To address the challenge of building and promoting an employer brand, we asked six professionals from the HR and talent acquisition fields to share their most effective strategies. From combating industry misconceptions with storytelling to attracting talent with positive employee experience, discover the top five strategies these experts have found most effective in their organizations.
 

• Combating Industry Misconceptions with Storytelling
• Aligning Employees with Brand Essence
• Managing Employee Review Sites
• Speaking to The Right Type of Talent
• Incentivizing Remote Workforce Participation
• Attracting Talent with Positive Employee Experience

Combating Industry Misconceptions with Storytelling

One of the biggest challenges we face at Energy Casino in building and promoting our employer brand is the misconception that the gaming industry is less stable or reputable than more traditional sectors, like finance. This perception can create hurdles in attracting and retaining talent, particularly from sectors that are perceived as more stable or established.

To address this, one of the most effective strategies we've implemented is storytelling and showcasing our company's unique culture and the exciting opportunities we offer. Leveraging my skills in social media management, we have launched a series of posts featuring our employees' stories—their work, their achievements, and their growth journeys within Energy Casino.

These real-life stories humanize our brand and show potential candidates the dynamic and rewarding careers that exist within our organization.

Ester Puleo, Talent Acquisition Specialist, Energy Casino

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Aligning Employees with Brand Essence

Promoting an organization through employees requires HR to align them with the essence and purpose of employee branding, a crucial step to achieving desired results. One of our biggest challenges in building and promoting employer brands is ensuring consistent alignment and training of employees.

To address this, we focused on developing a roadmap for a consistent brand experience, identifying key touchpoints like recruitment, onboarding, PMS, and employee interactions, and implementing a common strategy that has been effective.

Additionally, we focused on planning effective training programs or developing a learning style that helps employees understand the organization's vision, mission, and values, thus shaping their belief system and fostering a positive workplace culture. This not only enhanced their engagement but also encouraged their active participation in related activities.

Divvya Desai, HR, Naman HR

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Managing Employee Review Sites

With the rise in popularity of employee review sites, talent is increasingly challenging the credibility of curated employer brand messaging and storytelling on company career sites and social media. Having a strategy to manage employee review sites is critical to ensure that the stories on those sites reflect the authentic employee experience you offer.

As part of this strategy, encourage your most engaged employees to become employer brand ambassadors and empower them to share positive stories (both internally and externally) that align with and support your employer brand strategy.

Not only will this help to drive employee engagement internally and social media engagement externally, but it will also lend credibility to the curated messaging on your career site and social media, ensuring that your review site stories are aligned with the true employee experience you offer.

Nicole Fernandes, Sr. Director, Employer Brand and Culture, Blu Ivy Group

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Speaking to The Right Type of Talent

The biggest challenge that I see is considering what message your employer brand is portraying in the external market. Is it a true reflection of your business and how the people within it operate?  

Is your employer brand speaking to the type of talent that you need to hire in order to deliver your business strategy? Are you visible to your external talent? Do they know you exist? Are your corporate values truly lived or are they a list of words that are pinned to the wall?

The most effective strategy that I have used to address this challenge is to engage with current employees. They are often the best advocates for your business and will share all elements of their experience, presenting a more realistic view of what it is like to work in your organization.

Jane Ferré, Executive Career Coach, Jane Ferre Coaching

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Incentivizing Remote Workforce Participation

It is difficult to ask employees to participate in employer branding, especially if it's a remote workforce. In such cases, you can't perform the regular HR activities that make them naturally motivated and positive about the workplace.

For a remote and scattered workforce, the best option is to give them something in return for helping with employer branding. Monetary rewards might not be possible for all enterprises, but they can implement something like brownie points that can be added up later and rewarded in other forms.

For example, if someone has 100 points, they can redeem them for a day off or a gift voucher, etc. Policies, where the employees and employer both get mutual benefit, are the ones that work the best, especially if the company is brand-new and doesn't have much to offer. To motivate the employees to participate in employer branding, this is an effective way.

Shilpa Kabre, Senior Talent Acquisition Manager, WebPipl

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Attracting Talent with Positive Employee Experience

One of the biggest challenges our organization faces in building and promoting its employer brand is attracting and retaining top talent in a competitive job market.

One effective strategy we have found is to focus on creating a positive employee experience. By providing a supportive work environment, offering competitive benefits and compensation packages, and investing in professional-development opportunities, we enhance employee satisfaction and engagement. Satisfied employees become brand ambassadors, sharing positive experiences and attracting more talented individuals.

Additionally, we leverage social media platforms and employer-review websites to showcase our organization's culture and values, giving potential candidates an authentic glimpse into our employer brand.

Alan Mitchell, HR Manager, Investors Club

Author Bio

Brett Farmiloe is the Founder and CEO - and currently the CHRO - of of Featured, a platform where business leaders can answer questions related to their expertise and get published in articles featuring their insights. Brett is an SHRM Influencer and has also been a keynote speaker at several state SHRM conferences around the topic of employee engagement.

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