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Is your company known for treating its people well or for its toxic management? Are you famous for paying well above the industry average or offering a stingy selection of perks? These elements, and so many others, form part of your employer brand—the negative or positive impression people have about your company as an employer.
In this practical guide to creating an employer brand, you’ll learn how to:
Employer branding is the process of marketing your organization to current and potential employees. Every company has an employer brand, whether they actively work on it or not. That’s because past, present, and future employees already have a perception of your company and how you treat your people. When they share their opinions and experiences with friends, family, and their professional networks, this becomes your employer brand.
A positive employer brand can attract swaths of job applicants who would love the opportunity to work for you and feature your company name on their resume and LinkedIn profile. For example, content marketing leader Erin Ellis posted this message on social media to announce a warm welcome from her new employer, Jobber:
“After a successful first week, I’m excited to share that I’ve joined the Creative and Content team at Jobber. From a top-notch recruiting and onboarding experience to a super welcoming and passionate group of people, I look forward to helping drive fantastic content experiences for home service businesses to learn and grow.”
Of course, a negative employer brand has the opposite effect. Human Resources Director Trenelle Doyle posted a heartfelt message on LinkedIn about her employer’s treatment of her as a Black woman in leadership. The post garnered a huge following with reposts, likes, and comments, with some calling out similar experiences with this employer.
Taking control of your employer brand is significantly better than leaving it to chance. By taking steps to understand and improve on your current position, you’ll:
There’s plenty of room for creativity as you develop your employer brand. Thinking outside the box, finding new ways to appeal to talent, and differentiating yourself from the competition will all help you become an employer of choice. Work through the below steps to build an employer brand that matches your company’s values and resonates with your target talent audience:
Step one in developing your employer brand strategy is to set goals for what you want to improve. Consider using the SMART goal framework to ensure your goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Some examples might be to:
Knowing who you want to attract is vital in creating an employer branding strategy aligning with your company’s culture and values. Just as marketers create customer personas to support their campaigns, people leaders can develop fictional representations of their ideal candidates.
Persona example: Ronnie is a tech-savvy, creative, and ambitious 25-year-old passionate about working on innovative projects. She values collaboration, work-life balance, and company growth opportunities. Ronnie graduated four years ago and has had one regular employer since then. She regularly uses LinkedIn to extend her professional network and could be attracted to our company by a strong compensation package, comprehensive benefits, and flexible work arrangements.
In-depth personas like these guide your messaging and outreach efforts to ensure they resonate with the right people. Base the number of personas you need on the size of your organization and the number of roles you typically recruit for. When building yours, consider factors such as demographics, interests, goals, and motivations to create well-rounded personas.
Key performance indicators (KPIs) measure how effectively your company achieves its core employer brand objectives. Tracking and measuring progress enables you to course-correct your strategy as required. Some example KPIs could be:
Select the different places where you’ll communicate your employer brand, based on who you are and what you stand for as an employer. Consider some of the following channels:
Use your LinkedIn, YouTube, X, or other social media accounts to post open vacancies, showcase employee success stories, and share other news about your company culture or ethics that help candidates build a positive image of you.
Set up a careers page to display open jobs and introduce potential candidates to your brand. Use videos, employee testimonials, and other graphics to make the page more engaging. This could also include a section for company values, mission statements, and other information about your culture.
Example: Deloitte’s Career page highlights its flexible benefits, WorldImpact initiatives, DEI commitment, and career development opportunities.
When you have an active open vacancy, use job boards to share details of the role and its compensation package. For example, your job description might include a base salary and bonus structure, benefits, and other cultural clues such as flexible time off, remote options, etc.
Your choice of job boards speaks volumes about your employer brand. While Indeed or TotalJobs might be among the most well-known platforms, consider posting your job ads on boards like the Professional Diversity Network or Blackjobs.com to attract candidates from underrepresented groups.
Consider advertising your open positions in relevant trade magazines to attract candidates with specific skill sets or expertise. Even better, securing an advertorial will give readers a more in-depth insight into your company culture and what makes you a great employer.
Just as modern-day consumers thoroughly research products and services before they buy, savvy job seekers also commit to due diligence before they apply for a role or accept a job offer.
Sites like Glassdoor and Blind allow employees to leave anonymous reviews about what it’s like to work for a specific organization. 65% of job seekers claim their perception of an employer improves when they respond to a review.
