Improving employer branding: this is what many companies forget
At employer branding communication plays the leading role. Often a lot of budget is allocated to an external marketing strategy. That is a logical choice, but internal communication about the brand experience is at least as important. Every expression, internal or external, must show what your company stands for. A company like, for example, Coolblue excels at this. In all their communication, customer satisfaction is central.
You are an employer brand; you don't become one.
A common mistake is that employers adopt a brand identity that does not match the company's actual identity. Some employers contort themselves in all kinds of ways to come across in a certain way. That leads to problems in the long term. If your employer brand does not fit what you stand for, and you therefore recruit employees under false pretenses, it is unlikely that new employees will stay long. It is important, before you start working on employer branding, to have a really clear picture of your company. Also involve employees who have worked for you for a long time in this process. They can often pinpoint exactly which factors make them enjoy working for you. That way you also discover in what respect you are distinctive from the competition.
Use satisfied employees in your employer branding strategy
Natuurlijk kun je zelf vertellen waarom jouw bedrijf dé plek is om te solliciteren, maar het is veel geloofwaardiger als je medewerkers dat doen. A medium like LinkedIn is a powerful tool not only to emphasize your company's expert status but also to give a good impression of the atmosphere on the work floor. Instagram also lends itself to this, although on that platform it is somewhat harder to emphasize expert status. It is important that, if you use multiple channels, you build a strong employer brand in a consistent way. The tone of voice must be the same in all communications and support the image.
Promise only things you can make true.
Employer branding can lead to discontent among employees if the image you project does not match what they experience. Is there turmoil in your company? Then it is a bad idea to position yourself as the dream employer. Because the threshold to respond via social media is low, there is a good chance that blunt comments will be posted. And those comments can be found for a very long time. Once reputational damage has occurred, it takes a long time to repair. It is therefore also of great importance to deploy employer branding at the right moment. Make sure you are the employer you want to be, and only then communicate to the outside world about who you are.
That does not mean that you only have to mention positive things. One part of employer branding can also be to indicate where you want to go with the company and what still needs to happen for that. It is precisely that openness that can attract people. You indicate that you are an employer who is open to improvement, and attract people who want to contribute to that.
If necessary, our partner can, People for Office , supporting you in setting up your Employer Branding strategy.
