The war for talent continues unabated, while digitalization and the pandemic have exacerbated the shortage of skilled workers in many industries. More than seven out of ten German companies (76 percent1) expect difficulties in attracting new employees. Against this backdrop, companies need to sharpen their service portfolio for new and existing employees. The relevance of employer branding is also reflected in the bvik study »B2B Marketing Budgets 2023«: 62% of the marketing departments surveyed included employer branding among their areas of responsibility in 2022 (in 2021: 35%). A significant increase in awareness compared to the previous year. At the same time, there is a great need to systematically tackle the topic of employer branding. According to Markenmonitor, only around 32% of the companies surveyed have an employer branding strategy.
In the following 10 theses, wirDesign brand strategists Jenny Ehspanner and Lisa Wilde explain the factors that determine the success of employer branding.
One reason for this is certainly that the topic - in terms of budget and personnel - is not assigned to a clear department. There is therefore a lack of clear responsibilities. Employer branding is a classic interface topic between HR and marketing or corporate communications. This should be seen as an opportunity. A strong employer brand can only be established in the long term and generate positive ripple effects in all directions if it is handled jointly and holistically. After all, good, suitable employees are the success factor for the future viability of most companies. In order to break down silo thinking and precisely because the topic is such an essential instrument of corporate management in light of the shortage of skilled workers, the employer brand needs the full backing of top management at every stage of the process. They are the first brand ambassadors of the employer brand.
The topic must not only be viewed holistically in terms of personnel. Brand managers should also work on the content of their employer brand management along the entire lifecycle of the brand in order to achieve a high level of consistency at all points of contact between the employer brand and employees. To achieve this, the perspective of this target group in particular should be taken into account. Employer branding does not stop after recruiting, but encompasses the entire experience.
The employer branding lifecycle model summarizes a typical employee lifecycle - from initial awareness to application and onboarding to offboarding and the alumni phase. If it is possible to create a consistent image throughout the entire cycle, this conveys credibility to the target group. For internal managers, the life cycle clarifies the strategic and operational scope for action in employer branding.
In combination with the Employer Value Proposition (EVP), concrete measures can be derived for the operational side - e.g. for recruiting and personnel marketing. In the handover from strategic to operational work, care should be taken to ensure that responsible employees are empowered to implement the strategic goals operationally (e.g. through brand guidelines or training).
First of all, the employer brand should be addressed at a strategic level in order to create a basis for all further employer branding activities. The strategic basis of employer branding is the so-called Employer Value Proposition (EVP): The EVP works out the brand promise, taking into account the employer characteristics, target group preferences and competitive positioning. The tool therefore compares the target group expectations with the specific employer competencies and benefits and uses this to develop a relevant employer promise.
In addition to the cross-company brand strategy, the HR strategy should also be taken into account when developing the EVP. This is because the employer brand can only position itself credibly if the characteristics promised in the communication are reflected in reality - i.e. if strategic efforts are also implemented in corporate practice.
Although it is important to consider the topic at all strategic and operational levels, it is always necessary to question where the need is greatest and, above all, which measures lead to which desired goal. After all, a comprehensive process is not always necessary. Sometimes even small but precise corrections can help to counteract undesirable developments in good time. In order to be able to permanently check the quality of the employer brand and its activities, it is important to include employee satisfaction surveys, external employer rankings, the sickness rate and other key figures in the evaluation in order to be able to draw conclusions for further activities. A cross-departmental evaluation and planning of measures ensures the ongoing development of employer branding.
A key success factor for the employer brand is to address the issue of internal implementation at an early stage. The brand development process of the employer brand must be designed in a participatory and non-hierarchical manner from the outset - especially due to the interdisciplinary nature of the topic. It is important to involve relevant stakeholders from affected areas at an early stage and also to win over multipliers for the project. This paves the way for successful implementation at an early stage by capturing their perspective and keeping them informed about the latest project progress. This is not about establishing grassroots democratic decision-making structures, but about involving stakeholders who are crucial to success and communicating transparency to the entire workforce.
Depending on experience and internal know-how, it is advisable to involve external specialists who can lead, help shape or advise on the brand development process. When it comes to employer branding in particular, it is important to obtain an external perspective in order to identify any blind spots in the company. This neutral, empathetic perspective is also certainly advantageous for the analysis phase, e.g. in internal surveys, and leads to greater openness and honesty on the part of the participants.
Similar to processes for sharpening corporate brands, the task of further developing or redeveloping employer brands can also be much deeper and affect the organization as a whole with its culture, processes and structure. In this case, in addition to brand management expertise, it is also worth engaging specialists in the field of organizational development or change consulting in order to identify development opportunities for the company and actively initiate optimizations. The employer brand can be used in conjunction with the corporate brand as a management tool to communicate change processes internally and thus create a sense of purpose, trust and security among the workforce.
Tailor-made planning of measures and a successful approach go hand in hand with continuous monitoring of the target group. Studies and (internal) surveys should be used at all times to understand the needs of different generations in relation to the topic of work. It is also important to continuously monitor the changing life phases of existing employees and to recognize that requirements not only differ between the different generations, but that they also change along the employee lifecycle.
As already mentioned in point 5, clear communication within the organization is a key success factor for employer branding. The aim is to create clarity for all employees and allay any fears. In addition, the aim should be to get employees excited about the goals and content of the employer brand and to make them aware of the impact of their own work. This is the only way to create an employer brand that is actively lived, with which employees can identify and which is credible to the outside world. For external implementation, it is important not only to initiate short-term personnel marketing or recruiting campaigns, but also to implement medium-term content and channel strategies in the sense of integrated, cross-media communication and thus strengthen the entire employer brand.
In order for the employer brand to attract the attention of highly sought-after target groups, those responsible should also keep up to date with new trends, technologies and their possible use at an operational level. The use of AR/VR technology for HR is particularly worth following. It also makes sense to keep a close eye on topics such as New Work, mental health, diversity and sustainability in all their facets and to keep an eye on the relevant developments in your own competitive and market environment.
Many SMEs ask themselves whether an investment in employer branding is worthwhile. However, many companies do not realize that it is precisely this position on the market that holds so much potential for employer branding. Not only can a strong employer brand have a positive impact on the overall image of the company and thus increase its awareness, but the conditions in the context of employer branding are often better for B2B brands. Although the awareness of B2C brands initially appears to be advantageous, this is often accompanied by high expectations on the part of applicants. The employer brand has to keep up with the positive image of the product brand - something that cannot be achieved in many cases. SMEs therefore have the opportunity to develop their employer brand from scratch and set the right accents for their employer image.
1) see Reimagining Work and Rewards 2021/2022 by WTW
Employer campaign for the University Hospital of Cologne