Employer Branding: Definition and Meaning
What is Employer Branding? Many recruiters ask this question, conscious of the difference between Recruitment and Talent Acquisition.
If recruitment tactics are only intended to cover a contingent need, Talent Acquisition strategies aim at structuring a method that can attract regular candidates to your business. And this is definitely tied to the company’s Employer Branding.
But what does Employer Branding mean? To help recruiters to define this concept more precisely we have decided to provide clarification on the definition of Employer Branding.
Branding
Employer Branding is the set of recruiting marketing strategies that aim to build a corporate image consistent with the identity of the company as the ideal workplace (Employer of Choice) to attract and retain talented employees (candidate attraction and employee retention).
It is important that the image communicated by the company is differentiated from that of the competitors and relevant to the target audience.
The definition of Employer Branding assumes other concepts related to the meaning of the Employer Brand.
Employer Identity is the Identity of an Employer Organisation. A particularly important factor is the working environment in which the candidate will work.
The Employer Value Proposition is everything that people experience during a business relationship with the company. In particular: remuneration, colleagues, the environment, satisfaction at work, leadership etc. It is also worth considering the actions taken by the company to meet the needs of the employee, as well as the expectations of their collaborators or target candidates.
Employer Brand Positioning aims to define the characteristics of the company as an Employer of Choice and to structure the recruitment marketing strategy more effectively to attribute a certain position as an Employer of choice within the candidate’s mind (as Al Ries and Jack Trout remind us in “Positioning: the Battle for Your Mind”, positioning is always a battle fought in the mind of the target.)
Employer Of Choice defines the company as the ideal workplace for current employees and candidates. The most important goal of an Employer Branding strategy is the positioning of the Employer Brand.
The Employer Brand Promise is the expression of the Employer Value Proposition to the target. It usually develops in the form of claim or slogan.
Benefits of the Employer Branding: Why is it so important?
What is the impact of the Employer Branding? According to a research by Boston Consulting Group a strong Employer Brand can reduce recruitment costs by 50% and turn-over rate by 28% (thus also on retention of employees).
Examples of Employer Branding: How to Communicate Your Employer Value Proposition!
Sometimes a practical example is more useful than hundreds of theory pages. For this reason, here are some real examples of Employer Branding from Harley-Davidson and Adidas who try to answer the question: “Why should I come to work in your business?”