How employer branding gets you A-players
Hidden in plain sight
For us as a branding agency it’s been mindblowing to see how many companies don’t have a descent employer brand. And what we found out is that many entrepreneurs just aren’t aware of the concept employer branding.
Employer branding focusses on controlling the narrative, just like normal branding. But where one targets the consumers and/or clients, the other targets your employees and future employees. It’s a different message, so it’s a seperate endeavour.
It’s so obvious to some people, while others are blind to it. It’s really just hiding in plain sight.
Heineken - go places
Take a well known brand like Heineken for instance. It’s beer. The entire branding resolves around social gatherings and having fun, while drinking beer. This can’t be what you want your employees to be doing all day. Right?
So Heineken has an employer brand with the brandstatement ‘go places’. They focus on the carreer path an employee could possibly create for himself. Where you can start off as a junior in Germany. Become a manager in Singapore. A product owner in Australia. And you can go on imagining. It tells a story of travelling the world, connecting with people from all kinds of backgrounds. That’s an employer brand which attracts young and eager professionals. Just what they are looking for.
Reverse recruiting
Where in the past talented people would line up for job interviews looking for an employer who’d grant them an opportunity. Now it’s the employers presenting themselves as a great place to work with all kind of reasons why. Because there’s such a high demand for talent that it seems as if there’s a shortage.
“The times have changed and nothing is what it used to be”
The times have changed and nothing is what it used to be. Which raises the bar for ambitious brands. If you want to keep growing, you need to evolve and innovate. Or at least keep up with the competition.
What are others doing?
FIrst and foremost it’s important what you are doing and what would fit your business. To stay ahead you need to innovate. And yes… it’s always usefull to glance at what the competition is doing.
Adding value to the lives of your employees is the key. Whether that is by great secondairy benefits, or by travelling the world. It could be an in-house academy or flexible working hours. It can be thousands of unique elements. You just have to chose one which defines you the most. Enlarge it and claim that domain.
So look around what domains or words have been claimed by the competition. And then see what you have to offer that is unique and valuable. Then you have step 1. A vantage point to start from.
“Our employer branding instantly created more and better applicants.”