Conferences, career fairs, and other networking events are excellent opportunities to showcase your employer brand. You’ll have the chance to speak with potential candidates face-to-face or hold presentations to give a sneak peek behind the curtain of your brand.
Circling back to your personas again, select some of the following marketing materials most likely to resonate with your target audience:
Social proof is one of the most effective ways to convey your brand to current and prospective employees. When they see people like them thriving at your company, they can imagine themselves doing the same. Be sure to include stories of employees from diverse backgrounds and experiences to show your commitment to an inclusive and welcoming workplace.
Example: Netflix’s Culture page includes a short video on “Candid Conversations: Latinx Employees,” which features a group of the streaming company’s Latinx employees coming together to discuss their experience working there. They highlight that things aren’t perfect, but Netflix is striving to improve its Latinx retention rate by setting up employee resource groups like SOMOS and a pipeline program with the Los Angeles Latin International Film Festival.
Job descriptions with vague details about “employee perks and benefits” create friction for job candidates who want more precise information about what’s on offer. Build extensive lists of the specific benefits you offer; even better, showcase how your current employees use them to enhance their work-life balance.
Example: Jonas uses his professional development stipend to pay for a business coach. They work together to create an employee development plan, with the goal of Jonas moving from Sales Manager to Head of Sales in 18 months.
Awards such as “Best Employer for Working Parents” or “Great Place to Work in 2024” are a fantastic badge of honor to showcase on your website and social media accounts. Recognition from industry bodies, associations, or consumers adds to your credibility and employer brand appeal. Take care that your ability to win awards aligns with the employee experience you’re offering. Daniela Herrera, Talent and DEI Consultant, explains how this can jar:
“Companies should be automatically removed or banned from any “Best Place to Work” lists if:
A “best place to work” should mean a safe, inclusive, and equitable place to work. Anything else is just performative.”
A company’s executive team members can sometimes feel unrelatable, existing above the culture, and not actively involved with their employees. Inviting them to share their thoughts and experiences on your company podcast or as a guest on other shows can break down this barrier. Candidates will get a sense of who they are beyond their job title, which allows for better connections with potential employees.
Sometimes, candidates just want the bottom line up front. Deliver this in facts and figures using a simple fact sheet, including information like:
Encourage consistency across your recruitment campaigns by creating a standardized job description template that presents the following details that matter in a clear and organized way:
The final step in your employer branding process is to get out there and start recruiting. Remember to continuously track your progress, make adjustments where necessary, and monitor your employer brand reputation. With the right approach and consistent effort, you’ll attract top talent that aligns with your company culture and values.
Complement the steps above with these important best practices:
Recruitment and retention are two sides of the same coin. It’s not enough to focus on “selling” your employer brand to candidates and recruits if your efforts fall short once they’ve settled into their roles.
Employer branding should be a continuous exercise that extends to a departing team member’s exit interview and beyond. Every interaction with your employees, from performance reviews to team meetings, acts of recognition, and more, influences how they perceive you as a professional employer. Therefore, it’s imperative to focus on ways to retain your workers’ engagement and loyalty over the long term.
Wondering who’s responsible for your employer brand? Multiple individuals and teams influence how your organization appears to job applicants and current employees, including:
Each group has a role in shaping your employer’s brand messaging and initiatives. Ensure they’re all involved in the process to garner support and achieve buy-in. Consider creating an employer branding committee or task force to oversee strategy implementation and involvement from multiple stakeholders.
No employer wants to read negative feedback from their employees online. Whether in a social media post, tell-all news article, or on an employer review platform, their candid opinions can be damaging, uncomfortable, and astonishingly accurate.
Get ahead of any negativity by actively soliciting feedback from your employees. You might use:
By proactively seeking feedback, you can identify areas where your employer brand may be lacking and make improvements before it’s too late. Be sure to address any negative feedback promptly to show that you value your employees’ opinions and are actively working to improve their experience.
It’s important to remain transparent about your company culture, values, expectations, challenges, and successes. Candidates and existing employees want to know the real deal, even if it’s not all rainbows and butterflies, so sugarcoating any imperfections in your organization can seriously backfire. Honesty builds trust with potential candidates and demonstrates authenticity in your messaging. You can highlight transparency by:
A comprehensive benefits package forms an important part of any strong employer brand. Benepass offers a range of pre-tax benefits and perks programs designed with flexibility in mind. These include:
Ready to level up your employer branding initiatives? Take a free demo of Benepass today, or contact sales@getbenepass.com to connect with a benefits specialist.
