What is employer branding?

Employer branding is how you present your company to job seekers and current employees. It’s the process of shaping and creating a brand with the desired associations and then maintaining that image. Like branding that focuses on consumers, employer branding includes elements like the name of the organization, its logo, the location of the office, and decorations.

Employer branding describes the benefits that your company offers employees in exchange for their experience, contacts, talents, and skills. Many things can work together to create an employer’s brand identity, including market research, data analysis, the company’s reputation, promotional merchandise, online content, and slogans.

Why is employer branding important?

The concept of employer branding has existed for decades. It didn’t gain much attention until the 1990s, when online job boards became popular, and people could apply for millions of opportunities all over the world from the comfort of their homes.

Your company’s employer brand should help define your company’s essence, how it’s unique, and what it stands for. It should communicate that your organization is a good employer and an excellent place to work, boosting recruitment efforts and the engagement levels of your current employees. Outstanding employer branding can spark buzz around your company, attracting motivated job seekers. Those people then tell others about their positive experiences with the business, broadening the scope of your employer brand. The benefits of employer branding also include:

• Lower cost per hire
• Faster hiring times
• Lower turnover
• Salary savings

Lower cost per hire

Investing in employer branding could cut a company’s hiring expenses in half. A strong employer brand will make your employees more inclined to recommend your organization to other professionals. Your organization will also need to spend less money creating awareness about job openings. Your employees will tell their friends and colleagues about the positions that would suit them. Many organizations offer incentives for referrals to encourage their employees to help them recruit new talent. These rewards could be cash bonuses, gift certificates, stock options, or additional vacation days.

Faster hiring times

One of the biggest benefits of having a strong employer brand is a larger, high-quality talent pool. This means you can fill vacancies twice as fast because you won’t need to wait as long for the right applicant. Employees won’t have to spend as much time doing the work that a new staff member should take care of, making the business more efficient, profitable, and successful.

Lower turnover

After the qualified applicants that your company attracts by having a strong employer brand get hired, they’ll be more likely to stay than they would with a weaker brand. People realize that working with one of the best, most respected companies in their industry is a privilege.

It gives them valuable experience and helps their resume stand out compared to others. The envious reactions of peers can be a great boost to self-esteem as well. Employees working at businesses with strong employer branding don’t usually want to give up these perks, so they’re less likely to leave for a job offer from a competitor.

Salary savings

Money is important, but it’s not the only thing people consider when searching for a job. A good employer brand emphasizes the company’s job security and opportunities for professional development. It should also focus on the values of the organization, the positive reviews of present and past employees and the chance to work on a skilled, talented team.

Many people are willing to accept a lower salary for a position that will help their career in the future and allow them to earn even more money in a few years. An opportunity to work with industry leaders can be worth a decrease in pay as well.

Helpful tips for using employer branding

Here are some tips to help your company use employer branding to hire and retain the best talent:

• Conduct an employer brand audit
• Get help from current employees
• Create a strong onboarding process
• Offer opportunities for learning and career development
• Prioritize diversity

Conduct an employer brand audit

Use internal surveys and social media searches to determine what your current and former employees think of your company. You can highlight their favourite aspects of the business in your employer branding campaign, and you can work to improve any areas that people complained about.

You should also examine what your organization is saying to candidates and current employees, and how you can change that to improve their perception of the business. Look at career pages, job descriptions, acceptance and rejection letters, social media profiles, onboarding materials, on-the-job training, performance reviews, and other communications. When employees decide to leave, conduct a thorough exit interview to find out why they decided to leave and what the company needs to improve.

Read More: 8 Exit Interview Questions That You Should Ask

Get help from current employees

Ask your employees to leave reviews or testimonials on your company’s website and post on their social media accounts. Offer the opportunity to win a prize like a gift certificate for posting. You can also post photos and videos whenever your company holds a fun outing or a contest for workers.

Create a strong onboarding process

Onboarding is a new hire’s first experience with a company, and people who have a bad time are more likely to start looking for new opportunities. Make sure that new employees have all the tools and training they need, and explain company policies and regulations thoroughly. Always be willing to answer questions or direct new hires to the department they need, and minimize bureaucracy.

Offer opportunities for learning and career development

People often leave their jobs because they’re bored and they don’t feel they can learn anything else in their current position. Fortunately, this is an easy fix. Encourage experienced employees to apply for higher positions within the company, and offer them more responsibility within their current roles. Let people know when positions that suit them are available and offer continuing education about the industry’s latest advances.

Prioritize diversity

Showing your commitment to building more diverse teams will also attract a more diverse group of applicants. Your business will benefit from more innovative ideas, a stronger culture, and better marketing and customer service. Your company will be known as a place where people from a wide range of backgrounds can get along well with each other and create amazing work.