Employer branding and talent acquisition are nearly right in step with technology use. In a short time, we have moved from Employer Branding 1.0 to Employer Branding 3.0.
(article originally from CareerBuilder US)
Regardless of the technology — disruptive, enabling, look-alike or whatever else you call it — there are some fundamentals to keep in mind if you want to nail a cohesive and effective employer branding strategy this year.
Follow these five steps to better employer branding in 2015:
1. Develop a clear and consistent message.
It’s important for talent advisors to develop a brand, message and voice that is independent of the corporate message. Talent advisors should retain control of how, where and when messages are delivered. Do your research, both internally and externally, and develop a tone that makes sense to your audience. Deliver it with the type of content they’ll respond to — video, blog, or even a podcast. (Yes, we said a podcast! You yourself may have gotten sucked into the recent “Serial” podcast.) Remember that people don’t talk in marketing messages or corporate-speak, and neither should you.
2. Fish where the fish are.
Social networking sites such as Pinterest and Instagram are gaining traction as a way to showcase an employer’s culture. Candidates want to hear directly from the employees themselves about what’s it’s like to work for a company. Talent advisors can tap into the momentum of the social Web and answer the call, but before you go crazy, you need to be thoughtful. The best companies don’t just jump on Twitter, but instead create a sophisticated approach that applies the right tools and technologies and taps into the right venues. You don’t reach software developers in the same way you reach cooks.
Pro-tip: Read about the Zachman “Who, What, Where” Framework and think about how you can frame a message for your audience using his very successful matrix.
3. Let your employees do the talking.
Nothing you say can match the power of your employees’ voices. And it keeps getting easier to let your workers do the talking with HD video on every phone. Employee advocacy posts are credible and resonate with applicants. It doesn’t have to be slick or heavily produced, either. With technology being so accessible, there’s no excuse not to activate employees as talent ambassadors.
4. Use content as a lever.
Ultimately, you just want to hire talented people. Content can be a great way to get people to talk to you and start the recruitment life cycle. Don’t share content just for the sake of it. Use articles or videos as an opportunity to start a conversation. Call it whatever you like — social engagement, interaction or whatever — but just don’t call it spam. Think about how to use content to convert your audience members into awesome candidates.
5. Take stock and recalibrate.
Technology is embedded in our everyday lives, but many of us don’t even notice it. It’s altered our expectations and given us immediate access to many types of information. The delivery platforms themselves can change from right under our feet. What worked six months ago plausibly won’t be what works best today or tomorrow.
As talent advisors, you must stay on the cutting edge of technology to participate in the Employer Brand 3.0 economy. If you don’t at least try to keep abreast of what’s happening in the marketplace, it’s going to become awfully hard to attract, let alone hire, the caliber of employee you need.
