What is Employer Branding? everything you should know

Employer Branding is a concept that is increasingly present in the business world. Companies need to retain and capture talented people to maintain a high level of productivity and efficiency to reach their goals.

Here, the human resources department has a lot to say, but every person that works with you should be responsible for creating a positive image of your brand.

Nowadays, people have information about what is happening in companies from all over the world. That is if the people who are working for you don’t like something, this information probably will be available online.

That is why this concept is so relevant because what people think of your company will end up influencing their future decisions.

· What is Employer Branding?

Employer Branding is the internal image that your company shows to the market, through actions created to create a positive perception of your brand and attract and retain people interested in helping your business to grow.

This positive image of the work environment will be instrumental for when you have to hire people to work with you. Before they decide to accept a position in your company, they will go to the Internet to see what people who already worked for you to think about the company.

If you can demonstrate that your company is the best place for them to work, the most qualified candidates will be interested in working with you.

· Why Should You Worry About Employer Branding?

We all know that people are getting more and more informed in general. When it comes to looking for a new job, this is no different. Each generation will seek employment with a focus on different goals.

1. Centennial focus their training on tasks that will make them feel fulfilled, usually related to their hobbies.
2. Millennials prioritize work that allows them to develop professionally. They are generally not just looking for a better salary, but for an opportunity to grow and learn in a friendly and collaborative environment.
3. Those of us who are older have different motivations, but many mid-level managers that are over 45 value a job where they can apply all their experience.

Given this working landscape, you need to understand that welcoming your new employees with a cheap gift like a pen is no longer enough to win their loyalty. Not even offering them some extra cash is the answer.

Nowadays we look for a job, or we want to continue working with a company for other reasons, such as time flexibility, opportunities to grow, or because we love what we do and the people we work with. And these values are what will make your company desirable or not to the people who are working with you and the employees you would like to hire.

If you want to attract the best people in your industry, your company would have to be perceived as modern and competitive. Otherwise, people would work with you only until they can find something better.

The proper use of social media by your employees and constant training are actions that benefit your Employer Branding strategy.

As extracted from the Hays Global Skills Index report

“As the global economy recovers slowly, companies are still struggling to find the talents they need.”

· Advantages of Applying Employer Branding

And now that you know what Employer Branding is and why it is vital for your business, you are undoubtedly already anticipating the advantages that your company could get if you implement this strategy. If you still need convincing, we will detail its main benefits (although if you think of others, I’d like to read them in the comments at the end of this post.)

* 1 Everyone will want to work with you. The most prepared candidates and qualified people will be happy to be part of your team.

* 2 People will be working with you for longer, which will allow you to retain the most valuable employees for the success of your business. You won’t have to worry about struggling to convince them to stay whenever someone offers them a higher salary.

* 3 It is easier and faster to select staff because it is the candidates who will look for you and not the other way around.

* 4 You will keep your team motivated and engaged with the brand, which will translate into more positive results for the company and more satisfied employees.

* 5 You will be strengthening your brand’s digital reputation.

* 6 You will be seen as different from your competitors.

* 7 In short, this strategy will improve business results.

· 5 Tips for Applying Employer Branding in Your Business

It is important to remember that when we are implementing an Employer Branding strategy, we want to create a positive image of our company so that more talented people will want to work with us.

So, as we mentioned earlier, it is not a strategy that should be applied only by your human resources department. This strategy encompasses all the departments; all are responsible for creating a more friendly environment for people to work.

What aspects do you consider vital for applying the concept of Employer Branding in your company?

If you can’t answer this question, check out the following tips.

/1/ All employees should be part of this strategy

To create a positive image of your brand, you will have to convince all the people who are working with you to participate.

It is almost impossible to create a false external image of your company, as each person will have a different perception depending on several factors. Therefore, all your employees, from the concierge to the top floor, need to feel happy and comfortable in the work environment. If everyone is satisfied, they will share their feelings with other people, creating this positive image.

/2/ Don’t forget your customers and your strategic partners

Another key to creating a successful Employer Branding strategy is to convince your team to think fondly and respect all customers and suppliers.

Well, how can we do that?

I propose two strategic marketing routes that you could apply in your business:

· eMail Marketing:

Maybe you’re already sending newsletters to all your contacts. However, I recommend you take the time to separate your mailing list in smaller segments.

Think that not all your customers are interested in all the services or products you are selling. An email marketing software like Mailrelay can help you a lot in this task.

