Two Must-Haves for a Strong Employer Brand

Big conference roomWhen we talk about branding, we focus a lot on an organization’s corporate image, the impression the market has about its service, the quality of its leaders and key or, if a service organization, the personal touch its employees provide. These are certainly important areas of focus for branding; however, in a service-driven marketplace, employers are becoming more and more aware of the importance of human capital. From senior leaders to front line employees, organizations need to attract the best and brightest to remain competitive for the long run. There are plenty of strategies and tips for effective employer branding, but here we focus on two: consistency and coordination.

Consistency

As with any branding effort, consistency is crucial. You want to make sure your target audience has the same impression of you no matter where they encounter your brand. You don’t want to present yourself as the low-cost leader in one venue and the luxury option in another. One key point here is that potential employees come from many sources. Think about your own career path. How many job opportunities have seemingly come out of the blue from a friend of a friend or marginal connection? So, from an employer brand standpoint, you should obviously be focused on those who might be employment prospects. But you should also consider that your customers, your interns, your current employees’ friends, family, relatives, etc., could all represent potential future employees. That’s just one example of where and why consistency comes into play. Messaging needs to be consistent across all channels and with all audiences.

Coordination

The employer brand must be aligned with the organization and service brand, so it’s critical that there is collaboration and communication between marketing and HR. Since a brand is the “personality” of an organization, product or individual, consistency is again key, and the brand must be managed across all “touchpoints” that a potential employee, customer, patient, etc,, would encounter. It’s not just about advertising/marketing.

The need for effective employer branding is only growing. As reported by Harvard Business Review, “Different surveys show that in 2014, 36% of global employers reported talent shortages, the highest percentage since 2007, and in a more recent 2015 survey, 73% of CEOs reported being concerned about the availability of key skills.”

We’ve written extensively about employer branding and you can find some additional information here. Are you confident that you have a strong employer brand? It’s an important area of focus since strong employer brands naturally lead to strong organizational, product and service brands.

Recommended Reading:

The Everything Guide to Customer Engagement

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