Imagine if your company wasn’t just a place to work, but a magnet for talent – a place where people don’t just want to do their job, but are also proud to be part of the team. This is precisely what effective employer branding’s all about. Done properly, it creates a strong, authentic employer brand, both inside and outside the organisation.
Given the shortage of skilled labour and demographic change, companies can no longer afford to wait passively for applications. The balance of power has shifted. Talented workers are choosing their employer carefully. Increasingly they’re swayed by factors such as corporate culture, transparency and social responsibility. Employees increasingly value meaningful work and are interested in an organisation’s mindset and values. They’ll choose companies that succeed in communicating credibly and authentically why they’re a good place to work. This makes employer branding one of the most effective means of combating the shortage of skilled labour.
What is employer branding?
But first things first: What exactly does employer branding entail? Basically it’s a strategy featuring various measures that enable you to build a strong employer brand. The ability to develop a clear, differentiated and positive corporate image in the public eye is key to the success of any business.
What can you achieve with employer branding?
You’re probably thinking that all this sounds like a lot of work. But the benefits of a successfully implemented employer branding strategy definitely outweigh the work involved – and they’re long-lasting.
Employer branding can significantly increase the number of applications, with incoming applications of a higher quality and the entire recruitment process accelerated.
Good employer branding creates closeness and authenticity and promotes identification with the company. It increases the motivation and commitment of the workforce, which leads to greater employee satisfaction, reduced staff turnover and a stronger corporate culture. Creating a shared identity and understanding of values is particularly important in companies that are growing rapidly through mergers or acquisitions.
Employer branding helps you build a positive corporate image in the public eye. By putting people in the foreground, you breathe life into your brand and give it a profile. By the same token, a company that succeeds in attracting many talented people and has satisfied employees radiates vitality, flexibility and expertise. This perception has a significant impact on your company’s image and can help you stay ahead of the competition for customers or orders.
Optimised application processes lead to a reduction in the costs of recruitment. If you manage to convince the best applicants, this has a direct positive impact on the productivity of your organisation. Higher employee satisfaction also increases productivity. And lower staff turnover reduces the cost of recruiting and training new employees. Employer branding thus results in concrete economic benefits.
The linchpin: employer value proposition
Are you convinced? Then the first step is to formulate a clearly defined employer value proposition (EVP). This positions you as an employer by encapsulating the unique selling proposition of your company in relation to its employees. A good EVP should cover aspects such as values, goals, identity and culture, answering questions such as:
- What do I represent as a company and as an employer?
- What makes me unique for employees and sets me apart from the competition?
- Where do I want to go in the long term? What’s my vision?
- Who’s a good match for me and who isn't?
The employer value proposition is a key component of any good employer branding strategy. Ideally, you should involve your employees in developing the strategy and ask them what they value about your company.
In a nutshell
- Employer branding is about improving an organisation’s internal and external image.
- It enables a company to position itself as an attractive employer and differentiate itself in the marketplace.
- In the war for talent, employer branding helps attract the right applicants and retain employees in the long term.
- Effective employer branding requires an employer value proposition and a clear, target-group-specific communications strategy.
Effective strategy
Defining your employer value proposition is a big step forward. The next step is to develop a coherent communications strategy that effectively conveys your EVP with impactful messages across various channels. This ensures that your EVP is firmly anchored in the minds of existing and prospective employees. At the same time, a successful employer branding strategy includes internal measures to boost employee satisfaction and loyalty. This includes creating a working environment in which employees feel valued and motivated.
Holistic communications
When communicating your employer brand, you should pursue a holistic approach integrating the various measures into an overall strategy. It’s crucial to come up with authentic, audience-specific content that reflects your corporate culture and values. Authenticity and transparency are particularly important for Gen Y and Gen Z. Employee stories and insights into everyday working life and corporate culture - content that arouses emotions and helps people identify - will strengthen your employer brand in the long term.
Target-group-relevant channels
To choose the right channels, take a close look at your target audience. And remember that your best brand ambassadors are always your own employees.
- Your careers website is the centrepiece that presents your vision, mission and values.
- Social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok can show your corporate culture in action and build an emotional connection.
- Blog posts, podcasts, corporate magazines and videos provide exciting insights into everyday company life and showcase your employees’ success stories.
- Printed publications are still associated with value and are highly relevant, and they also appeal to target groups that are less internet-savvy.
- A physical staff magazine is a valued storytelling tool that lands directly in your employees’ letterboxes.
- Your intranet is a great channel for quick, direct communications with your staff.
- Job fairs and career events are a chance to meet in person.
- Email newsletters keep people up to speed and strengthen the feeling of being part of a community.
We’ll be glad to help you implement your employer branding strategy. With our expertise in content creation and communications planning, developing websites, design and publishing, we can help you strengthen your brand and position yourself as the employer of choice.
Ihr Ansprechpartner
Christian Schwander
Partner
T +41 44 268 12 05
M +41 79 420 19 53
christian.schwander@linkgroup.ch