Employer Guide: How to Market Your Business to Employees
If you want to cross the finish line first, you're going to need to assemble the right crew. You have to effectively market your business to employees online and promote your brand to attract the right talent.
A very small handful of companies can attract driven employees through brand reputation alone. These companies are few and far between, and it's not a strategy that will yield results for the average business. Let's take a look at how to effectively advertise online to attract talent to your team so that you can advance your business and continue to speed along the road to success.
Do Your Research
To determine which path to take with your employer branding strategy, you need to understand where you're starting from. Begin by auditing your existing employer brand – that is, the way that the public and current employees currently view you as a brand and as an employer. Some simple ways to do this are to:
- Take surveys or conduct informal interviews with current employees
- Search for your company on employer review websites
- Check what people are saying about your business on social media channels.
Set Yourself Apart
Then, take a look at your employee value proposition (EVP). This is what you offer to your employees to compel them to work for your business, and it encompasses far more than simply financial compensation.
Your EVP aims to promote what unique benefits you offer as an employer, including career development, work environment, and team culture. You want your EVP to stay true to your company values and accurate to your company culture, and its purpose is to inspire individuals to believe that your company is the right fit for them and their passions. Lean into elements like stability, mutual respect, work-life balance, and camaraderie to signal potential applicants that your company is a team they want to be a part of.
Harness the Power of Social Media
Once you've homed in your employee value proposition so that it reflects the inner workings of your company and highlights all that you have to offer, it's time to showcase that to the world. You can tell your company story through posts, reels, stories, and photos through social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
You can describe your company's origin story or explain how you've morphed over time. Create videos in the workplace that showcase real employees and real events, giving people a peek into a day in the life of someone on your team. You may want to routinely shine a spotlight on employees in your business, showcasing your diversity and employee appreciation and causing potential applicants to think, "Hey, that could be me."
Get Creative with the Hiring Process
Take a look at your current hiring process. If it feels clunky, outdated, or like it doesn't reflect the employer brand you're trying to promote, it may be time to leave that process in the rearview mirror and speed along to a better and more creative approach.
Clear Communication
Beware of sending mixed messages. Suppose you're boasting a fun, lively, idea-oriented workplace where employees are encouraged to collaborate and think outside of the box. Yet, your hiring process shows no signs of these aspects of your workplace culture. In that case, potential talent may look elsewhere for an employer who seems to really follow through with what they're promising.
Video Resumes
One option outside of the typical boring CV and cover letter is to ask for a video resume from your applicants, which allows them to really showcase their skills and have a little bit of fun with it, too. You might want to ask applicants for written answers to a set of open-ended questions where they can display their knowledge in the field while also sharing their personalities and the passions that drive them.
Enhance Onboarding
After an applicant has successfully been hired, take a look at your onboarding process, too. A comprehensive and effective onboarding process is shown to have a direct relationship to employee retention. It also contributes to the image of your employer brand as a whole since it acts as the first impression that employees will have once they officially join your team.
Market Your Business to Employees With Professional Help
If you're looking for more tips to help you to kick your employer branding strategy into the next gear, contact us at WEB ROI today. We've got the experience and expertise to help you market your business online and attract the right people for your crew.
Article updated 2023.