In this article, our recruitment experts explain everything about employer branding, how to create a good brand strategy and how to set up an effective recruitment process.

What is employer branding?

Employer branding is partly the image that your company conveys to the world, its potential clients, applicants, and customers. This is your external image. It also encompasses your internal image - the part of your brand designed for your employees. Your internal brand image is equally if not more important than your external image.

Your employer brand is decisive in convincing candidates to apply for the positions that your company offers. Your company needs to stand out. You should aim to provide potential candidates with answers to the following questions:

• Why should I apply to your company over another?
• What makes your company different from its competitors?
• What do you have to offer that another company cannot?
• Why do employees stay at your company rather than applying elsewhere? 

How to build your employer brand

Creating social media accounts and a website alone is no longer enough to build your company’s brand image. You need to be unique and think outside the box to reach your recruitment quotas, especially if you are searching for rare skillsets and personalities.

It's not just a matter of attracting candidates with advertising, but it also involves proving to them that your company meets their values. Today’s world puts more weight on company ethics than salary.

That's why employer branding focuses on three main areas: corporate image, corporate identity, and corporate practices. To establish these three areas, firstly you need to objectively analyse your company. This involves the following steps:

• An analysis of your company's human resources practices so that your recruitment process, team cohesion, employee training, and working conditions can be improved.
• Identifying the challenges your company faces and ways in which your human resources and management departments can be improved. This information can be obtained through individual and collective interviews with your employees.
• Detailed analysis of your company's online presence, by reviewing social media interactions, its website, and online directories.
• An analysis of your competitors’ brand images in order to make positive changes to your company values and HR procedures.

How to define an effective HR marketing strategy

To build an employer brand, it is essential to define an effective and efficient HR strategy. It's not just about image, it's about surviving and modernizing in an ever-changing, challenging HR world.

Once you have gathered all the above information, you need to develop a comprehensive HR strategy. This strategy should include:

• A strong HR promise
• Promoting career development opportunities, a happy work atmosphere, employee well-being, positive community outreach, and a good pay and bonus scheme
• Commitment and transparency at all times

Remember that the internet never forgets so it is important to consistently strive to reach these goals to ensure no loss in legitimacy and integrity that your company has acquired over the years.

How to develop your employer brand image

Once you have defined a solid brand strategy, all you need to do is apply the appropriate tools to achieve great results. Throughout your company’s lifetime, you’ll go through different stages of brand development. It is an ongoing process that constantly needs to be updated to keep up with the latest trends and employer needs. Here are some ways to grow your brand image:

Promote your employees

Your employees are your best ambassadors. It therefore makes sense to put them in the spotlight and ensure your brand represents them. This will show that your company is transparent. Your employees are in the best position to talk about your company since they are an integral part of the daily goings on, your company values, missions, and visions. Showcasing employee testimonials will help candidates see how they would fit into your company.

Produce a careers page

Having a website is great. Having a careers page on your website is even better. A space completely dedicated to employment within your company will allow you to communicate directly with potential candidates. These people are essentially your future employees so it’s important to give them a 360-degree view on what your company is like. You can use your careers page to propose job offers, describe the recruitment process, and post testimonials and videos about daily life in the company. All this will give candidates a better idea of your company and help them decide whether they’d like to work for you. 

Produce unique job offers

Posting attractive and original job offers on your careers page will give you a higher response rate. To create more exciting job descriptions, use a tone that highlights your company values and your vision and make sure to mention the different missions that await candidates. Your personality must come through in each of your ads, so that your candidates understand your company’s brand image. This will make your company stand out from its competitors. Producing original job offers will entice more applicants and help you find the right candidate.

Manage your social media

Although we said above that social networks are not enough, it goes without saying that you should still integrate them into your employer brand marketing strategy. Social media posts on LinkedIn and Facebook are often the first encounters your applicants have with your company. Social media is also an excellent way to distribute your content, to instil your personality, to react to news, and to develop your brand image.

Create a blog

Having a blog and producing regular content is the best way to attract traffic to your website. The more you increase your visibility on the web, the more you will attract new profiles and the better you will be able to communicate with your target audience. Your blog will help you to establish your authority and legitimacy in your field. This is what we call Inbound Marketing.

Fed Finance can help develop your employer brand image

As a finance recruitment agency, Fed Finance helps companies develop their recruitment procedures. Our experts offer the best advice and guidance to attract and recruit candidates who best match your company's visions.

Feel free to contact our team to kickstart your recruitment process. Our finance employment experts are happy to help you write effective marketing adverts and promote your brand voice throughout Quebec.