How To Build a Successful Employer Branding Strategy

Employer branding is the process of creating an image or impression of a company as an employer. By creating a successful employer branding strategy, you can make sure that your company is known as an appealing and welcoming place to work. Strategic employer branding can help you attract top talent and improve employee retention.

This article will walk you through what you need to know about employer branding, including what it is, why it's important, and how to create a successful employer branding strategy.

• What is employer branding?
• Why is employer branding so essential?
• How do you develop an employer branding strategy?

What is employer branding?

Employer branding is the process of creating a positive reputation for a company as an employer. A strategy designed to enhance employer branding can involve promoting the company's job openings, highlighting employee satisfaction, and showcasing the company culture, initiatives, and values. Employer branding involves developing a strategy to reach potential employees and create positive associations with the company and its culture.

Employer branding is the total of all the impressions potential employees have about a company as an employer. This branding includes what the company says about itself, what others say about the company, and how the business behaves toward its current, past, and potential employees.

Why is employer branding so essential?

Here are some reasons an employer branding strategy is so important:

• Job seekers want to work for a company with a good reputation. In today's job market, job openings outnumber job seekers. The surplus of open positions means job seekers can be picky about where they work. They're likely to research a company before applying for a job, and they're more likely to accept a job offer from a company with a good reputation. Employer branding can help attract top talent to your company so you can find the ideal candidate.
• A strong employer brand can improve employee retention. Once you've attracted top talent to your company, you'll want to keep them around. A strong employer brand can help with this. Current employees who feel positive about their company are more likely to stay with the company longer. They're also more likely to recommend the company to others as a great place to work.
• Branding helps articulate your company values. Employer branding can help you to establish and communicate your company values, the guiding principles that govern how your company operates.
• Employer branding can differentiate you from your competition. The many companies in the market are vying for the same talent. A strong employer brand can help you stand out from the crowd.
• Branding can engage your current employees. A good employer branding strategy will also engage your current employees. These employees who feel positive about their company are more likely to be productive and promote the company to others.
• Branding helps establish a company reputation as an employer of choice. A company known for being a great employer will have an easier time attracting and retaining talent. Job candidates are more likely to be attracted to a company with a strong brand, engaging social media presence, job perks, and positive testimonials from existing employees.

Ultimately, employer branding is about creating a positive image for a company as an employer, which can have numerous benefits for both the company and its employees.

How do you develop an employer branding strategy?

Now that we've covered what employer branding is and why it's important, let's look at how to develop an employer branding strategy for your business.

1. Study the company’s employee value proposition

The first step in developing your branding efforts is to study the company's employee value proposition (EVP). This statement describes what a company can offer employees in terms of compensation, work environment, development opportunities, and benefits and perks.

To develop an EVP, you'll need to consider what makes your company a great place to work. This may include things like competitive salaries, engaging work, flexible hours, and supportive company culture. Do you offer remote work? What work culture aspects may be particularly attractive to future employees?

Once you've identified the company's unique selling points, you can start to craft an EVP that will appeal to potential employees.

2. Define the strategy and goals

Once you've developed an EVP, you'll need to define the goals for your employer branding strategy. What are you hoping to achieve with your employer branding efforts? Do you want to attract more job seekers to your company? Do you want to increase employee retention or improve company morale? Are you open to changing your current recruiting strategy to attract new employees?

Your goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). Once you've defined your goals, you can start to develop a plan to achieve them.

3. Identify the right candidates for your company

Before implementing your employer branding strategy, you’ll want to have a good grasp of what people think about your company. Market research will help you understand how potential team members perceive your company and what they're looking for in an employer.

What is your ideal candidate seeking? To attract new talent, you need to research your target audience. This includes studying the demographics of your ideal candidate (e.g., location, experience, and education level). You should also research their values, interests, and needs. Where do they engage on social media, like LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and Instagram, and who do they follow? Collecting relevant data will help you identify the employer branding message that will resonate with your target audience.

4. Examine the current application/recruitment process of your company

After you've identified your target audience, it's time to look at your company's current application and recruitment process. How easily can job seekers find your company and apply for open positions? How do your job applicants identify new job postings? What kind of recruitment marketing plan do you currently have in place? How efficient is your method of screening and selecting candidates? What is your hiring process?

The application and recruitment process should be as smooth and streamlined as possible. Are there issues in your onboarding process? If there are any bottlenecks or friction points, address them. Otherwise, you risk losing potential employees before they even have a chance to start working for your company.

5. Write relevant performance indicators to be evaluated

Write relevant key performance indicators (KPIs) that you can use to evaluate the success of your efforts. KPIs will help you track progress and measure the success of your employer branding strategy.

Some examples of employer branding KPIs include:

• Number of job applicants
• Quality of job applicants
• Employee satisfaction
• Employee retention and turnover rate
• Company reputation score

Each company will have different KPIs depending on its goals and objectives. However, the above list includes some of the most common employer branding KPIs.

6. Evaluate and improve your promotion channels

Now it's time to evaluate and improve your current employer branding content and promotion channels. Employer branding content includes your company website, social media accounts, and job boards.

You’ll need to ensure your company website is designed to attract and engage potential employees. It should be easy to navigate and contain relevant information about your company culture, benefits, and open positions.

Your social media accounts should also be designed with potential employees in mind. Today, social media is a key strategy in most talent acquisition plans. Your social media should showcase what it's like to work for your company and highlight your company’s culture. These apps can be great places to share employee stories, advocacy, metrics, and company initiatives. Make sure to post regular updates about open positions and link back to your company website.

Finally, don't forget about job boards, which can be a great way to reach out to potential candidates and promote your company. Are you present on LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and other major career pages and career sites? Make sure to post regularly and include relevant keywords so the best talent can easily find your company.

7. Consult with Upwork’s services

Upwork offers a number of guides and services to help with your employer branding strategy—from resources to hiring opportunities.

Resources:

• Developing a solid brand personality
• Internet marketing
• Strategic branding
• Employee retention

Hiring opportunities:

• Social media marketing
• Hiring for your human resources department
• Recruitment
• Brand marketing

Each company is different and will have different needs. Upwork can help you find services to fit your company's specific needs. Use Project Catalog™ to contact an independent professional to help create an employer branding strategy for your business.

Get help creating your branding strategy

An effective employer branding strategy is essential for attracting top talent, raising brand awareness, and improving employee engagement and retention. By taking the time to research your target audience and create a streamlined application process, you'll be on your way to attracting top talent for your company.

Upwork can help you every step of the way, from developing your employer branding strategy to implementing it. Use resources on Upwork to help you attract and retain the best talent for your company.

Find an independent professional to help you create a successful employer branding strategy today!