Create different emails for each buyer persona, so that each subscriber receives only relevant content, which will foster engagement with your contacts.

· Use social media to share useful content:

Your social profiles are a central communication channel for talking to your customers and partners. Of course, you should share helpful content and not just talk about your business.

Keep in mind that if you want to work with digital marketing, your strategy should be customer focused and not just created for advertising your products or services.

For example. If you are managing an international shipping company, you probably have representatives all over the world, and maybe you have to travel to Germany or China to negotiate a commercial agreement.

It is important information, and you would certainly like to share it with your customers and partners, but you can do it in two ways:

• You can focus on the importance of seeking trade agreements to provide better services to your customers, with new products that will be available in the future.
• Customer-focused content, showing the benefits of what you will be doing for them, not for your company.

Which of the two posts do you think would generate the best image?

/3/Provide digital training for your employees.

I still get news of companies that don’t allow employees to access social media sites when they’re working.

The idea behind this ban is that employees can’t “waste time.” posting content when they should be working for the company.

However, as a manager, you can reverse this situation and convert your employees in the main ambassadors of your company. The opinion of the people who work with you will have more credibility, more than statistics and reports published by the company’s marketing department.

So why don’t you train them on the use of social media so they can complement and help spread the information published in your corporate social profiles?

In my opinion, you should offer at least one basic course for your commercial and marketing department:

• LinkedIn training and social selling: Social selling is vital to help create a more lasting relationship with your customers and help your employees to close sales.

Along with this course, there are two more that I consider equally recommended for other employees:

• Content Writing Training for SEO: You probably already know that just publishing content is not enough, you need to use the right techniques so your leads will find you.

This should be done by people who like to write; they should learn how to create content focused on SEO, to get to the first page on Google.

Obviously, this task can always be outsourced.

• Training in the main digital tools for your business: If you need to analyze the performance of your site, why don’t you select one of your employees to take a course on Google Analytics?

If you have an eCommerce, why don’t you convince them to learn about Prestashop, Woocommerce, or the platform you are using?

This investment you make in them has a motivating effect, since they will see that you trust them and that you want to see them growing with you.

You are not spending money, but encouraging people who will be vital to your brand in the future.

/4/ Humanize your brand on all levels

“I’m just a number for my company.”

How many times have you heard this phrase from a friend or even thought it yourself? What emotions are behind this feeling? Frustration and apathy, fundamentally.

Would you like to have a team of people who love being part of your company, who believe they are part of a team of privileged people?

To humanize your brand means thinking about customers and partners, but also about the people who are working with you.

The aspects we discussed earlier are vital for creating an efficient strategy:

• Learn how to talk to your customers.
• And motivate the people who are working with you.

Nowadays, nobody wants to talk to a brand that feels superior to consumers; we want to be treated with respect because no-one should think of themselves better than us. If you think first about your company, your customers will think first in themselves and will never rely entirely on your brand.

So start applying the mission, the vision and the values that you defined not only to enhance your external image but also to create a team of people that will be happy to work with you.

/5/ Open the doors for different talents

Have you ever thought about putting aside the cliches and looking for different professional profiles? Maybe it’s time to search for different qualities and start working with people that don’t have the same opinions as most of your employees.

To oxygenate your team and bring people with different ideas and opinions.

In short, you need to search for people with different profiles to bring different ideas for your company. This will help you create a stronger brand image. Open your doors to new talents now!

· Examples of successful companies that apply Employer Branding techniques

We are not going to talk about many brands in this section because you certainly can think of famous companies that are using Employer Branding to capture talents and keep them motivated.

I’m sure you know what I mean: Google, Netflix or Facebook, among the most famous ones.

When it comes to Digital Marketing, InboundCycle, Cyberclick or Hubspot are good examples of companies that created a friendly work environment to motivate and keep their employees happy.

They all care about improving employees’ lives, giving them opportunities to grow as individuals and as professionals. This will create a team of happy and proud people.

· Conclusion

Today we have analyzed one of the most current and innovative concepts that companies need to apply. It is one of the approaches that will be critical to the growth and profitability of your business.

As you saw in the post, this concept is not only relevant to major companies, but this strategy can be applied by companies of any size. It doesn’t matter if you only have a few people working with you, if they don’t like their job, you will never get their best.

I encourage you to take the first step towards your digital future.

Creating a successful brand is not just a matter of investing a lot of money in marketing, you also need to invest in your team.

Start applying Employer Branding today.