What is Employer Branding?

Employer brand is a term that has been thrown around a lot in recent years, especially in the world of recruitment marketing and talent acquisition. But what exactly is employer brand, and why is it important?

Put simply, employer brand is the perception that people have of an organization as an employer. This perception is based on a range of factors, including the work environment, company culture, benefits, and the way that the organization treats its employees.

Why is employer brand important?

Having a strong employer brand can be a huge advantage for organizations when it comes to attracting and retaining top talent. Talent teams working with strong employer brands find it easier to reach their KPIs as these employer brands act as a magnetic force that draws candidates into their talent pipeline and increases their conversion rates throughout the process.

Importantly, this drives a higher ROI for the budget allocated to talent attraction and helps reduce key metrics like cost per application and time to hire.

A positive employer brand can help to differentiate your organization from competitors in the same industry, and can help to attract passive candidates who are not actively looking for new opportunities.

In addition, a strong employer brand can help to improve employee satisfaction and retention, leading to increased productivity, better customer service, and ultimately, increased profitability.

How do you build a strong employer brand?

Building a strong employer brand takes time and effort, and should be a key focus for any organization that is serious about recruiting and retaining top talent. Employer branding is year-round activity for talent teams, and can't be turned on and off as hiring needs arise.

Strong employer brands are driven by reach and frequency with distinctive and memorable assets.

Reach and Frequency

Reach and frequency is about getting your employer branding touchpoints in front of your target audience. "Out of sight, out of mind" could not be more true of prospective candidates, if you're not in front of them regularly then you won't be top of mind when they come to look for a new role.

However, just because your touchpoints have made it in front of your audience, there's no guarantee they will pay any attention or remember it. This is where distinctive and memorable assets come into play.

Distinctive Assets

Your employer branding and messaging must be distinctive. This means narrowing in on what it is that makes you truly unique as an employer.

How can social media help to build an employer brand?

Social media has emerged as a powerful tool for building employer brand, as it provides a platform for organizations to showcase their culture, values, and employee experience to a wider audience.

Platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, TikTok and Instagram can be used to share employee stories, promote job vacancies, and engage with potential candidates. However, it is important to ensure that your social media presence is authentic and reflects the true culture of your organization.

How can you measure the success of your employer brand?

Measuring the success of your employer brand can be challenging, as it is based on perceptions which can be difficult to quantify. It's important to note that employer brand is a long-term play. It's better to look at indicators of employer brand success over periods of at least 12 months.

However, there are a number of metrics that can be used to track the impact of employer brand initiatives, such as employee engagement scores, employee retention rates, and feedback from candidates about the recruitment process.

Final thoughts

Employer brand is a crucial factor in attracting and retaining top talent, and should be a focus for any organization serious about building a successful workforce.