Many organizations, such as Starbucks and Google, put in a lot of effort to enhance their employer brand, making themselves attractive to potential candidates.
What makes them so desirable to job seekers? Well, the answer lies in employer branding, which is the technique companies employ to market themselves to potential candidates.
It involves presenting the company as an "employer of choice" or a "great place to work." By doing so, the company is at the forefront of candidates' minds when considering working in that industry.
This article will tell you ‘how to build an employer brand’ and how to improve your employer brand.
After this,
- You’ll spend less on your hiring process. Lower your cost per hire by as much as 50%.
- You’ll boost retention rates. Reduce employee turnover by up to 28%.
- You’ll influence the conversation with candidates.
Let’s dive right into developing an employer brand.
Why Developing An Employer Brand Is Important?
Picture this: You're scrolling through your social media feed, and you come across a post from a company that catches your eye. The post talks about their work culture, their employee benefits, and how much they value their team members.
You're intrigued, and you decide to check out their website. As you browse through their site, you can't help but notice how much effort they put into creating a positive and engaging employer brand. Suddenly, you find yourself wanting to be a part of that company.
This is the power of a strong employer brand. It's not just about attracting new talent; it's about retaining the talent you already have. In today's competitive job market, it's not enough to offer a good salary and basic benefits. Employees want to work for a company that aligns with their values, offers opportunities for growth, and cares about their well-being.
Developing an employer brand is a way for companies to showcase what makes them unique and appealing to potential candidates. It's about creating a compelling story that goes beyond the products or services they offer. By building an employer brand, companies can differentiate themselves from their competitors, create a loyal workforce, and increase employee satisfaction and retention rates.
But an employer branding strategy isn't just about the company's image; it's about creating a positive employee experience. A strong employer brand is built on a foundation of trust, transparency, and open communication.
It's about creating a corporate culture that values diversity, inclusivity, and employee well-being. When employees feel valued and supported, they are more likely to be engaged and motivated, which leads to better business outcomes.
So, what are you waiting for? Learn how to build a strong employer brand.
How To Build An Employer Brand?
While there’s no one-size-fits-all solution, through employer branding you can tell your company story in your own words and paint an insightful and compelling picture of company culture.
We’ve gathered some tried-and-true examples along with dozens of real-world employer branding examples. We’ve also included a few thoughts as to why we consider these to be stellar examples and what you can learn from them on how to create employer branding.
This is what you need to get the ball rolling!
1. A well-branded website
Your website serves as a central hub for all employee branding. Future candidates will make use of your website to explore your values, research your brand, and gain insight into the reasons they may want to work for you. It is also your opportunity to:
- Publish openings along with job descriptions
- Display employee stories
- Set the bar as to who should apply
- Share why someone must work for you
MailChimp is a fascinating example.
Why we like it: Besides blending their mission statement with well-written copy, they create a mini-environment for potential candidates with elements like ‘experience,’ ‘teams,’ ‘locations,’ and ‘meet MailChimp.’ The ‘meet MailChimp’ section really stands out. It is a statement of their company culture, ideals, and what it would be like to work there.
2. Inspiring social media content
How to develop an employer brand with social media? Well, your options are endless! From the viewpoint of the candidate, it’s an excellent landscape to learn about their future company. Did you know candidates say that after the company website, social media is the second most important tool for researching an employer’s brand?
UNILEVER is an excellent example.
Source: Unilever
Why we like it: Unilever created a video series where executives answered questions and gave advice to prospective employees. Rarely do you see executives get hands-on with employer branding. It goes to show the collaborative spirit.
Similarly, Facebook is another example. They posted a variety of content where Facebook’s VP of People gave interview advice. Women in tech gave career guidance. Mark Zuckerberg gave hour-long talks.
Getting such in-depth advice from high-profile people is worth following! Even if you don’t have the names, you can still create impactful content that job seekers are looking for. In the long run, such activities help employees become brand ambassadors for your organization.
Ultimately, employer branding is a candidate-driven market. And it’s important to treat and market your job openings in the same way you would your products.
3. Tell employee stories
Stories, especially from employees, say a lot! They present relevant experiences your ideal candidate may want to have, share employee thoughts and experiences, and provide insight into your workplace.
Take a cue from SalesForce, ranked as one of the world’s best companies to work for by LinkedIn, Fortune, Glassdoor, Indeed, and more.
