Employer Branding

Today, employer branding has become indispensable for retaining existing employees and attracting the best skilled workers. In this article we will define the term employer branding and present its goals. We will also look at implementing employer branding and explain how to measure its effectiveness.

Definition of employer branding

Employer branding is a marketing strategy that human resources departments use to create an attractive employer brand. With the right marketing concepts, your company can be positioned as an attractive employer, outperform market competitors and attract employees. In this way, employees can be tied to the employer in the long term.

Employer branding is particularly important for small and medium-sized companies and represents a competitive advantage in the labor market. The German translation of employer branding is “employer branding”. This term is increasingly used in human resources and marketing departments, as well as in specially created corporate divisions or specialized agencies.

History

In 1996, the term employer branding was first used by Tim Ambler and Simon Barrow. Losing control over your own employer image is the main problem that can be solved with the introduction of employer branding. With the spread of the Internet, it has become increasingly easier to express one's opinion, even if it may be wrong, anonymously and without serious consequences.

Employer branding goals

Employer branding aims in two directions: on the one hand externally, i.e. essentially how the company is perceived in the market, and on the other hand internally, i.e. how employees feel tied to the company. It is important to pay equal attention to both directions and to weight them equally, because only if the inside is right can a positive external effect be presented credibly.

Outward

Externally, employer branding supports recruiting by focusing applicants' attention on the company, leaving an authentic impression at every touchpoint of the application process and ultimately attracting talent. All measures that address the outside world are aimed at new, potential applicants.

Inwards

Attracting employees is one thing; retaining them is another. This is where employer branding comes in, aiming to retain employees while increasing their productivity and efficiency. This is where measures to improve employee satisfaction come into play. Therefore, the most important questions are: What motivates employees? How can you ensure that they identify with the company? What kind of corporate culture is necessary for this?

Implementation of employer branding

Status quo analysis

To create a successful employer brand, you must first determine how you are currently perceived. Various approaches can be used for this, such as surveys among employees, analyzes in social media or external rating platforms such as Xing and Kununu.

Corporate culture and values

A strong employer brand should be based on a clear definition of the company's culture and values. You need to ask yourself what values are important to you and what type of company culture you want to promote. Values and culture should not only be recorded on paper, but also implemented in life. For successful employer branding, an authentic representation and implementation of the corporate culture and values is essential.

Development of an employer branding strategy

An employer branding strategy can be developed based on an analysis and definition of corporate culture and values. Measures should be taken here to improve the company's image and attract potential applicants. This includes, for example, creating content for social networks, designing a career page or participating in employer ratings and reviews.

Implementation of the strategy

To ensure that the measures taken are effective and achieve the desired results, they should be regularly reviewed and adjusted.

How can you measure the effectiveness of employer branding?

More applications

If the number and quality of applications increases during or after the implementation of the employer branding measures, this is a clear indicator that the right measures have been taken.

Lower fluctuation

Employee satisfaction and loyalty are also an indication of successful employer branding. Because when employees are proud to work for a company, they are generally happier and move less often.

Participation and interaction in social networks is another important indicator. When employees, prospects or Internet users in general are engaged and active online, it means that the employer is perceived positively.

A brand is to a company what one's reputation is to a person. It comes from trying to do difficult things well.
Jeff Bezos