The top 5 issues to consider when choosing your EB partner
Hiring talented employees in today’s dynamic markets is one of the industry’s most challenging tasks.
To recruit the best professionals, how you position your company, product or service is key.
You have to have an Employer Value Proposition (EVP) that appeals to potential employees, specialized marketing content, and most importantly, you want your existing employees to be the ones describing your culture and company environment to those potential employees and passive candidates out there.
Most companies that decide to create their employer brand (EB) properly choose to partner with a specialized agency, so assuming you do too, here are the 5 top issues you should consider.
1. Employees vs. recruits – A partner who understands the difference and has experience in employees’ engagement processes and not only in recruitment campaigns is crucial.
If you want your employer branding project to be a success, you and your partner should be aligned with the understanding that current employees come first and that their engagement with your company is substantial.
The EB strategy is built from the inside out, your EVP should be created through the understanding of your true values, and not via external gimmicks. Find a partner who knows that the hiring process is just one pillar in your employer branding activities
2. One-Stop-Shop – Employer branding is about getting to know your company, your industry, your strengths, and weaknesses. It’s about defining the profiles of those you want to target. It requires knowledge of your own niche in the market, the specialization and, most importantly, your values.
When you shop for an agency to help with your employer branding, you should look for a company that can support you every step of the way – from analysis and research to messaging and creative, and finally to the actual implementation and measurement of the employer branding tactical plan.
3. Social channels – You know that your company should feature in all media channels. You have to have a Facebook and Instagram page and be active on Twitter, to name just a couple.
But do you know how to get the best of each? Do you know what are the dos and don’ts of each social platform?
Lots of things go into an employer branding campaign in each channel. Facebook has its own rules and best practices, which are very different from the approach you should use for LinkedIn, for example.
To shine in the social channels you need an agency that knows social channels inside out, that has experience making the connection between them, that designs content that is appropriate for each, and extracts the best each one has to offer.
4. Proven Experience – The agency that you choose should have the field-proven experience, preferably not only in employer branding but also in the industry in which you operate.
This sometimes means doing an in-depth analysis of your company, your products or services, and help you define the values that differentiate you in the eyes of potential employees.
An employer branding guru should be experienced in the content worlds of the different industries – content for technology startups where technology people are in high demand, for example, is not the same as content for pharmaceutical companies where the profile is completely different.
5. Global best practices – Last but not least, if you’re looking to promote your employer brand internationally, only an agency that has experience with global markets can help you recruit the best people you need in each location.
Different countries have different cultures, potential employees have different needs and preferences. A company that has global certification/partners, and most importantly, one that has a proven record of global employer branding projects, can put their best practices to work for you.