Employer Branding: what is it?

What is meant by employer branding?

Employer branding is the reputation that a company builds as an employer. While in the past the key focus for businesses was customer branding (i.e. the perception of the customer: is that company trustworthy, reliable, high-quality, etc.), employer branding has been gaining popularity since the 90s and never stopped.

Why? Mainly because of two factors:

• Unemployment is low in most developed countries, meaning the available pool of candidates is limited and companies need to actively attract top talents.
• Education level is high: after investing years (and money) in professional development, job seekers are not willing to compromise for just “any” job.

Employer branding is so crucial that businesses are investing hundreds of thousands to build it, for example through gamification (think free beers and table soccer in the office), or benefit packages (pension schemes, health insurance, parental leave, etc.). But beyond practical advantages, the key to a great branding (and consequently, to a great talent acquisition) is your existing workforce.

Employees are your best advocates in terms of company culture, management and opportunities to develop and grow. So our advice is: focus your employer branding efforts (and investments) in engaging your people, make sure that they feel connected to their job and company, and your company’s reputation will automatically boost.