Using employer branding to develop a strong employer brand

Employees will be the scarcest resource in future, and that is why they are the most fought-over. Despite this, many companies still fail to give employer branding the attention it deserves. According to a survey of decision-makers conducted by Deutscher Markenmonitor (German Brand Monitor), only approximately 32% of companies have an employer branding strategy. Yet it is essential that companies have a strong employer brand that allows them to attract top executives and improve employee loyalty.

The heart of an employer branding strategy is the employer brand or employer positioning. We work with you to develop your employer brand on the basis of your brand positioning. Depending on the positioning, corporate objectives and target groups for the employer branding or employment branding, the employer positioning may be part of the brand positioning – or the employer brand can be consciously positioned separately from the corporate brand.

One important asset that we jointly create in the course of employer branding consulting is the employer value proposition. As an employer, what is it that is special about what you offer your staff and applicants? What messages do you communicate to credibly set your company apart from the competition?

Using the employer value proposition and the employer branding strategy as a basis, we develop concrete measures for your internal and external employer branding. These run the gamut from social media campaigns and employee surveys to the optimisation of your website’s careers page and creation of presentations for training and talent fairs. We develop these measures holistically, so that we can compose a seamless employee journey. We also work to make all touchpoints characteristic of the brand – to ensure that your employer brand is clear and distinctive, and that your brand promise is realised throughout the journey.

1. Coordinating the positioning approaches: the corporate brand and the employer brand should be developed in tandem. This requires an interdisciplinary and interdepartmental approach.
2. Messages that are relevant: the employer brand must not only address topics that matter to employees – it must also be credible in doing so.
3. Messages that are characteristic: these messages are rarely distinctive on their own; instead, they become so through an interpretation that is characteristic of the brand.
4. Communications that are consistent: the employer promise must be consistently brought to life through the most important contact points – both internally and externally.
5. A promise that is credible: the employer promise must be kept. Wherever action needs to be taken regarding the fundamental requirements of the target groups, appropriate measures must be devised and implemented.
6. Targeted deployment of resources: particularly for those companies working with limited communications budgets, it is essential that employer branding activities be tightly focused, and that employer branding be integrated with corporate communications.

Employer branding must perform a range of functions – functions that have changed in recent years as new questions have arisen: how can companies strengthen employee loyalty if their staff are working from home and rarely visit the office? It is a challenge that today’s companies must face. We explore what makes sense for your firm, then we develop creative measures and monitor their success. To ensure that your company continues to be a strong employer brand even for those of your employees who are working from home.

We have already successfully implemented employer branding projects for many of our customers – including the IU International University of Applied Sciences. Thanks to this work, IU is now able to communicate its strengths in a way that sets it apart, giving it a strong employer brand.

Are you finding it difficult to attract new talents? Are you looking for outstanding employer branding consulting? We would be delighted to help you – just ask us.