Employer brand – what is it and how do you create it?

The labour market is an extremely competitive environment. From an employer’s perspective, the most important thing is to attract the best employees to your company. What can you do to make qualified people want to work for you? To do this, you should focus your attention on creating an employer brand that makes your company an attractive place for potential candidates with a good reputation. The employer brand and its positive image are crucial in attracting and retaining talent, giving your company prestige and a well-qualified workforce.

From this article you will learn:

• What is an employer brand?
• How do you create an employer brand?
• What are the benefits of building an employer brand?

Employer brand – definition

An employer brand is a comprehensive image of a company as a place to work in the eyes of current and future employees. It includes all the opinions and impressions associated with how a company treats its employees, the working conditions it provides and the range of additional benefits that come with working there. Employer branding is also an investment in the future of the company, as the image we develop will affect the company’s ability to attract talented employees and build their loyalty, which will have a significant impact on the company’s competitiveness in the labour market in a given industry.

An employer brand is the way in which a company is perceived as a place to work by current and potential employees and others with an interest in a particular business.

Definition of employer brand

Employer branding can be divided into external and internal. Internal employer branding focuses on communicating to the current workforce and is based on employee retention, providing them with the best possible working conditions and a variety of employee benefits. External employer branding, on the other hand, targets potential future employees, creating in their minds a positive brand image as a place to work. This will make them recognise the company, have positive associations with it and want to be part of it. It is worth conducting internal and external employer branding activities at the same time in order to achieve the best possible results, thereby developing employer brand awareness in the eyes of others.

Creating an employer brand

In order to build a strong employer brand, it is necessary to successively go through a process consisting of several steps, which we outline below.

The first step is to define your value proposition as an employer (EVP – Employer Value Proposition). This involves defining what the company represents and what differentiates it from its competitors. To do this, answer the following questions:

• What kind of employer are you?
• What do you want to represent through your company?
• What distinguishes your company from competing employers?
• Why should current employees stay with your company?
• What could entice potential employees to join your team?
• How strong a position does your company currently have in the labour market and in your target group?

The task can also be approached in reverse by asking questions such as “What kind of employer am I not?” or “What does my company not represent?”.

The next stage is to create a communication plan to ensure that your company’s EVP reaches a wider audience. The key here is to look at your target audience and find the right communication channels through which you will be able to reach your audience. What channels can you use? Among others, you should reach out to your company’s website and careers tab or blog. You can also use selected social media platforms, through which you will inform interested parties about important issues related to work at your company. It is also a good idea to organise special events, meetings and to take part in trade fairs.

The third step is to implement appropriate marketing activities. Content marketing and an appropriate strategy will be particularly important in this case. It is crucial to determine the frequency with which you intend to publish content via the various channels and to create a content plan to guide your efforts. Remember to tailor the subject matter and format of your content to your specific communication channels – some content will work well on social media, while others would be better published on a company blog. It is also important that the content you share on your company channels is aesthetically pleasing, consistent and creates interest. This will ensure that the employer brand you are creating is seen as attractive and trustworthy by your audience.

Benefits of employer branding

Building an employer brand is important for several key reasons. It is what gives you the ability to attract, retain and develop valuable and talented employees who contribute to your company’s success and competitiveness. Some of the key benefits of employer branding include:

• The ability to attract and retain valuable employees – in this day and age, when employees are much more aware of their value in the labour market, they will not want to work in a place that does not satisfy them. A strong employer brand, giving the company a stable position in the market, is able to attract outstanding individuals and meet their expectations, and then keep them with the company for the long term. What we have here is a win-win situation in which each party is satisfied with the course of the cooperation.
• Loyalty and motivation – employees who are associated with a company with a good reputation tend to be much more loyal and committed to the company because they enjoy being part of it. Shared values and a positive organisational culture in a company significantly affect employee motivation, loyalty and commitment, which in turn translates into effectively achieved goals and better business performance for the company.
• Reduced recruitment costs – a brand that is recognisable and has a good reputation in the labour market will be much more likely to be chosen by potential candidates, which can translate into reduced recruitment costs. Often, candidates apply to such companies themselves, which allows for considerable savings in the context of conducting the staff recruitment process.
• More opportunities for cooperation and investment – a brand with a good reputation may attract many more companies, which will be willing to cooperate or invest due to positive opinions about it. Brands that care about their employees are much better perceived in the eyes of investors as more reliable and valuable than their competitors.
• Attracting customers – a positive corporate image also has an impact on its competitiveness – customers who are aware of the high care for the quality of their workforce will be more likely to reach for the brand’s products or services.

In conclusion, the employer brand is an extremely important element of any business strategy. It is through it that we can shape the way the company is perceived in the eyes of current and potential employees, which has a significant impact on the overall brand image in the eyes of the public. This process is also crucial in attracting and retaining valuable employees, as well as entering into new business partnerships with contractors, which significantly contributes to a company’s competitiveness and success – not only in its internal operations, but also in the marketplace, including the labour market.