Every employer knows what the role of marketing specialist brings to a company – exploring customer communication channels, shouting about company successes to investors and encouraging brand loyalty.

It’s easy to be so focussed on looking outwards and securing the sale, that stopping for a spot of ‘navel-gazing’ is frequently a task relegated to the bottom of the list.

Put simply, the employer brand is a combination of positioning and messaging that presents your company in an attractive (and truthful!) manner to existing and potential employees. Of course, YOU want to be in control of this messaging, but often, and if left uncultivated, your employer branding can take on a life of its own.

Think of your company as a carefully crafted novel. You’ve written it, researched it and populated it with character. But the moment you make it come alive through publication it’s open to different interpretation. Let’s say those ‘readers’ are your employees. They’re experiencing and interpreting your company from the top down. So the moment your first employee walks through the door, their experience of your company will be different to your own. And in this super-fast, super-smart age of connectivity you can bet that those interpretations will be communicated across a variety of social channels.

If the marketplace you operate in is small, and the employee experience negative, this can be damaging to your limited talent pool.

Before undertaking the task of developing your branding, take some time to evaluate and research your current position:

•        What is the main challenge you are facing with regard to recruitment?
•        Can you identify the top talent that you want to attract?
•        Why would candidates want to work for you?
•        What is it that makes your company unique in terms of what it can offer to employees?
•        How would your current staff describe your company culture?
•        Are your management team on board with your company values?

When working through these questions consider using an external resource. An independent professional can help gather insights and reflections and can report on positioning in comparison with competitors. It’s also easier for a third party to gather honest, anonymous feedback from staff!

Once the research is complete, you’ll be able to develop your Employee Value Proposition (EVP) – the agreement struck between the employee and the company. What benefits can the employee expect in return for their skills and experience? And what can the company honestly deliver? Once that is determined, look to your communication channels to ensure that the message is disseminated both internally and externally.

Once your employer branding is complete and in play, take a look at the following questions and use them to measure your success:

•           Has your cost per hire decreased?
•           Implement employee surveys - is the feedback positive?
•           Has your brand become more visible in the sector?
•           Have the number of applications you receive increased?
•           Has your turnover increased?
•           Has your staff churn decreased?

These strategies are a starting point, but there are many others areas to consider when building your employer brand. And as your business evolves, and your company goals are attained, the synergy between the two will become increasingly evident.