No matter your field, talent acquisition is one of the most effective ways to gain a competitive advantage for your brand. With a successful recruiting and hiring workflow, you’ll be able to attract more skilled and efficient employees compared to other companies in your niche.

Talent acquisition doesn’t start when you post a new opening. Instead, talent acquisition is affected by your entire employer brand. Recruiting is more like marketing than ever before. Your employer brand is crucial to being able to attract and retain the right people.

In this article, we’ll explain how you can take more control over your employer brand in order to fully optimize your talent acquisition.

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Employer Branding: A Brief Overview

Every company is concerned with their customer-facing image, but you also need to consider how your brand is perceived by potential employees. Also known as recruitment marketing, employer branding is where human resources meets marketing.

Businesses with better employer brands find it much easier to fill vacant positions and attract top talent.

Marketers develop employer brands through a variety of different strategies. In the post before, Salesforce promotes their image by highlighting their work to close the gender pay gap. This helps Salesforce highlight inclusivity, which is particularly important for tech brands that want more diversity in their candidate pools.

Employer branding posts could also cover company events, organizational policies, or individual employees. As a marketer, your main goal is to cultivate the perception that your company is a great place to work. Keep in mind that the right tactics for your brand depend on different factors, including your industry, size, and the positions you’re trying to fill.

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How Does Employer Branding Affect Talent Acquisition?

In 2022, workers want more than just a salary. Consider how this plays out in your own professional life. You’re much more likely to consider a position if you think the company’s reputation is attractive. In some situations, you may even be willing to accept a lower salary or fewer benefits to work at the right business.

Too many companies continue to approach marketing and recruiting as two totally separate fields. Just as marketing increases sales by generating awareness and positive impressions among consumers, employer branding does the same thing within the labor pool.

According to The Undercover Recruiter, more than 80% of recruiting leaders feel that employer branding has a significant impact on talent acquisition. You might think that neglecting your employer brand will free up resources for other business operations. However, this strategy will hurt your organization in the long run by putting you at a recruiting disadvantage.

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4 Ways to Develop a Strong Employer Brand for Talent Acquisition

Now that you understand the basics of employer branding, you’re ready to start putting these concepts into practice for your own business. In this section, we’ll go over some of the most important steps to take as you focus on your employer brand. Keep in mind that employer branding doesn’t happen overnight. It will take some time to create a strong enough brand to notice a difference in talent acquisition.

1. Post on Social Media

Social media is just as important for employer branding as it is for any other kind of marketing. With a more professional focus, LinkedIn is generally the top channel for these kinds of posts. Still, you can post employer branding on any other social media channel such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Salesforce created this LinkedIn post covering the importance of catering to veteran employees. Veterans sometimes have trouble coming back to the private workforce. This kind of outreach could go a long way toward making veterans more likely to apply for positions at Salesforce.

Your social media feeds should be a good mix of different types of content. Publish posts about your recruiting practices and your short- and long-term goals as a company. Ideally, candidates should feel like they know about your brand before they even apply for a specific position.

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2. Craft Company Values

The larger a business becomes, the more difficult it gets to project a consistent image throughout the entire organization. Strong company values are a good way to build your employer brand. They ensure that both customers and job seekers know what your business stands for.

While companies were traditionally reluctant to make waves on social issues, it’s clear that this trend has changed dramatically in recent years. In fact, 70% of Americans now agree that it is important for companies to make the world a better place.

Employees don’t just want to work for a salary. They want to feel that they’re making a contribution to something greater.

Your company values should come out in everything you do. If you want to focus on the environment, you could start by contributing to nonprofits or organizing company charity events.

However, you also need to walk the walk by making an effort to reduce your own environmental footprint. Companies that say one thing while doing another come off as disingenuous and will have more trouble building a successful employer brand.

This post from Frito-Lay highlights some concrete steps the brand is taking to act on their core values. Since environmental issues are important to both consumers and employees, this kind of content works as marketing for both groups in tandem.

Similarly, the Ford post below focuses on community values while highlighting the contributions of individual employees. By creating content that shows your team outside of work, you show potential candidates that your connection with your team goes beyond the workplace.

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3. Gather Employee Feedback

In order to get better at bringing in new employees, you need to understand what your existing team thinks of your brand. Employer branding depends on highlighting your strengths and improving on your weaknesses, so both positive and negative feedback are valuable.

It’s critical to build open, safe lines of communication with your team so that you can gather honest feedback. You may also consider using anonymous surveys so employees can speak their minds without worrying about being identified or singled out. Employees may be less likely to criticize the brand if their name is tied to their statements.

Employees care about basics like salaries and benefits, but they also want their employers who are invested in them as individuals. This is particularly true for younger workers. In fact, both millennial and Gen Z employees say the first thing they look for is that “the organization cares about employees’ wellbeing.”

A good employer brand that hones in on individuals is a great way to keep employees engaged.

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4. Incentivize Employee Advocacy

While you obviously need to market your own employer brand, the truth is that statements from real employees come with more credibility. Just as consumers trust user-generated content over conventional marketing, they’re more likely to believe something that comes from an employee instead of from the brand itself.

Employee advocacy is all about leveraging happy employees to improve your employer brand. When companies implement employee advocacy programs, they typically offer team members some kind of incentive to share more content. This content helps you develop your employer brand.

Of course, not everyone on your team is going to be interested in promoting the company. Instead of mandating employee advocacy, it’s usually more effective to provide rewards to employees who are willing to pitch in. You can also offer training or give your team materials such as logos and hashtags to use for a consistent brand image.

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Final Thoughts

When you’re trying to attract the best talent, you probably think of basics like salaries and benefits. While those things are obviously critical to filling vacant positions, you’ll need much more than just money and perks to gain a talent advantage over other companies in your field.

Employer branding is the best way to build your reputation as an employer and attract ideal job candidates. It takes time to develop a successful employer branding strategy, but that investment will pay off in the long run through quicker hiring processes and more productive employees. These ideas will help you start crafting your employer brand and improving your talent acquisition.

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