Did you know 86 percent of workers wouldn’t apply to or continue to work for a company with a bad reputation? This statistic should be enough to help your company understand how your employer brand not only affects your reputation and performance, but your ability to attract and retain global talent.
Employer branding is a long-term strategy that helps companies manage the knowledge and perceptions of current and potential employees, to convey the values and characteristics that define your organization’s culture, and to promote commitment and pride in belonging to your company’s workforce on a global scale.
Why is it important for companies to focus on their brand?
According to Alexa Williams, Manager of Employer Brand at Globalization Partners, “The main reason to have an employer brand is to differentiate you … The purpose of creating, building, and maturing your employer brand is to define what makes you unique.”
The Society for Human Resource Management emphasizes how an employer brand helps companies identify the talent they want to attract, or the persona they’re searching for, as well as the company’s Employer Value Proposition (EVP).
The employer brand is also important for attracting customers. Companies can use their employer brand to communicate to their customers through their employees, especially when they have a presence in a global market.
“You can show how happy your employees are, how you are growing and attracting new and better global talent, and why you are the kind of company customers want to work with. The people behind a product or service are the differentiators for the experience as a customer as well,” says Williams.
A strong employer brand indicates employees are happy and engaged, which results in a great reputation. It also helps retain existing team members, leading to continued growth.
How does employer branding help attract and retain top global talent?
Employer branding is especially important to successfully attract and retain global employees. In fact, companies that invest in their employer brand can reduce turnover by 28 percent.
An employer brand tells the story of your company. It helps potential candidates envision themselves working in your organization, and employees to continually choose you as their employer because of their positive experiences.
Which are the most effective employer branding strategies?
As an employer, you should always keep employees at the core of your business goals and decisions. Williams affirms that it is essential to humanize your brand with employee-centered content for a unique experience.
1. Define your approach
One of the challenges of building a strong employer brand is maintaining a focus on the strategy and the key players involved. Allie Kovalik, Community & Culture Manager at Globalization Partners says, “It is crucial to define who are going to be the project owners and the teams involved, and to identify the key partners and stakeholders. It is fundamental to determine a structure and a model that will help you act quickly, do things the right way and impact the right people.”
2. Build a strong company culture
Forty-seven percent of active job seekers say company culture is a driving motivator when looking for work. Kovalik defines culture as a byproduct of how everyone in the organization lives and interacts with each other, and the way people communicate, work together, and operate as a company with transparency and accountability.
“Building an authentic culture starts with building a strong sense of community because people are looking for more than a job — they want to feel connected to the mission and they want a sense of community and belonging,” says Kovalik. In fact, high belonging has been linked to a 56 percent increase in job performance.
[bctt tweet=”“It is crucial to define who are going to be the project owners and the teams involved, and to identify the key partners and stakeholders. It is fundamental to determine a structure and a model that will help you act quickly, do things the right way and impact the right people.”” username=”globalpeo”]
3. Pay attention to metrics
Metrics are key to keeping track of the evolution of your brand strategy and to help you detect areas for improvement. According to Williams, these are the main metrics you should pay attention to:
Engagement
Measuring engagement is vital to identifying potential gaps in the employee experience. Engagement is an indicator of how authentic people find their experience, if they are proud to work for your company, and if they would recommend you as an employer.
Candidate quality
Another top of funnel indicator is candidate quality. This measures how successful your recruitment strategies are in finding candidates that are qualified, and ultimately, successful in their role.
Candidate experience
One way to evaluate your candidate experience is by determining your Net Promoter Score (NPS). Candidates have the power to impact your company’s reputation and their experience counts, too. The NPS measures the success of your hiring process, if candidates were treated right, and if they would recommend your company.
Social listening
Understand the online conversation about your brand through social listening. This includes monitoring your media exposure, reviewing your and your competitors’ site ratings, and tracking the traffic of your career site and your referral rate.
4. Focus on employee advocacy
Employee advocacy is a major component of a successful employer brand. It is important to ensure that employees have opportunities to participate in your branding efforts. Williams says employee advocacy is not only about asking employees to share why it is great to work for your company, but about really offering unique experiences for them to help shape the brand with their ideas and feedback. That is what makes employees want to share their stories organically.
Kovalik affirms that employees are your company’s customers too, and by allowing them to participate in the evolution of the company, they become global ambassadors.
5. Define your Employer Value Proposition
Seventy-five percent of job seekers consider EVP before applying for a job — they are concerned about business values and how the company can benefit them.
Williams explains that the EVP is a foundational element to your employer brand. It helps you attract the right talent and defines what you offer as an employer, such as career progression, work-life balance, diversity, and community.
What are the most effective ways to communicate your employer brand?
It is vital to define how you’re going to share information regarding your employer brand as it evolves, both internally and publicly. You must set the tone and the style of the messaging so that you communicate with honesty and transparency, especially to international employees who have different cultures and backgrounds. Once you define these elements, you can communicate your brand through the right media channels through storytelling and employee promotion.
Storytelling is essential. It is a strategy that helps foster a connection with your audience and emphasize your brand’s personality. Use storytelling to describe the employee experience and your company culture.
Encourage your employees to become active promoters of your brand. Happy employees are more likely to share their experiences and recommendations.
Find the right channels to reach your audience. These channels can take many forms, such as digital platforms or recruiting events — what will work best depends on who you want to attract.
Building an employer brand is an ongoing process that requires constant reviewing and assessing. However, a strong employer brand will inevitably help your company scale and maintain a positive global projection and future value.
Globalization Partners’ AI-driven global employment platform will help you hire, onboard, and manage the best global talent while you focus on scaling your company and building your brand.
