Employer Branding Strategies

Employer Branding Strategies is an exercise which helps organization create an image among potential employees that the business is a great place to work in. Not just limited to content and style, it communicates the organization’s culture, value and belief system.

Rapid growth of internet provides immense opportunities for employers to differentiate themselves among job seekers. A strong employer brand can make a company stand out to attract the best of talent. Employer Brand International’s (EBI) 2012/2013 Global Research study indicates that 39% of companies intend to increase investment in employer branding initiatives.

The style and content of offline and online communication tools such as employer banner advertising and participation in career fairs, reflects the organizations overall culture. 

Key Areas in Developing Employer Branding Strategy

1. View Employer Branding Strategy as a long term commitment and define how is it perceived within the company
2. Define brand objectives based on different life cycle stages and the project scope including time and budget
3. Collaboration between human resources, marketing and communications department to attract, retain and engage talent is extremely important
4. Conduct Qualitative and Quantitative research to understand the organizations internal and external reputation through focus group or online reputation audit and various web channels
5. Involvement of  the senior management and CEO and discussing the impact of the strategy on the overall business strategy and the organizational culture is vital
6. Creating an Employee Value Proposition: EVP stands for the recruitment positioning statement intended for the external recruitment markets and internal employment audiences. It should clearly reflect the value and the belief and the attributes of the organization’s own employees.

Understand the effectiveness of various online and offline media channels and include them in the communication strategy for greater impact at minimum cost. According to Emarketer a survey in US shows that 31% clicked on the display advertisement, a strong number suggesting the importance of employer banner advertising. Make sure that cultural differences according to regional offices are taken into consideration.

The organization should view the branding strategy as a current and future reflection of what it is in reality that the employees experience rather than just a mere advertisement or marketing collateral.