“Branding” is a big buzzword these days, but not everyone knows what it really means. Sure, we understand how important it is that a company have a brand for marketing purposes. Where would McDonald’s be without the golden arches or Nike without its swoosh insignia? However, there’s more to branding than just a logo. Now more than ever, companies are realizing how important it is for the business itself to have a strong brand. In order to hire the best people, companies need to have a strong brand for recruiting purposes outside of just marketing. Whether you do the hiring yourself or work with an HR recruiting firm, here are some things to know about employer branding.
What Is It?
Much of employer branding has to do with developing a reputation as a company that attracts the best recruits. It’s a way of indicating to potential employees what a business has to offer them. A strong employer brand establishes in the minds of potential applicants a certain identity that is appealing to them. If you don’t work on your employer brand, you’ll be missing out on the best candidates to competing companies who take their brand more seriously.
Who Contributes to Branding?
The HR department is the face of the company in terms of hiring so much of the responsibility for promoting your company’s brand is on them. However, it’s the CEO who is most responsible for establishing the corporate culture of the company, and that contributes heavily to how the company is perceived by potential employees. Naturally, the marketing department will have to expand their role to include employer branding, and the role for promoting the company can be expanded within by designating some employees as “brand advocates.” Brand advocates are employees you can count on to promote the company and share information via social media. This is a more advanced step and should only be attempted once your brand is firmly established.
The Importance of Employer Branding
Polls indicate that 84% of job seekers say the reputation of a company is a contributing factor to their decision to apply. Furthermore 9 out of 10 say that an actively maintained brand is important to them when applying, and 50% say they’d never work for a company with a bad reputation, even if they were to receive a pay raise. Having a brand that contributes to a positive profile in the community makes it easier to field the best candidates. It also saves you money when it’s time to promote your company. After all, you won’t have to spend as much on job sites if a positive brand precedes you. Also, with the ever-increasing importance of social media, a positive brand will assume even more importance. Evidence shows that 1/4 of all job seekers rely on social media when deciding on where to apply, so having your company spoken of in a positive light can make all the difference in finding the best candidates.
Building a successful employer brand is a hands-on effort. You’ll need the CEO, the marketing team, and outside recruiters for HR jobs working together to establish and maintain an attractive brand to bring in the best recruits. If you’d like to learn more about building an employer brand, contact the professionals at The Christopher Group.