Employer branding reflects your company's culture and employee satisfaction. But it goes beyond that.
- Employees feel a sense of pride when they feel part of an organization that’s making a positive impact on their community and clients.
- Top talent is more likely to apply for roles at companies with positive reputations.
- Collaborators, vendors and partners are more motivated and willing to work with those same companies.
- Gen Z and millennial customers want to support businesses with strong missions.
But many businesses might not be using employer branding the right way or at all. Understanding and strategizing around your employer branding positions you for big wins.
What makes employer branding so effective?
Your employer brand is different from your business's brand. The business's brand speaks to the goods or services your business provides. This attracts prospects and encourages clients or consumers to try your product.
An employer brand is your company's public perception and company culture. It can also impact sales as 95% of consumers believe companies should benefit all stakeholders including workers. However, employer branding shows up primarily in employee satisfaction.
When your employees are fans of your organization, they become authentic brand advocates. They chat about it with friends and family. They recommend the services, products, or roles on your team. And that word of mouth is an invaluable tool for marketing and talent acquisition.
Online reviews or personal referrals carry so much weight for prospects. Most people are more likely to try a brand because of that personal recommendation. The same goes for that organization's culture. You'll have more potential candidates vying for roles.
Benefits of employer branding
1. Attract the best candidates
Job seekers want to join organizations with a strong mission and set of values. Think about how you present your work culture.
- Internally: You’ll promote well-being and employee engagement. Engaged employees will then sport company swag in the community or post photos of that team volunteer day on social media.
- Externally: You’ll post your mission statement and describe culture on your site. Together, it helps potential candidates understand your culture, increasing applicant submissions and giving you more opportunities to find the right hire for the job opening.
2. Decrease time and cost per hire
Employer branding keeps your organization top of mind in a positive way. Job seekers are prioritizing work culture in today’s market. They’re looking for organizations with reviews or positive reputations. Or they’re engaged potential employees waiting for an open role.
This means you’ll have a full pipeline when a job is available, and potential candidates will likely know more about your products, mission and purpose. This cuts down on recruiting time and saves cost down the line.
3. Increase employee engagement and retention
An organization’s mission and values are just words on a page until employees embody them. Employee engagement initiatives like volunteering during the holidays or launching ERGs for a more inclusive workplace help employees build meaningful connections and live out an organization’s vision.
This guides an employee’s journey, from applicant to new hire and beyond. Creating this positive employee experience helps new and existing team members stay engaged and inspired as they get involved with programming or advance their career paths. Living up to brand promises and the perception from recruitment creates an authentic culture that encourages employees to stay longer.
Related: Take our quiz to see how effective your employee engagement programs are.
Develop your employer branding strategy
1. Align to your company mission
Before creating your employer branding strategy, take a step back. See if your current employer branding connects to your organization's mission, vision and values, providing a clear purpose for employees.
When your people invest in, connect with and understand how they contribute to your organization's purpose, you'll see higher engagement, productivity and a stronger work culture. A win-win-win all around.
2. Ask for employee feedback
Gathering firsthand feedback helps you understand how employees feel at work. You want to uncover beliefs and motivations, and provide a pressure-free space for people to share their experiences.
Conduct surveys or host focus groups for current team members. Consider incorporating surveys for prospects during the interview process or exit interviews, too.
Then take action. Share your findings and your plans to adapt to their needs. Seeing leadership take action is a meaningful way to engage your employees and show their voices matter.
Related: How conducting field research united team members and strengthened employee experience for one client.
3. Keep your employer brand up to date
Your employer brand needs to stay relevant and up-to-date with the market. What are job seekers looking for? Is your employer brand authentic to who your brand is today?
Employees relate to relevant and authentic brands that foster emotional connections and growth. When companies miss the mark, employees feel less valued and disengaged with their work and mission.
By checking in often through employee feedback (note the previous step!) or leadership check-in, you can understand employee sentiment and ensure you're on the right track.
4. Incorporate your employer brand everywhere
From department meetings, weekly one-on-ones, workplace or digital chat signage, incorporate employer branding everywhere. Your employer brand should be tangible and reflected in the visuals, policies and practices.
Have leaders recognize team members when they exemplify a core value. Share the results of DEI goals and why they matter at that meeting.
From onboarding through to retirement, an employee should truly understand the employer brand, whether your team is remote, hybrid or in the office.
Impactful employer branding creates strong advocates
Strong employer branding attracts top talent, supports your business and reinforces the employee experience, which ties back to a positive work culture. When you foster your company culture, employees turn into all-out advocates and significant business results follow.
Read our latest guide to learn how to align all employee experience programs, leading to a connected culture.