Creating a Strong Employer Brand: Practical Steps for Long-Term Success
While reading the April issue of PRSA’s monthly publication, Strategies and Tactics, we came across an article written by Hinda Mitchell of Inspire PR Group that caught our attention. In “Make Smart Investments in Your Employer Brand,” Mitchell explains the importance of investing in a company's employer brand in today's competitive labor market. She suggests that employers should focus on creating a workplace culture that aligns with the company's values and purpose to build a workplace where people want to work and stay. A strong employer brand can lead to decreased turnover and increased profitability.
To create a successful employer brand, Mitchell suggested employers should define their value proposition, develop core messages, create brand imagery and assets, build a base of employee champions, and execute an integrated recruiting strategy.
While Mitchell's suggestions are excellent, it can be challenging to put them into practice without examples. Therefore, we delved a little deeper to offer practical ways to achieve these steps. By following these steps, companies can create an employer brand that attracts and retains top talent, leading to long-term success.
Define their value proposition by identifying what sets their company apart as an employer, such as the benefits and culture they offer to employees.
Determining your brand differentiators is a matter of understanding what makes your company unique and attractive to job seekers
Develop core messages about their organization as an employer by crafting compelling narratives about their company's values, culture, and mission.
Plan a strategic communications program and brand launch by creating a timeline and strategy for rolling out their employer brand to the public.
Create brand imagery and assets by designing visual and written materials that represent their employer brand.
Build a base of employee champions by engaging employees and empowering them to spread the word about the company as an employer.
Secure testimonials about the business as a workplace by gathering feedback from current and former employees and using it to bolster the employer brand.
Develop and execute an integrated recruiting strategy by identifying the channels and methods that are most effective for attracting and retaining top talent.
Train HR and leadership teams on how to talk about the employer brand to ensure consistency and authenticity in messaging.
Establish ways to monitor the performance of recruitment strategies and make adjustments as necessary to achieve long-term success.