Nowadays, brands are looking to attract more customers and segment them into different groups. Businesses are more agile, resulting in a customer experience that tailors to the exact needs of the customer persona. Building an employee-targeted brand to attract and retain talent is top on any CEO’s agenda, and there is no group better suited to contribute to this initiative than marketers.

What is employer branding?

By definition, employer branding is the process of managing or influencing your reputation as an employer among job seekers, employees, and stakeholders. It takes into account all actions done to position your organization as an employer of choice. In layman’s terms, it’s what job seekers and employees really think of you and tell their friends and family about when you are not present.

Currently, people can go online and quickly find out what a company or workplace can offer them. They can quickly see how a brand communicates online, whether it encourages workers to give their best, and how it is perceived by the public. All of these factors add up to the overall employer branding.

4 strategies for building an employer brand that attracts and retains talent

Building a brand that attracts and retains talent is at the top of the list for many executives. Given most people’s inherent expertise in doing that, there is no group better suited to contribute to employer branding efforts than marketers. However, building a good brand takes more than just a solid content marketing strategy in place – it’s a matter of establishing the right mindset, skill set, authenticity, and culture. Accepting the role as an employer requires some responsibility – if you can achieve this, you can boost your chances of success.

1. Building the right mindset

Marketers know that in order to win customers, they need to engage with that audience and win their hearts. To do that, a certain mindset needs to be established – instead of enticing and converting prospects, you should drive advocacy through enticing job candidates. Once you do that, you are on the right track toward improving your employer branding. The corporate treasure hunt game starts with a shared mindset, vision, and goals.

The role of an employer needs to be ready to accept new possibilities and take full responsibility for failure. If you learn to keep yourself motivated, set goals, and devote your attention to the present you are headed in the right direction.

2. Building the right skill set

The set of daily tasks marketers has closely match the ones of good employers. The focus is set on finding the target market, seeing what works for them, understanding their motivations, finding the right media channels to trigger their attention, and delivering a compelling message to lure them. Even if you have to do a for that, try to begin somewhere and make everyone aware that skills are essential in the workplace.

As an employer, you should have a transferable skill set – and shift as new technological developments make their way through companies, business models, and industries. Jobs in the future won’t necessarily require a college degree. Instead, they will require transferable skill sets curated by employers.

3. Boosting authenticity

Third in our list of ways you can grow your employer brand is by promoting brand transparency and authenticity. Brand authenticity is a very popular metric for businesses nowadays – it defines the way a consumer perceives a brand to be faithful to itself. In the age of social media, when consumers can instantly tell whether brands are who they say they are, authenticity and trust are important to acquiring and keeping customers.

Authentic branding will benefit you in many ways, helping you stay above the noise and allowing for stronger connections. It is also one of the best ways to stand out from your competitors and give people a reason to care. The goal is to create an authentic environment that produces a lasting brand relationship.

4. Cultivating a culture

Last in our list of ways to build a brand that attracts and retains talent is culture. While it’s a buzzword among marketers, a proper culture is something that is essential in any workplace. All companies need to cultivate a passionate culture – if you are looking for the best ways to do that, you can consider competitive benefits and some employee appreciation perks. With a solid company culture in place, people will rush to get employed and will be very happy doing their jobs. 

Final thoughts

The emerging new world post the COVID-19 pandemic puts employer branding in focus as one of the most critical investments a company can make. It is never too late to start investing in your branding – developing a unique brand as an employer will help you reach all your goals, increase your retention rate, boost your new hire quality, and improve your employee engagement levels.