Employer Branding: What is it and Why it’s Important?

How companies attract and recruit talent has dramatically changed, with the majority (if not all) of processes shifted online. There’s one big secret to the online world, and that is that there are no secrets. Everything can be reviewed, criticised, screen recorded, shared, and praised, with no stone left unturned. And with visibility comes great responsibility.

Companies’ employer brand has never been more visible to future and existing employees. It is crucial that companies acknowledge these employer branding challengesand build positive experiences, engage their employees, and hire the right people. Employer branding is a great asset for a company of any size, but you can’t overstate the importance of employer branding for startups.

In this guide, we’ll dive into what employer brand is, some recruitment stats we think you’d like to know, and how to show your employer brand to the inside and the outside world.

With no further ado, let’s dive in!

What is an Employer Brand?

Employer brand connects every aspect of a role to the organisation’s values, policies, and ethical standards, and most importantly of all, does this naturally.

Every company and organisation has an employer brand, whether they have put effort into it or not. It’s what differentiates you in a crowded market, enabling employers to attract, retain, and engage the right people for them. A weak employer brand can impact employee retention, employee experience, loyalty, and credibility - which in turn, all hits the bottomline.

The term ‘it’s in our DNA’ has become increasingly ubiquitous, popping up across company websites. But what does this actually mean? And, more importantly, how can this be measured and communicated to team members? You will need a definitive employer branding strategy for this.

Why is Employer Brand Important?

From moving house to joining a gym, booking a venue for a hopeful event, or even searching for a new job, more research and consideration are going into any decision than ever before, (no matter how big or small). 

Online independent review sites and communities now sit at the forefront of almost every decision. With an increased demand for transparency, accountability, and ethical business across all markets from every angle, is it a surprise that the same is needed for employer brand? 

CIPD forecast a rise in demand for responsible business, transparency, accountability, and diversity and inclusion by 2030, alongside giving employees a voice within their organisation. Employees no longer trust just the voice of CEOs and senior executives alone, but desire stories and reviews from the very people that make up an organisation. 

So, we understand that to attract the right people, you need to champion your people and build an honest reflection of the organisation.

But why is it essential to build an employer brand within your organisation? We were hoping you would ask. A few people may argue there is a trust crisis; it’s clear that we all are most likely to trust people like us when making any decision. We search for reviews from individuals, not messaging from brands.

With review sites like Glassdoor, Vault and social media channels like Twitter and Linkedin, people look beyond a company’s jobs page to make decisions. Companies are having to shift their approach and strategise how they promote their employer brand on social media and these review sites. They are using their employees to build a strong employer brand. Slick images and marketing messaging no longer cut the mustard. People are looking for people like them to make a decision.

How does Employer Brand help attract, retain and engage talent?

Employer brand is your company ethos, made up of your brand, culture, beliefs and values. How you communicate with your employees, engage them and present the company to the outside world impacts your employer brand. At every touchpoint across an organisation, employer brand is sure to be there.

Oh, did you think finding the right people was the key to a strong employer brand? Think again. You’ve found the right people, and now you need to keep them. After all, if you attract the right people, they will inspire others to work with you too. A strong employer brand attracts the best people to your organisation, develops your culture and grows your company for the better. So, why not start now?

Employer Branding Stats you should know about

If you’ve gotten this far, it’s safe to say you’re keen to learn more about employer brand and the impact this has on recruitment, retention, and employee engagement. Here are a few stats we think you should know.

• 91% of the candidates seek out at least one resource to evaluate an employer’s brand before applying for a job
• 55% of job seekers abandon their application after reading negative reviews
• 78% consider the candidate experience they receive is an indicator of how a company values its employee
• 69% of the candidates are likely to apply to a company if they actively manage their employer brand
• 84% of employees consider leaving their current jobs if another company has a better reputation

The role of Employee Stories in Building your Employer Brand?

The ‘marketing machine’ that has traditionally powered corporate messaging is looking increasingly outdated in a world where we are all looking for reassurance. Candidates desire stories and reviews from the people who make up an organisation. Brands realise they must find new ways of demonstrating their human side and bringing their culture to life.

With the amount of time we now spend on our phones, we’re are pretty confident about the best practices of creating content on our devices. There are no technical or geographical barriers to producing quality employer branding videos anymore. With a bit of creativity, companies can capture the essence of their culture and paint a human picture that resonates with prospective employees.

How to Develop Employer Branding with Employee Videos?

So, how do organisations use employees’ voices to build employer brand? We thought you might ask this question, and we’re happy you did. After all, we are the experts in User-Generated Video.

User-Generated video is the best way to let organisations voices (and faces!) be seen and heard.

Company information, gender gaps, diversity and inclusion, and company culture are now typical job advertisement requirements. Recruitment site Otta quite literally matches individuals with jobs through key aspects of an organisation’s employer brand. And how better to tell them about their employer brand than to show them!

User-Generated video enables employees’ voices to be brought to life and allows every aspect of an organisation to be highlighted rather than just explained. Company culture is no longer a myth outlined in company overviews by ‘fun Fridays’, ‘pizza parties’ or the phrase ‘we’re a big happy family’, but shown in ‘a-day-in-the-life’ videos or questions answered by real people. The best way to build a positive employer brand is to show it. Don’t take our word for it? Instead, you might believe some of our customers who have created over 475, 651 stories through user-generated video with Seenit.

So, to sum up, there are no secrets in the online world, and building a strong employer brand means you can be one step ahead. It’s clear employer brand touches everything in your company, from how you communicate with your employees, set goals and morale, employee reviews, and the desire to work for your organisation (future or current employee). As company culture, engagement, diversity and inclusion, and gender gaps continue to rise in importance on job advertisements, why not show your future and current employees what it’s like to work for you rather than just a few sentences explaining it.