5 Simple Steps to Boost Your Employer Brand

By Child Care Accelerate Marketing and Ofelia Rumbo*, SHRM-SCP, Human Capital & Professional Development Manager, Program Mentor

Originally published on June 1, 2024 (www.childcareaccelerate.com)

In today’s competitive job market, establishing a compelling employer brand is crucial for attracting and retaining top talent. A strong employer brand can help reduce turnover, reduce the cost to hire and yield more qualified applicants. In this blog we will define employer branding and its benefits as well as share four ways to boost your employer brand at a minimal cost.

Employer branding is a company’s way to show off what sets them apart. By engaging in various strategic marketing activities, employers build image equity over time, which then helps build a long-lasting reputation that attracts jobseekers. It’s like promoting a product, but instead, the company uses external and internal resources to spread the word about how awesome it is to work with your company, which in return helps align potential candidates who share similar values. Now that you’re familiar with the concept of employer branding, let’s explore four strategies to enhance and strengthen your employer brand.

Create great messaging

Successful employer branding is the result of good core messaging. Drafting messaging for your brand or a campaign provides a consistent way to describe and talk about your business. When executed correctly, your messaging can be the difference between someone referring to your business as a daycare center or an early childhood education center. It may seem small, but if a potential candidate desires to work for an early childhood education center and everything online refers to your business as a daycare center, then they may be discouraged to apply to an open role.

When preparing to launch Child Care Accelerate, our marketing team created messaging to support how individuals should talk about our brand. Here’s how we answered the following questions:

• What is Child Care Accelerate? Child Care Accelerate is an innovative business support program designed to help child care providers optimize their business operations in two months.
• How does Child Care Accelerate help Child Care Providers? Our customized coaching journey allows us to partner with providers on their self-identified goals and priorities and share tools to improve their operational efficiency, build financial capacity and sustain a competitive edge.
• What is the desired end result or goal? At program completion, providers are well-equipped to offer accessible and affordable services to meet the demand in their community, support future leaders, and fuel our economy.

Our messaging is integrated into every marketing asset that we create to provide a consistent experience for all clients. How are customers and jobseekers talking about your brand? Is it consistent with what you expect?

Write compelling job descriptions

A job description is most commonly used as a formal document that highlights the job’s summary, duties, requirements, and skills candidates need to perform the job. However, you can also use a job description to build a stronger employer brand when you incorporate information that helps your company stand out. Starting with the job title, make sure that it is easy to understand and commonly used in search. Then, create an introductory paragraph that educates jobseekers on your company’s history, core values, mission, and work environment. As you prepare the job description, make sure to integrate the right tone. For example, if your company is chill and approachable, use casual language in a way your target audience can relate. In summary, the job description is an opportunity to show what it is like to work with your company. This will help attract candidates that closely align with your company.

Leverage low-cost marketing channels

You can successfully market your brand without breaking the bank. With proper use of organic marketing channels, you can build an online presence and authentic connection with potential candidates that allow you to share more about your brand and upcoming job opportunities. So what is a marketing channel and what makes it organic? An organic marketing channel is a “free” channel referred to as the act of getting your customer to come to you naturally over time but with a non-paid approach1. Examples of organic channels include job boards, social media, email, websites and even company reviews. Let’s review a few ways that you can leverage these channels to boost your employer brand.

Job boards

Job boards can be super helpful for boosting employer branding in a few inexpensive ways. Unlike the traditional process to post a job opening across multiple platforms, technology has enabled us to post jobs easily and faster while reaching a wider audience. You can also use job boards to showcase company culture and drive brand consistency when you incorporate your core messaging. One feature of job platforms that is helpful is reviews. Reviews are an important factor in helping jobseekers find their ideal employer or job. When you are preparing to purchase a product, where do you research? Most people check reviews because it is easier to trust the opinion of a third party source based on their experience. It is similar with jobseekers; they are looking at what other employees have to say about your company on job boards.

