The Value of Employer Branding in 2022 and Beyond

If the heart of a company is its people, it is more vital than ever for employers to develop a positive reputation with current and potential employees. This idea is the core principle of employer branding. Smart companies are leveraging their brand to hire the best employees and also maintain the loyalty of those already part of their teams.

To drive this point home, 50% of candidates say they wouldn’t work for a company with a bad reputation, even for a pay increase. For many job seekers, your reputation as an employer carries more weight than whatever pay your company offers.

On the other hand, 92% of candidates would consider leaving their current jobs if offered another role with a company with an excellent corporate reputation. It’s clear that what people see and feel about your company directly impacts how well you retain and hire new staff.

This article explores the value of employer branding in 2022 and its implications for the future. We will also discuss employer branding strategies and break down a few tips you can use to boost your company’s brand reputation for the long haul.

Why Employer Branding Matters

In today’s digital age, people have instant access to an empowering amount of information about virtually anything – including your company. 79% of job applicants use social media in their job search. In a matter of minutes, candidates can go beyond listed job posts to find out more about employers before applying, such as:

Online presence

Everything that people can discover about your company online impacts its reputation massively. Not only are customers and clients seeking to learn more about your company on digital platforms, but so are potential employees. In fact, most job seekers read at least six reviews before forming an opinion of a company.

From employee and customer reviews to client testimonials, what people are saying about your company will impact your employee brand in one way or another.

Your brand goes beyond reviews, however. It encompasses the overall image of your company based on how you are actively communicating with the world. From your company website to social media and live events, job candidates are doing research on your company, its culture and your employee brand.

Employee reviews

This is by far one of the most significant sources of information for job candidates since it comes straight from people who have already worked for the company in question. Yes, there will be bias behind the opinion of a current or past employee. However, these reviews can give unique insights into the inner workings of a company and what type of experiences employees have had there.

An important factor here is that employee reviews are out of employers’ control. Whether the reviews are positive or negative depends on how a company treats its employees. You may get a few disgruntled outliers. However, most people will give a relatively honest review of their employee experience, which makes it essential for you as an employer to work on improving your reputation on a fundamental level. No amount of external marketing can change how actual employees feel about your company.

Client testimonials

Although these testimonials come from a client’s perspective, they still directly impact your company’s reputation. Prospective candidates can learn a lot about you as an employer based on the quality of your client testimonials.

Are you offering good service? How well do you treat your clients? Can you maintain favourable business relationships? Client testimonials can answer these questions and show whether your company is sustainable and if you can provide job security for potential employees.

Customer reviews

Customer reviews are another form of feedback that may not come from inside your company but can still tell job candidates what they need to know. Whether customers share positive or negative reviews will significantly affect your company’s reputation. It also illustrates your ability to leverage employees effectively to sell your products, which impacts your employee reputation.

Your customer relationships are the bloodline of your business, and their quality can be a powerful indicator of whether you can take care of your employees. The last thing a job candidate wants is to end up in a dead-end position with a company that cannot maintain a healthy bottom line or provide growth opportunities.

Employee branding strategies for 2022 and beyond

So, we have taken you through the concept of employer branding and the factors that influence and shape your company’s reputation in the eyes of potential employees. Now, it’s time to move beyond ‘what’ employee branding and into the ‘how’ you can effectively boost your brand as an employer.

Here are a few actionable tips or strategies to help you boost your employee brand in today’s rapidly evolving age and hopefully maintain a positive image well into the future.

Digital marketing

As mentioned already, we live in a digital age where potential employees can use the internet to learn more about your company. It’s not enough to simply post a job on LinkedIn or Indeed and pray this will be enough to attract quality applicants.

Today’s job seekers are much more ‘google-smart’. Unless you’ve already established a strong reputation as a top employer in your industry, getting the most qualified candidates will be challenging without some form of digital marketing effort.

There are multiple ways that companies are using digital to reach out and connect with job applicants, such as:

• Company websites
• Landing pages
• Online job boards
• Digital business directories
• Social media
• Paid ads
• Search engine optimisation
• Search engine marketing
• Email communication
• Live virtual events and webinars
• Blogs, articles and more

To give you context of how important these digital platforms are: The top three channels SMBs plan to extend their employer brand are the company website (69%), online professional networks (61%), and social media (47%). However, the point of these marketing methods is to be proactive and find innovative ways to reach out and communicate with prospective employees.

For example, you could run an engaging Facebook video ad showcasing positive employee testimonials and stories. By targeting this ad to potential employees who fit your demographic and previously visited your job post, you could gain more high-quality applications from candidates who choose your company over the competition.

Your website, social media profiles and outbound communication all impact your employer’s brand. It is essential that you find ways to connect with prospective employees and build a strong reputation actively.

Improving the candidate experience

It’s no secret that your recruitment and hiring process is an essential part of sourcing, employing and retaining talent. Therefore, one of the most impactful ways to nail each factor is to level up your candidate experience.

This experience begins before you even meet or interview a prospective employee. Your job post is the first thing a candidate reads, so it should be clear, informative and authentically persuasive enough to attract the most relevant and high-quality applications. There are also a few more methods you can use to improve your candidate experience, such as:

• Be transparent about the position in question
• Create and maintain an attractive and up-to-date career site for open positions
• Make your application process as easy and streamlined as possible
• Communicate effectively with candidates through email, phone and even social media updates
• Update candidates regularly on the status of their application, regardless of whether you will be hiring them or not

Lastly, but definitely not least, is the interview process. By getting the in-person interview right, you can learn as much about the candidate as possible while also giving them the information and positive experience they need to make a decision.

A few more tips for the interview process:

• Ask great interview questions
• Keep your interview period short
• Offer candidates a chance to learn about the role and your company culture
• Do a tour to show off your workplace
• Allow candidates to meet the leadership, especially top talent

Ultimately, the ball is in your court as an employer to provide the best candidate experience and seal the deal with your desired candidates. Every bit of information candidates discovers about your company impacts your employee brand, which is influenced even further by how you communicate with candidates along the way. Get these factors right, and you are on your way to attracting, hiring and retaining top talent.

With a solid candidate experience and digital marketing effort, you develop a successful employee brand in today’s world and learn how to develop this for long-term prosperity in the future as an employer.

Need help hiring and retaining top talent?

MASA has over 40 years of experience in the employment industry and can help you attract and secure the level of talent that your company needs. By partnering with us, you can access tried and tested staffing solutions tailored to your specific needs and employee brand.

Contact MASA today to learn more about how we can take your business to the next level!