How can we 'supercharge' employer brand management today? Nicole Clemens, CEO at Design by Structure, explores the best employer branding tactics for both attracting and retaining talent.  By Nicole Clemens, CEO

The Covid crisis has changed how we work, setting a precedent for a new work ethic and talent expectations, whether businesses were ready or not. Every week a new employment ‘trend' hits the headlines, such as ‘the great resignation’ or ‘quiet quitting’, it’s clear the war for talent is on.

But it’s not just about recruitment alone, it’s also about attrition. So, in one of the most challenging times for employers, how do companies supercharge their employer brand management (EBM) strategy to attract, recruit and retain talent?

Taking a branding approach  
A solution is to treat your EBM as a branding brief, and like a well-conceived brand strategy, a well-planned EBM strategy will give your company a competitive advantage in the war for talent.

Your EBM strategy should dovetail the marketing plan (with input from HR), focusing on your reputation, promoting your company as the place to work, supported with a messaging strategy with employee value proposition (EVP) at its core. And just like the business proposition, the EVP must be unique, relevant and compelling – supporting both staff retention measures and engagement measures for attracting new talent.

Brand perception and storytelling 
As a branding agency, we develop successful brand strategies for our clients. By learning everything we can about their business, products, customers and people (stakeholders), we help them to differentiate and cut through the noise of their markets.

Companies must employ similar processes for their EBM strategy. You need to know the perception your audiences (employees, recruiters, new talent) have of your company and how it stacks up against your competitors. Then translate that information into meaningful messaging and communications activity.

Attracting the right calibre of talent needs the help of a good reputation. However, you cannot build a good reputation unless a solid EBM strategy is in place, and it’s led from the top down. Take an external view of your business–what reputation does it have, and what are people saying about it? As you would your businesses brand, ensure you continually monitor your EBM and use consistent messaging across your channels, which means devising a communications plan for your:
• Careers webpage
• Social media channels
• PR activity
• Employee EBM guardians
• Employee newsletter
• Recruitment events

In the war for talent, an effective EBM strategy is one of the most important things in your armoury. A well-conceived one will give your business a competitive advantage by positioning your business as a ‘destination employer’. Employ branding tactics to learn about your business, to devise a narrative and, to tell your employee experience story to attract, recruit and retain the best talent.

To discuss the above-mentioned points in-depth drop us a line.