If you are struggling to obtain feedback on job board sites, here are two strategies to consider:

• Be intentional about encouraging your current or past employees to leave reviews or ratings. Positive reviews can significantly enhance your employer brand, providing authentic insights into what it’s like to work for your company. Here is a list of the top ten best job boards in the United States according to workable.com. Careerbuilder, Glassdoor, Indeed, Job2Careers, Monster, Nexxt, Resume-library, Snagajob, US.jobs, ZipRecruiter and LinkedIn3.
• Use cost-effective applications such as Betterteams to expand exposure to jobseekers. This online tool helps small and medium businesses post their jobs to hundreds of job boards simultaneously. By doing this effectively, you will not only attract potential candidates but also actively shape your employer brand, making it more appealing and distinctive in the eyes of jobseekers.

Social Media

Many business owners think of social media as a tool to attract and engage clients — or parents for child care providers. However, your social presence is available to anyone who visits your social accounts. Jobseekers not only research roles they are interested in, but the employer behind the job posts. This is an opportunity to “sell” your brand and highlight why a potential candidate should work for your company. As you think about content to post across social channels, don’t forget to sprinkle in content that connects with potential candidates. Here are a few topics to get you started — company mission/vision, company culture, employee benefits, employee highlights or reviews, news features, awards and recognition, parent reviews, upcoming job fair and events.

Email

Once a potential candidate applies to your job posting — what do you do with their contact information? Email is a fantastic channel to nurture individuals who already exist in your database. If the candidate opts in to receive emails from your company (their permission is required), leverage it as an opportunity to build a relationship with them. Segment your database so that your email content is tailored to the right audience. For example, you may send monthly newsletters to parents with topics specific to their interests and a separate email to potential candidates that keep them engaged. These emails shouldn’t be limited to job-related information, consider news and events that elevate your employer brand.

Website

What search results return when you Google your business’s name? If you haven’t searched your company recently, give it a try. Hopefully you will find a few options that highlight your digital footprint — a website, Facebook page, perhaps Google reviews? If your website does not appear at the top of the Google search results page, it may be time to rethink your digital strategy. Your website provides a space for you to craft an amazing experience for your online users. It can serve as a one-stop tool to share your brand story, highlight your offerings, and further engage your clients and jobseekers.

Reviews

A customer review reflects a customer’s experience with your company’s products or services. Reviews can be found on sites such as Google Reviews, Amazon, Yelp, and Facebook2. Good reviews can enhance your brand’s reputation and build credibility amongst your audience. Jobseekers often check reviews to gauge your business’s reputation and how you treat employees. Some employees might also share their work experience in reviews. To ensure you provide the most accurate reflection of your brand, take time to set up or claim your business on associated review sites. If you don’t yet have business reviews, ask customers and employees to leave an honest review of their experiences.

Build relationships at career fairs

Attending career fairs has a huge impact on your employer brand and enables you to get personal and build a real connection with potential candidates. It is not just about resumes and job listings, people remember you easier when they’ve met you in person. Not only will participating in a career fair heighten your brand’s visibility, but your presence will leave a lasting impression. Most importantly, you get real-time reactions and feedback with jobseekers that helps you find the best fit for the role. Career fairs are also a networking extravaganza. In addition to finding new hires, you will also meet other professionals hiring on behalf of their companies. Building connections with industry peers can boost your reputation.

In a sea of job options, career fairs let you shine. Make a killer impression, be memorable, and stand out from the job market noise. Building those connections drives a stronger team and a long-term positive reputation. So, plan to participate in career fairs, make connections, and show off what makes your company rock so that you attract the right crew for your success story.

Sources:

1 Lab, S. T. I. (2021, August 18). Digital Marketing: Organic Channel vs Paid Channel. Medium. https://sagaratechnology.medium.com/digital-marketing-organic-channel-vs-paid-channel-37d295d3b3a7

2 Baker, K. (2022, May 18). The ultimate guide to customer reviews and testimonials. HubSpot Blog. https://blog.hubspot.com/service/customer-reviews-testimonials

3 Bika, N. (2023, September). 10 best job boards in the USA. Workable. https://resources.workable.com/tutorial/job-sites-in-usa#10-best-job-boards-in-the-usa

Child Care Accelerate is an innovative business support program designed to help child care providers optimize their business operations in two months. Our customized coaching journey allows us to partner with providers on their self-identified goals and priorities and share tools to improve their operational efficiency, build financial capacity and sustain a competitive edge. To learn more about Child Care Accelerate, please email info@seedconsults.com.