your organisation. 

It’s important to articulate your values clearly so they serve as a guide to building your recruitment process and employee experience. Your company culture and values determine how you communicate with candidates, your onboarding process and your overall employee engagement strategy.

2. Develop an employer branding strategy 

A comprehensive employer branding strategy involves understanding your target audience, identifying your unique value proposition, and crafting messaging and visuals that align with your company culture and values. 

According to Bryan Adams’ article in Harvard Business Review, there are three primary components of an employer brand:

• Reputation – With social media so easily accessible, modern-day job seekers will first consider a prospective employer’s situation in their decision to apply for a job or accept an offer. An employer’s reputation is evaluated based on the following elements: a company’s ability to offer opportunities for an employee’s professional development and growth; the work environment that appeals to a specific type of candidate; and how the company impacts the community and society at large. Not all candidates will value all three elements equally, so it’s important to invest in strategies that prioritise the areas preferred by your ideal candidate.
• Proposition – Your employer value proposition (EVP) defines the employee-employer relationship in your organisation, establishing the expectations for an individual employee’s performance and behaviour and the rewards for meeting them (e.g. financial compensation, professional development opportunities, etc.).
• Experience – Developing a cohesive employee experience is extremely important to build your employer brand, as it solidifies your reputation as an employer. When staff members understand the expectations they must meet and are rewarded accordingly, they’re more likely to view their employee experience as a positive one.

It’s important to keep these components in mind when building an employer branding strategy. This will ensure that you have a clear employer brand identity and that you attract your ideal candidate. 

As your organisation adapts, make sure to include a plan for leveraging social media, employee advocacy and other channels to amplify your message and engage with potential candidates.

3. Create a positive candidate experience

Your candidate experience plays a crucial role in strengthening your employer brand and building your reputation. An engaging recruitment and hiring process will encourage quality candidates to continue interacting with your organisation.

From the first interaction with your company to the final hiring decision, candidates should feel valued and respected. Key areas in the recruitment funnel that can affect your candidate experience include:

• Job search
• Application
• Interview
• Onboarding process

It’s essential to create a seamless candidate experience from the first step to the final one. Maintain clear and transparent communication, provide timely feedback as needed and create a straightforward application process.

4. Leverage social media and employee advocacy 

Social media and employee advocacy are powerful tools for building and promoting your employer brand. Use your official social media pages to showcase your company culture and values, and engage with candidates and employees. Photos and short video clips can be a great way to showcase the fun and quirky side of a regular workday in your organisation.

You can feature your employees, highlighting their roles and journeys within your company. On the other side of the coin, you can also encourage your employees to share their positive experiences on social media and provide them with the resources and training they need to become ambassadors of your organisation. 

3 benefits of a strong employer brand

Creating a strong employer brand provides short-term benefits (i.e., attracting candidates for current openings) and ensures that you have a strong employer brand identity and reputation going forward into the future.

1. Attract and retain top talent

A strong employer brand can help you attract high-performing talent who are a good fit for your organisation. A strong employer brand can help you create a positive work environment and enable you to identify and provide opportunities for growth and development, which can improve your employee retention.

Fostering a growth mindset with both new recruits and longtime employees is crucial in cultivating a positive employee experience and work environment. You can do this by creating mentoring programs within your organisation and encouraging innovation and initiative among employees.

2. Increase employee engagement and satisfaction 

When employees feel a sense of connection to their company’s culture and values, they are more likely to be engaged and satisfied with their work. A strong employer brand can create a sense of community and purpose, which can lead to higher levels of employee engagement and productivity.

It’s normal for some employees to go through phases of disengagement, but employers and senior managers need to support their disengaged staff and boost their performance by giving them work they value and enjoy and making sure to praise them for quality work while helping them improve on weaknesses.

3. Boost company reputation and customer loyalty

A positive employer brand can have a ripple effect on your company’s overall reputation and customer loyalty. When your employees are happy and engaged, they are more likely to provide excellent customer service and act as brand ambassadors. These positive experiences can ultimately lead to increased customer loyalty and brand recognition.

Successful examples of employer branding in action

There are many examples of companies that have successfully built and leveraged their employer brand to attract and retain high-performing talent — and you can learn from their successes and implement their strategies in building your employer brand.

For example, Airbnb has a strong focus on its company culture and values, which includes a commitment to diversity and inclusion, strengthening these pillars as the foundation of its employer branding. 

Because employees spend the majority of their time at work, Airbnb is constantly considering what employees need to thrive and succeed in their respective roles. Airbnb has a unique office space called “Belong Anywhere” where employees use landing stations to charge devices and lock up their belongings instead of having desks and offices. They can find a space in the office “city” that best suited their needs for work, whether that was a quiet library setting or a bustling kitchen table for large meetings. 

Starbucks also has a reputation for providing excellent employee benefits and opportunities for growth and development. The company’s employer branding strategy includes emphasising its commitment to sustainability and social responsibility while ensuring that all its stakeholders have a positive experience, especially its employees.

This demonstrates that investing in your employer brand is a worthwhile endeavour and is a critical component of your long-term success. 

By defining your company culture and values, developing an employer branding strategy, creating a positive candidate experience, and leveraging social media and employee advocacy, you can attract and retain high-performing talent, increase employee engagement and satisfaction, and boost your company reputation and customer loyalty. 

Take the time to build a strong employer brand, and you’ll reap the benefits for years to come.

Contact us and we’ll help you develop a strong employer branding for your business.