A truly authentic and successful employer brand is based on more than return on investment. It’s clear that you need to have a strong business case for employer branding – the work needs to produce results for your organization. Yet financial returns alone are not enough to support a sustainable employer brand strategy. Your employer brand strategy needs to be rooted in your organizational culture in order for people to connect with why they want to be part of your team. In other words, it has to have heart.
An effective employer brand strategy answers the question “why” in a very intimate way. Why does this matter to your organization? What do you want to achieve through employer branding?
- Do you currently have a high volume of candidates in your talent pipeline, but none of them are the right fit?
- Are employees generally content, yet productivity is low?
- Is your organization experiencing low awareness amongst talent in your industry, while your goals include significant growth over the next 12-24 months?
I can’t stress enough the importance of articulating why employer branding matters – to your organization. Determine the business issues that you want to address and be sure to align your employer brand strategy to your overall goals and priorities. Take the time to make sure that everyone on the leadership team understands how your employer branding strategy will positively impact the organization and get them on board.
In many cases, finding an external partner to help you get started can be extremely beneficial. Partnering with an expert can help you develop a strong strategy at the outset and conduct unbiased research. The right partner will have insight on best practices and competitive benchmarking, and they can help you develop the internal expertise you need to execute your employer brand strategy in the long term.
Get to the heart of your employer brand story and develop a strong business strategy from the start. Begin having those initial conversations with leadership to gain sponsorship and identify internal champions to help grow your employer brand. Answer the question “why” together to launch your long term employer brand journey.