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Are you looking to create a unique employer brand that stands out in the job market? Do you want to attract and retain top talent in your industry?
Employer branding is an important part of any business. It is often overlooked, yet it can be essential for attracting and retaining top talent. With so many businesses competing for the same talent pool, having a strong and recognizable employer brand can give you a competitive edge.
It is important to understand what strategies work best to create an effective employer brand. Employer branding can help to differentiate your business from its competitors and make it more attractive to potential employees.
In this article, we will provide some examples of successful employer branding strategies that companies are using to stand out from the crowd.
Employer Branding
Employer branding is the process of managing and influencing your reputation as an employer among job seekers, employees, and key stakeholders.
What Is Employee Branding?
Employee branding involves aligning employees with a company’s mission, values, and vision, encouraging them to share these messages with customers, stakeholders, prospects, and colleagues. It refers to the image of the organization created by its employees and potential hires.
By getting employees on board with these core elements, they become motivated to help promote the organization’s brand.
Employee branding refers to the image of your organization that is shaped by your employees and potential hires in the public sphere.
Why does this all matter?
Employee branding is critical in shaping the perception of your organization, and a powerful way to do so is through the employee voice. Research by Edelman Trust Barometer has shown that employees are three times more credible in speaking about company working conditions than the CEO.
Therefore, if you want to effectively influence how people view your organization, you must ensure your employees effectively communicate your desired employee brand.
Encouraging and empowering your employees to share their experiences and perspectives about the company can have a significant impact on the external perception of your brand.
Employee Branding vs. Employer Branding
Employee branding and employer branding are two terms that are often used interchangeably, but there are differences between the two that are important to understand.
While both concepts aim to promote a company’s image and values, they approach it from different angles.
Employer branding refers to the company’s efforts to promote itself as an attractive employer to job seekers and to create a positive image of the company as a workplace. This includes initiatives such as creating a strong company culture, offering competitive compensation and benefits, and highlighting the company’s values and mission.
On the other hand, employee branding is focused on how current employees promote the company to others and represent the company in the external world. This includes employees’ social media presence, interactions with customers and stakeholders, and participation in company events and initiatives.
By understanding the difference between employee branding and employer branding, companies can ensure that their efforts are aimed in the right direction and that their employees are aligned with the company’s overall goals and values.
Great Examples of Employer Branding
In today’s competitive job market, employer branding is essential to your recruitment efforts.
After all, you need to be able to show potential candidates why they should want to work with your organization. And one of the best ways to do this is through great examples of employer branding.
So let’s dive in and explore a few inspiring stories, campaigns, and strategies that can help get your employer branding efforts off the ground:
1. Heineken
Heineken is a well-known brewing company that has achieved international success. To maintain this reputation, the company recognizes the importance of continuous effort. This is why they launched their “Go Places” campaign in 2016 and updated it to “Go Places 2.0” in 2019.
The campaign highlights the stories of Heineken employees from different positions and locations, showcasing the unique personalities and ambitions of the brand’s employees. It also features an interactive digital interview where candidates are asked 12 questions and introduced to the company’s culture.
After completing the interview, candidates receive a personal profile such as “pioneer” or “investigator” and are invited to apply with their CV and LinkedIn profile.
This employer branding strategy has proven to be effective. According to Marketing Week, Heineken saw a 56% increase in applications during its 2016 campaign. This shows that the “Go Places” campaign not only provides a fun and unique headline but also successfully attracts talented candidates to the company.
2. General Electric
General Electric or GE, a company with over 125 years of history, has shown that it is ahead of the curve regarding working culture and hiring processes.
The company has embraced social media and recognizes the importance of employer branding for enhancing the company’s image, improving the employee experience, and attracting top talent.
GE’s employer brand is prominently featured on social media, highlighting the exciting projects that their employees around the world are working on. This allows the company to showcase its innovative products while also allowing employees to proudly share their work.
What sets GE apart from others is its heavy use of video in driving its employer brand. This approach has proven to be successful, as evidenced by the high engagement on GE’s corporate social media handles.
3. PwC
PwC, previously limited by its perception as just an accounting firm, realized the importance of employer branding in expanding its reach to a wider and younger talent pool and changing its reputation. In response, the company’s marketing team focused on enhancing its employer branding strategy.
Sondra Dryer, the previous director of recruiting marketing at PwC, came up with a unique solution in the form of a new website called CareerAdvisor. This site offers career advice to candidates, regardless of whether they are interested in working at PwC or not. It was designed to be a career-agnostic tool that could be used by anyone at any stage of their career.
PwC spent 18 months developing CareerAdvisor, and the result was an all-encompassing site that provides critical career resources in four categories: assess, maximize, prepare, and present.
The company reached out to career centers at college campuses and promoted the site through digital and social media advertising. The site was launched in May, and within a month, 27,500 people had used it, providing PwC with a database of new talent.
5. Starbucks
Starbucks is a globally recognized company that is famous for its strong employer brand. The company has embraced social media as an integral part of its marketing strategy to promote its company culture and attract top talent.
According to Kirsti Stubbs-Coleman, the Recruitment Marketing Program Manager on the Global Talent Acquisition Team at Starbucks, the next generation of job seekers is using social media to research potential employers, and companies need to be present to tell their stories and answer questions.
Starbucks has created specific Twitter and Instagram accounts for job seekers where the company interacts with potential hires, shares employee stories, and showcases its company culture. The company also uses the hashtag #sbuxjobschat to create a community for job seekers to interact and engage with the brand.
Starbucks leverages its social media platforms to celebrate employee achievements, such as college graduations, and promote employee benefits, such as free tuition. This not only showcases the company culture but also creates a team of brand ambassadors who can vouch for the company.
The company refers to its 330,000 global employees as “partners” rather than employees, reflecting its strong commitment to positive work culture and employee experience.
A strong employer branding strategy is the foundation of attracting top talent, and Starbucks’ strategy of embracing social media and promoting its company culture has helped the company become a recognized leader in this field.
Grow with Employer Branding
In conclusion, employer branding is an essential part of any business in today’s world. It can help attract the best talent to your company and build loyalty among current employees. The examples mentioned above showcase companies that have been successful in creating a strong sense of purpose and values through their employer brand.
Creating a strong employer brand takes time, dedication, and creativity. However, the rewards are worth it—so don’t hesitate to start working on yours today!
