A new year calls for a refresh – and your employer brand strategy should be part of that plan. A strong employee value proposition might make or break becoming an employer of choice. So, it has to be spot on. Your brand identity and recruitment function rely on your employer brand strategy to attract the right talent. Here’s how to give it a makeover as we get ready for 2021:
Evaluate It
Before you make any employer brand strategy adjustments, you need to figure out what needs to change. Consider polling your employees, unsuccessful candidates and talent community members to discover if your messaging matches your real HR brand. Prioritize realigning your communications and brand identity before making “bonus” improvements.
Consider Gen Z
According to research by BridgeWorks, a generational consulting firm, gen Z accounts for 61 million people in the US. And, born after 1996, this massive group is starting to hit the workforce. Your employer branding strategy should consider this cohort is always connected and expects to multitask. They’ve self-identified in a study as loyal, open-minded, responsible and compassionate – all of which can be incorporated into your brand identity (as long as it’s true to you).
Update Your Accolades
If you’re striving to become an employer of choice, you’ve probably been recognized throughout the year as a local best place to work or been featured in the media for your community involvement. Anything that will bolster your employment brand should be added to your website’s career page and included in social media outreach. Be proud of your accomplishments!
Think About Technology
You have to consider where technology will head in the next year to get in front of your target audience. And don’t be afraid to test out some emerging technologies to share your employment brand. Not only as a vehicle for communications, but technology should be thought about in terms of how it will lead to innovations in your business. You don’t want to give your competitive advantage away but show candidates how you’re evolving as a company.
Segment Messaging
If you have a rock-solid HR brand and it’s working swimmingly for recruitment purposes, consider taking it to the next level by segmenting your talent community. A recruitment marketing automation tool will be able to help you keep everything straight and get targeted campaign messages out to your different audiences. You may want to segment your pool by the level of interest in employment with your company or the department in which they’re interested in – or both if you’re really ambitious.
Add Ambassadors
This is an employer brand strategy upgrade that requires additional effort but that will amplify your HR brand communications. It adds a level of authenticity because it’s not just your company talking about itself – but, rather, your ambassadors who are sharing a genuine and real-time take of your organization. You have to be comfortable giving some guidelines for sharing information but providing freedom for ambassadors to be themselves.
