Employer branding gone wrong and how to fix it

Before diving headfirst into creating your employer brand, beware of the common pitfalls and know the best strategies to avoid them. A few simple solutions will deliver better ROI and help you achieve organisational success.

We’ve previously shared why employer branding is critical talent attraction strategy. A strong employer brand reduces your time to hire and helps you match the right people with the right roles. By promoting your organisation as an employer of choice, you will be able to see the best people first.

But employer branding can go wrong. Common mistakes such as promoting inauthentic messaging, ineffective marketing, and diluting your core message will result in more harm than good. The good news is, these can be easily addressed.

Denise Lee Yohn reporting for Smart Brief explores how to correct employer branding mistakes.

Problem: your employer brand messaging is inauthentic

In your goal to appeal to the best candidates, it’s easy to fall into the trap of promising perks and benefits that don’t match your current employee experience. You might believe your best chance of attracting the best candidate is by increasing the number of applications you receive, but this is not necessarily the case!

Having people learn more about your employer brand and not apply for a role is in fact a good outcome. You have saved yourself precious time and resources interviewing, shortlisting, hiring, and onboarding a person who is the wrong fit for a role.

Candidates may feel cheated by being sold an inauthentic experience. In the best cases, they will leave quickly, and you may have to deal with fallout from bad word of mouth reviews or negative posts on employee review boards such as Glassdoor. In the worst cases, disgruntled employees stay with your organisation long term, disengaged and delivering poor quality work. Either way, it negatively impacts your employer brand and detracts from your organisation’s potential.

Solution: build your employer brand through internal research  

An authentic employer brand starts from within. Interview and survey your current employees and executive leaders to truly understand your unique offering. What do they love about their roles? What are the challenges? What do they value? Use this information to build authentic messaging.  

An authentic employer brand manages candidates’ expectations so they feel prepared, engaged, and excited to work for you.

Problem: your recruitment strategy ignores marketing

In today’s candidate-driven market, recruitment is all about marketing.

“Employees judge potential employers through the filter of WIFM — what’s in it for me? Also instead of, or in addition to targeting prospective employees by job or function, consider a more consumer-like segmentation. By grouping them into segments based on their values, aspirations, needs, and life stages and lifestyles, you will be able to develop your appeals to resonate more deeply and target your tactics more efficiently.”

Solution: HR and marketing teams must work together

Forge a relationship between your HR and marketing teams. HR Managers must have a firm grasp of how your overall brand identity can attract candidates by demonstrating how roles contribute to the value your customers receive.

Your HR team can then create different targeted campaigns that resonate with your talent demographic.

“Both groups can benefit from enrolling existing employees to advocate for the company to prospective employees and customers, and coordinate their efforts to do so.”

Problem: your core employer brand message is diluted

Of course it’s important to showcase your company culture, workplace perks and benefits. But it’s easy to get caught up in campaigns trying to appeal to desired candidates using these things alone.

“These appeals turn out to be ineffective because they have nothing to do with the core brand identity the company uses to engage customers.

“Just as customers are attracted to appeals that put them at the centre and make them feel like smart and savvy shoppers, employees are more likely to respond to messages that highlight the importance of their skills and contributions.”

Solution: target your core message

Your core employer branding message should focus on how roles contribute to your overall organisational purpose. Show candidates how their role can create a meaningful impact by contributing to the value your customers receive.

Bonus tip: link your customer brand to your employer brand

Is there a way for you to connect your customer brand with your employer brand? If your customers match your talent demographic, linking your customer and employer brand is a great opportunity to net you great candidates.

Customers who use and are familiar with your products are already comfortable with your brand—they could make great additions to your team! This is particularly true for organisations in retail or technology industries.

Employer branding works, but only if it communicates an authentic, targeted message. Start with thorough internal research, engage both your HR and marketing teams, and market your targeted message to attract the best talent to your organisation.

How has your organisation built a compelling employer brand? Get in touch with us to discuss opportunities to feature your story.

Further reading

Why employer branding doesn’t work, and what you should do instead

Denise Lee Yohn

Smart Brief