In the last two decades, ‘branding’ has become a prominent concept in both our business and social lives. Marketers have developed effective techniques to help attract customers, engage with them effectively and maintain their loyalty. Equally, social media platforms empower individuals with the ability to self-market and create a personal brand. An employer brand describes how an organisation markets what it has to offer candidates; the purpose is to make it easier for the employer to attract good workers, or even more importantly to get the top talent it needs from the job market.  Hiring and retaining top performers is essential for growth and to maintain a competitive edge, therefore securing a talent pipeline and ensuring that companies have the right people on board is an important task for any employer.  With increasing pressures on businesses to cut costs and increase productivity, the need to get the right people in the right jobs is more crucial than ever. A strong employer brand should connect an organisation’s values, people strategy and HR policies. A well thought-out and executed employer brand strategy can help a company stand out from competitors and maximise employee loyalty through effective recruitment, engagement and retention techniques.

Every business has an employer brand, whether they are aware of it or not. Even if you haven’t consciously developed one, it will based on the way you are perceived as a ‘place to work’, for example by potential applicants, current employees and those leaving the organisation. The employer brand should not only be visible to candidates at the recruitment stage, but throughout their employment with you – your current and past employees can be your biggest ambassadors.

Many brands make the mistake of believing that defining and communication nice-sounding words and phrases to people is sufficient, without ensuring that it is actually based on reality and deliverable principles. To be truly effective, it is important that the employer brand is not just a statement promoting the organisation’s values, but is based on actual employee experiences – people who like the job they do and the place they work become advocates for it. This involves conducting research to gauge how employees perceive your business, what they want and need from their employment, and understand your market position.

In today’s highly competitive job market, employer branding is vital for attracting and retaining the right kind of job seekers to your business. If managed effectively, it can help your business fill vacancies with highly-skilled and competent employees, while enhancing their loyalty by increasing their identification with your company.

To effectively define and implement a successful employer brand, you need knowledge. Do you understand what your target applicants want from an employer? If not, it is probably time to find out.

This article was written on behalf of Teacherjobs.co.uk

Written by Claire Black