Our Managing Director, Rachel Bevans, outlines the fundamentals of Employer Brand and where this shared understanding already exists in your People and Marketing teams to facilitate working together to build your Employer Brand.
There is still quite a bit of mystery and misunderstanding about Employer Brand, what it is and what skills it needs. Does it sit with People or Marketing teams? Is it about creating a recruitment campaign and social media content or is it whole of lifecycle, communications and employee experience? How does it work with the People strategy?
While not every organisation has Employer Brand or Strategic Brand/Marketing functions, there is more shared understanding of the fundamentals within People and Marketing teams than is realised, and skills in these areas are transferrable – whilst respecting and leveraging technical expertise.
Both understand people and how to motivate them
Employees, customers, consumers and citizens are all human beings, all with needs and values, motivations and barriers, fears and joys, cognitive biases and lives beyond your organisation, product or service. Although why you work for an organisation is different to why you buy, both People and Marketing recognise there are rational and emotional reasons – and their desire to understand what they are for employees and customers is the same.
Both understand qualitative and quantitative research and data analysis
Both People and Marketing teams use research and data analysis to better understand their people and what they can do to motivate them and build deeper connections. Both understand segmentation and value data analysis. Both respect privacy and confidentiality of data.
Both understand that the experience needs to deliver against whatever you promise in your communications
People teams understand that your promise to your employees or employee value proposition is developed from what your organisation can credibly deliver across the employee experience that is relevant, compelling and meaningful to employees and unique vs competitors. And then the organisation needs to consistently deliver across the employee experience.
Marketing teams understand that your promise to your stakeholders or brand value proposition is developed from what your organisation can credibly deliver across the brand experience that is relevant, compelling and meaningful to customers and unique vs competitors. And then the organisation needs to consistently deliver across the brand experience.
Just as Brand is made up of promise and experience across the customer lifecycle, Employer Brand is made up of the promise and the experience across all stages of the employee lifecycle – recruitment and on-boarding, engagement and development, retention and exit.
Both understand that to you need to build equity with those who are not in the market, as well as activating for acquisition today
People and Marketing team both know they need to attract job seekers and buyers today but also realise that a large percentage are not in the market, so they need to build awareness and salience for when people are ready to look for a new job or something to buy.
Both understand that strategies are not set and forget
People teams know that once the Employer Brand is created, you need to build awareness and understanding amongst prospects, continually engage with current employees and consistently deliver across the employee experience to attract and retain employees. The way to do that is by setting qualitative and quantitative objectives, measuring progress and understanding where there are gaps and opportunities to improve the employee experience, evolving the messaging to avoid overpromising and underdelivering, and adapting the Employer Brand strategy to remain relevant.
Marketing teams know that once the Brand is created you need to build awareness and understanding amongst prospects, continually engage with current customers and consistently deliver across the brand experience to attract and retain customers. The way to do that is by setting qualitative and quantitative objectives, measuring progress and understanding where there are gaps and opportunities to improve the brand experience, evolving the messaging to avoid overpromising and underdelivering, and adapting the Brand strategy to remain relevant.
Both understand the commercial importance of creating a place where people want to work, buy and invest their time and money
People and Marketing teams are commercially savvy. They know how their strategies and activities deliver against their objectives and connect with the business strategy – to recruit, retain and engage employees and customers to support business growth and transformation for today and the future.
Both understand the alignment between People and Marketing
People and Marketing teams know that the Brand in the marketplace impacts the Employer brand and ability for People teams to recruit and retain the people needed for the business. The Brand image portrayed will influence what people think it’s like to work in your organisation, if customers or citizens are being treated badly, employees will think twice about working for you.
People and Marketing know that the Employer brand impacts your Brand, that the employee experience enables delivery of the customer experience. If your organisation is seen to be treating people badly, customers may think twice about buying from you. When a negative employee experience impacts the customer experience – which it will – they won’t come back.
Working together to build your Employer Brand
Building your Employer Brand is a great opportunity for People and Marketing teams to collaborate, bringing together people’s strengths and passions, and leveraging technical expertise – towards a shared goal to understand what motivates people, so they and your business thrive.
Think about:
1. What is your shared understanding of the fundamentals?
2. Who has the strengths and passion in these areas?
3. Who has the technical expertise?
4. Where are the gaps and how can you fill them? (hint: we can!)
Contact: rachel@thehealthybrandcompany.com for a chat on how we can help.
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Rachel Bevans is a researcher and strategist focused on building and aligning brand, employer brand and sustainable business with purpose, values and culture at the heart. With over 30 years’ experience, Rachel thrives in understanding your business, stakeholders and the market/s in which you operate to deliver strategies that motivate people and support to your team. She has worked on employer brands for BlueScope, Maurice Blackburn, Norton Rose Fulbright, CareFlight, SUMO Salad, TAFE NSW Riverina, Xenith IP, Herbert Smith Freehills, NSW Department of FACS, Westpac, WSP Engineering – working directly with clients and their agencies.
