How to boost your employer brand
It's fair to say Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, knows a thing or two about branding. And Bezos is something of a goldmine when it comes to quotable soundbites on the topic. Take these three examples:
"A brand for a company is like a reputation for a person. You earn reputation by trying to do hard things well."
"Your brand is formed primarily, not by what your company says about itself, but what the company does."
"Your brand is what people say about you when you're not in the room."
While Bezos is of course speaking here about corporate brands, these quotes are just as relevant when it comes to an employer brand. Indeed, your employer brand is an extension of your corporate brand – they can be seen as two sides of the same coin – which means these quotes offer some good insight into how to ensure your employer brand is as good as it could be.
The first two quotes say similar things – that your employer brand will be judged not on what you try to say about your organisation, but instead on what the organisation does as a recruiter and employer. When it comes to employer brand, actions really do speak louder than words.
» Do the right thing
It's difficult to build a solid employer brand if you're not backing up the rhetoric with the right actions – you'll be found out pretty quickly.
Simply presenting yourself as an employer of choice is not enough. If you're doing the wrong things – or doing the right things badly, those actions will drown out the message you're trying to communicate. Treat all employees and candidates like potential ambassadors for your employer brand. Consider what they would say if somebody asked them what it's like to work for you, or what it's like to apply for a role – successfully or unsuccessfully - within your organisation.
If a person isn't an ambassador for your employer brand, they could be a vocal critic. Avoid processes and practices that might make people more likely to paint your organisation in a bad light, by treating them in the right way at every opportunity.
It's difficult to build a solid employer brand if you're not backing up the rhetoric with the right actions – you'll be found out pretty quickly.
One thing you simply have to get right is your treatment of candidates and their applications. Too often candidates hear nothing after applying; this leaves them disillusioned and disengaged from your employer brand. Not only might this deter them from applying for future roles with you, it leaves them more likely to criticise your organisation to their peers or via social media.
Unfortunately, research continually highlights how some employers are still getting it wrong. Earlier this year a survey by webrecruit found 60% of job seekers were frustrated by recruiters' failure to communicate with them when they were applying for a job. Most worryingly, a further 29% said they were annoyed by recruiters' failure to provide feedback even after they had been shortlisted for a position.
Similarly, research carried out for the 2013 Candidate Experience Awards found 51% of candidates don't get updates on their status when they're rejected for a role, and that when feedback is provided, it often comes from an anonymous 'do not reply' email address, offering generic rejection rather than specific feedback.
By taking the time to reply and offer feedback to applicants – especially those who have been shortlisted for roles – you can avoid leaving candidates feeling negative about you, and about the job seeking process in general.
» Put somebody in charge
Your employer brand will suffer unless it has commitment and effort from an appointed individual or team. Some organisations appoint employer brand managers; experts whose primary focus is to build and communicate the brand, but this is a step many employers have yet to take.
One of the biggest barriers to this is the assumption that employer brand will simply 'happen', and that it will emerge organically from the work respectively carried out by HR and marketing departments. However, this is not always the case, and having a single part of your organisation responsible for your employer brand means it will benefit from clarity, strategic focus and targeted expertise.
» Choose your champions
Few communications tools are as effective as living, breathing advocates for your company. Within your organisation is a potentially untapped pool of people who are willing to talk about the reasons they enjoy working there.
Find out who they are – whether it’s by using employee opinion surveys or less formal feedback processes – and integrate them into your messaging. They can communicate what it’s really like to work for you, in a more credible way than you might be able to – and they’re more likely to gain the trust of candidates.
These employee brand champions can be used in videos, face-to-face settings such as conferences or recruitment fairs, and on social media (more on that later).
» Set yourself apart
Identify what makes you different from them, and shout about it. Your brand champions can help you to do this.
As with most other aspects of what your organisation does, there is an element of competition with your peers. Identify what makes you different from them, and shout about it. Your brand champions can help you to do this.
Think about what you want to shout about – do you have a great development plan for your employees? Are you renowned for promoting from within? Is sustainability at the heart of your operations? Do you operate ethically? Are you a diverse recruiter and employer? Do you use flexible working to benefit employees with families?
These are the types of things that could tip the scales in your favour when candidates are evaluating which employer they want to join. Put these messages at the heart of your communication strategy, and include existing employees in the process, to help spread the message.
» Be visible
As mentioned, doing the right thing is the cornerstone of a strong employer brand. But it will have little impact if you are doing it in a vacuum. Raise your profile by acting as a thought leader when it comes to employer branding, passing on your learnings to others.
There are numerous platforms for this – recruitment and employer branding conferences happen all over the UK throughout the year, and organisers are frequently on the lookout for experienced contributors and presenters who can help to highlight best practice to delegates, using their own employer brand activity as an example.
There are also a number of publications and websites in the HR and recruitment space that can help to raise the profile of an organisation that has something important to say. If you have a proven track record in building an employer brand, your opinion and advice matters, and you will often find the opportunity to share your experiences by contributing to editorial pieces or by penning your own opinion and ‘think pieces’ to outlets that have significant audiences.
These could be strategic pieces on broad recruitment themes, or they could be career advice for professionals within your sector – or, you could take the opportunity to put together a written reaction to a recent newsworthy development in your area.
Don’t be afraid to approach editors directly – there is usually space to be found in an editorial schedule for a good article written by a credible contributor with something good to say.
A word of caution, however – make sure the article is more about the topic, and less about your organisation. A savvy editor – and a savvy audience – will find it easy to spot a piece that’s a thinly-veiled piece of promotion. Keep it credible and honest, and you will find yourself an audience.
» Get recognition
If you are confident that you’re doing things well, don’t be afraid to seek recognition for it. What you do well as an employer deserves a wider audience, and an industry award is the best way of rubber-stamping your good practice.
Many employment and recruitment awards, such as the RAD Awards, include categories that recognise employer brand. What better way to communicate your employer brand than by being able to point to acknowledgment of its effectiveness?
Look for forthcoming awards that might be suitable for your organisation, and put time and effort into your award submission to get the recognition you deserve.
» Get social
Bezos’ third quote, about your brand being what people say about you when you’re not in the room, has become more apt than ever, thanks to the rise of social media and how it enables people to have their say about your company.
There was a time when a disgruntled employee or failed candidate would have little opportunity to broadcast their unhappiness, which meant less opportunity for reputational damage. But now, anybody with a Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn account is in a position to shout about your organisation – and this means they can shout about the bad as well as the good.
Should the worst happen, and you face criticism on social media, a don’t be afraid to engage with the person (or people) on the channels they’re using. Avoid confrontation, keep the tone civil, and refrain from entering a slanging match, and you could turn a complaint into constructive dialogue that results in useful feedback – as well as re-engaging a disappointed individual with your organisation.
Social media can be a hugely effective tool for promoting your employer brand. Empower your employees and brand champions to regularly use social channels and communicate on behalf of the organisation. This type of communication reaches out to candidates in a way that formal, orchestrated messaging might struggle to achieve.
