Employer branding has become huge folks! Especially as millennials and Gen Z make strides in the workforce, expectations around what companies should offer employees have changed. In fact, research has shown that company ​​culture is a vital deciding factor for young job applicants, with millennials wanting companies that offer growth and opportunity.

But first and foremost:

What is employer branding?

Employer branding refers to how your company is portrayed to both your current and potential employees. We’ve spoken a lot about how you are always building your brand, whether you realise it or not. Every action or interaction that your audience sees is a chance to make or break their perception of your brand. Typically, we think of our customers as being our target audience, but for employer branding, it’s all about how an organisation is viewed as a workplace.

Why does employer branding matter?

Apparently, as many as 86% of workers would not want to work for a company with a poor reputation. That’s huge! It also shows that being able to market a reputable image of your company to your teams and the world at large matters. How do you market that image? Yup, this is all employer branding.

When done right, employer branding lets potential job applicants know that you’re a great place to work. If your values as a business are promoted effectively, employer branding lets you attract your ideal employees, who understand and appreciate what you do. It means less time searching for new candidates and attracting better-suited candidates to your company’s work environment.

How do you improve your employer branding?

If you’re keen to start working on your employer branding (and by now we hope you are), we recommend starting with these steps. As always, if you need more support, you can drop us a line at hello@thebradycreative.co.uk 💙

1. Find out what your current employees actually think of your workplace

First off, it’s time to do some research. Send out an anonymous survey to your employees and dig deep. Ask them what they see as your biggest strengths as a workplace, so that you can highlight what you’re strong at naturally in your marketing. Even more vital, though, is asking where you fall short. How do they rate you out of 10 for growth, connection, and support? How do they feel at the end of the working week? Encourage them to be honest and get ready to listen, ​​because this will be one of the most valuable surveys you run.

2. Expand your learning and growth opportunities

One of the biggest areas that candidates want to see is that your workplace will help them to grow. If you never mention your company’s current growth opportunities in your external marketing, now is the time to start! You’ll also need to ensure that your existing employees know all about them too. If you don’t yet offer learning opportunities, this guide is a great resource to help you find your feet.

3. Define or highlight your “Why”

We’re big fans of Simon Sinek around these parts and love his TED Talk on knowing your “why”. Employer branding is really all about creating a compelling story that helps dream employees fall in love with you as a workplace, and that starts with knowing why you do what you do. Is it to change the things you dislike in your industry? Is it to destigmatize new technology to customers who need it? Is it to make a previously costly product affordable? Knowing your why will help inspire employees to join you and champion your mission, so it’s a vital first step in employer branding.

Got any more burning questions about all things branding?

We'd love to help! Ping us an email at hello@thebradycreative.co.uk 💙

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