They shared the following image on their Instagram feed.
Source: Salesforce Instagram
Why we like it: It looks like a simple image of employees hanging out, but it says so much more. It conveys people enjoying themselves, supporting communities and equality, not being chained to the desk all day, experiences, and teamwork. This leaves a lasting impression on a would-be candidate simply scrolling through.
Walmart is another example. They manage an Instagram account named @walmartworld, where they share real-life employee stories that are inspiring, fun, and heart-warming from locations worldwide. Besides this, #TeamWalmart also recognizes a job well done - this will catch the attention of potential job seekers.
4. Company career page
Using testimonials on your career page helps you convey to potential candidates about the list of benefits and perks, and a look at things from behind the scenes. Let’s take Pinterest, for example.
Source: Pinterest
Why we like it: Pinterest, like the visual platform they are, make use of fun images along with attention-grabbing content like the company’s mission, current employees, their growth, etc. What’s more, they have a ‘find your next move’ tab making it easy to scroll though jobs across various locations.
5. Employee referral programs
If you're looking to gauge your brand's effectiveness, an employee referral program can serve as a litmus test. When your employees consistently recommend their network to your organization, it's a positive reflection of your brand. Moreover, referrals tend to yield high-quality candidates at a lower cost.
InMobi is a great example.
When their traditional methods of recruitment didn’t work, they had to think outside the box.
What they did is gave either a Royal Enfield Bike or a trip to Bali to watch the sunrise from a Volcano to anyone who referred a candidate who was hired. The bike was parked at the entrance, so people would remember. This helped the company take its referral rate from 20 to 50%!
6. Implement learning and development programs
Your employees want to learn and grow. Encourage employees to get there with learning and development programs that support them and give your business new resources for growth.
Capgemini has understood this and has an excellent learning and development program in place.
Source: Capgemini website
Why we like it: From their initiatives, we can see that they’re a highly employee-centric organization that believes in nurturing its employees throughout their careers. They have the internal Group Learning & Development (Group L&D) program as well as numerous other programs as tie-ups with universities worldwide.
7. Offering an array of benefits
While a six-figure compensation is great, these days employees are looking beyond compensation when they choose their employer. Here’s where benefits and perks come into play.
Airbnb offers benefits well beyond simple pay. Employees at Airbnb receive a great benefits package that includes the following among several others:
Source: Airbnb website
8. Use storytelling
Once you’ve initiated contact with the target talent, storytelling helps keep potential candidates engaged through regular communication.
A name many of you know, Heineken did this wonderfully!
As beer is a social product, they realized traditional advertising won’t work. So they drew the connection between beer and football. It did wonders! Now, for more than 20 years, one of the main sponsors of the UEFA Champions League is Heineken.
Why we like it: Heineken serves as an excellent illustration of the significance of establishing effective and prolific brand associations through brand brand strategy and storytelling. The “Now you can” campaign, which promotes Heineken 0%, is a prime example of this.
The Role Of Health Benefits In Employer Branding
In this post-pandemic world, it’s a good time to revisit your EVP and reevaluate based on your people's current expectations, wants, and needs. If you get it right, you’ll win big on fronts like talent acquisition and retention.
The thing is, just giving your employees a membership in the gym is excellent, but that doesn’t move the dial. For that, you need a more holistic approach - one that takes other parameters into account like financial, emotional, and mental well-being.
Beyond this, well-being must become a core of your employer brand. This way, you ensure you care for your workforce (a vital component of performance and engagement). And prospective talent recognizes your organization as a “company that cares.”
Today’s employer brand has to include talking points about how employees benefit beyond their day-to-day job and pay packages. Here’s where benefits come into the picture and play a vital role.
Before, such benefits were mere group health insurance policies. Today, they are invaluable to employees. An excellent example of this is online consults with doctors that offer employees high-quality support with health issues from the comfort of their homes.
Such services provide value that extends cover to family members too. This ensures your employees have peace of mind as their loved ones are protected.
Ultimately, when you enhance your employer brand with a range of employee benefits, it communicates a simple message - we’re looking after you. Employees who feel happy, healthy, and appreciated are expected to better engage with their jobs and the organization as a whole.
This results in productive employees. Additionally, those who are engaged with their workplace, its values and mission will stay with the company for longer.
