Last week we covered the concept of employer branding, including the importance of authenticity. This week I want to dive right in and talk about what ingredients make for great employer branding.
There’s a litany of literature around key levers for employer brand building, such as company culture, community engagement, workplace policies, learning and development opportunities, and compensation and benefits.
But how do you demonstrate these values in a way that it influences your hiring funnel, as well as create a sustainable and authentic brand?
Storytelling
Anthropologists tell us that storytelling is a key part of human existence. That it’s common across every known culture. We are wired to engage with narratives – neuroscience suggests that listening to a story activates areas in our brains that we use when experiencing an event ourselves.
Organizations who tell good stories create a unique connection with their audience.
As an employer, Netflix enjoys a strong and very positive brand perception. With 8.7 million followers on its LinkedIn page, the company leverages stories to position and reposition its messaging for prospective job seekers, consumers, and stakeholders. For instance, its WeAreNetflix podcast puts the spotlight on employees talking about work and company culture. Over the past two years, this podcast has demonstrated the company’s approach to racial, social, climate change, and employee well-being issues.
Organizations that have succeeded with storytelling empower their employees to share their authentic voice on issues that concern them. It is important to remember here that storytelling is directly influenced by the role of corporate gatekeepers. When organizations look to control employee narratives, brand authenticity takes a major hit.
Relevance
This is the second ingredient to successful employer brand building. The stories you tell need to be relevant to your audiences. This often means matching the right content to the right audience. For instance, if you are advertising for data scientists, try adding a video or blog that talks about a day in the life of a data scientist at your organization – ideally from the employees themselves.
On one level, the relevance of a story can be a function of geography. A candidate may be more interested in understanding how an organization supports its local community rather than its national outlook.
A different kind of proximity involves emotions or interests. A candidate may identify with stories that cover a range of life aspirations or experiences, from the emotional shock of losing a job, or worrying about a sick child or parent, to the ever-present work/life balancing act, and team building activities. They also identify with special interests, whether a hobby or sport, or an important issue like flexibility with hours.
Good stories don’t just assume relevance, they prove it.
Often this can be done by illustration – by offering more details like specific facts, opinions, or experiences a prospective candidate can compare to their own. So, for instance, an employee story about how they reshaped their career by upskilling at your organization can engage a prospective candidate who may be considering switching careers.
Using data is another way to prove relevance. Data on lookalike audiences or behavioral affinities is a powerful tool to gauge content/story relevance. By matching candidates with stories related to their professional background or browsing history on your career site, you can create hyper-targeted content that addresses questions and concerns about a potential role at your organization
The secret is in the sauce
To get employer branding right in 2022, organizations must leverage a combination of content and data to engage and build a relationship with candidates. While good content is timeless, relevance is priceless. The unifying factor is data and tools that enable you to take the next step in building an authentic narrative around your vision, values, and culture.
When your not-so-secret ingredients have been mixed to create authentic stories and messaging, the next step is to get your content in front of the candidate. It may seem like a daunting task, but it is easier than you think. We’ll address content engagement in an upcoming blog. Until then, let’s keep the conversation going on Twitter and LinkedIn, where we’re always working to help you get the most out of your recruitment advertising.
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