Did you know 75% of job seekers consider an employers’ value proposition before they decide to apply for a role?
More simply put, three out of every four candidates take a keen look at your company brand, values, and culture before they seriously contemplate working for you. That’s why it’s imperative for companies to skillfully market their unique value to attract and retain top talent.
Here are three proven strategies on how to do that successfully:
1. Employees ARE Your Brand Ambassadors
From front-line workers to c-suite executives, the people who genuinely know what makes your company a great place to work are the most valuable human resources to tap for being brand ambassadors.
We suggest establishing a network of employees who represent each division and function. Your Chief People Officer and talent management teams can map out a strategic program to advocate your unique characteristics. LinkedIn reports, “companies with a successful employee advocacy program are 58% more likely to attract and 20% more likely to retain top talent. They can attribute specific hires to their advocacy program—in some cases, hundreds of them.”
One of the best tools to share your employee’s experiences is via social media. In collaboration with your communications and marketing experts, empower your people to share good company news, business development feats, and thought leadership pieces on LinkedIn and your business blog. These channels have a global reach, enabling you to measure reactions and impact.
Many organizations spend thousands on advertising on YouTube, Facebook, or other sites for branding purposes. Consider how much more cost-effective it could be to develop website videos of your employees talking about the fantastic projects they are working on or incredible experiences they have when working with your clients.
Whether virtual or in-person, industry events, excellent opportunities for your employees to share authentic impressions about the rewarding and meaningful work they do. Providing and encouraging professional development to the team is another avenue for Branding. The Talent Acquisition team can host internal events that are ideal for spots authentic and relatable advocacy to occur in a way that doesn’t sound like they are simply patting themselves, or the business, on the back.
2. Culture Counts – Share It!
Candidates are yearning for organizations with robust, dynamic, and strong corporate cultures. Research shows 47% of job seekers cite a company’s culture as ‘their driving reason’ when looking for work. The same study found 91% of managers in the U.S. say a candidate’s alignment with the company culture is equal to or more important than skills and experience. Your organization must tell compelling stories about your culture.
As noted by HR Daily Advisor, with culture stories, “people will be able to connect with your brand on a deep level. Internally, you will be able to recruit willing brand activists who knowingly protect, nurture, and increase your employee experience and the culture that fuels it. Externally, candidates will be able to feel what it’s like to work at your company.”
Look deep, far, and wide within your organization to find the most powerful stories that articulate your culture on a personal level. Like a movie or book, these stories will move to prompt them to want to work for you.
Ultimately, showcasing the values that define your organization, communicating real-life examples of employees’ pride in their work and workplace, and demonstrating the dynamism of your culture will shape what your employer brand is and truly differentiate your company. Share your employer brand stories with candidates, and your potential to attract and retain the best and brightest will be brimming.
3. Use Data to Emphasize Your Story
While your brand ambassadors are honest and transparent, you can’t always manage what employees, candidates, or customers say. Nor should you. With the litany of analytic tools at your fingertips, there is rich data to collect, analyze and then share to highlight positive attributes about your employer brand in various mediums.
According to the Harvard Business Review, when workers feel a strong sense of belonging, there is a “56% increase in job performance, a 50% drop in turnover risk, and a 75% reduction in sick days.” When you have solid numbers in these areas to share, spread the word.
Press releases are an excellent tool for disseminating positive data like this. They can frequently lead to media reaching out to you and as a result, instead of looking like you’re promoting, just let the numbers do the talking. You can also illuminate the figures on your website. Or put them together for an infographic on Instagram.
Employer brand is also reflected in what customers and candidates say about you online. So do some ‘social listening.” If your Google and GlassDoor reviews are strong, that speaks volumes about the customer experience and needs to be communicated broadly and strategically. By monitoring feedback and discovering positive trends, you can leverage this data to bolster your company’s reputation, which will catch the eye of candidates.
Review the traffic on your careers page regularly. See what candidates say about their experience applying and working with your recruiting partner. At TRANSEARCH, we follow up with everyone who goes through our interview process, whether they are selected to move forward or not. We go out of our way to provide constructive feedback when warranted. We find it impacts candidates’ impressions of an employer, even when they don’t land the job. When job seekers are treated right, they are far more likely to speak highly about your organization, which can boost your employer brand.
Finally, be innovative. Try fresh approaches. Ask your high performers to participate.
