Employer Branding: What does it mean?

The labour market has changed from an employer’s market to an applicant’s market. Today, applicants choose employers, not the other way around.

If you translate employer branding into German, you get the somewhat unwieldy term “employer branding”. It means that one is perceived positively on the labour market not only with one’s products, but also as an employer. In this way, one’s own employees and potential applicants form an image of the company.

And in fact, this strategy makes use of concepts and measures from classic product marketing. On the one hand, the aim is to make it easier to recruit employees and to improve the quality of applicants. On the other hand, it is also intended to increase employee retention.

Employer branding: quick tactic or long-term strategy?

Employer branding is strategically oriented and serves the attractiveness as an employer. In the operational area, there is also personnel marketing. This describes a bundle of different measures, such as training and further education, financial incentives and other benefits.

In employer branding, the target group must first be analysed, and the entire workforce must be brought on board. The following questions, among others, should be answered through employee surveys and meetings:

• What does the company stand for?
• How does it differ (positively) from competitors?
• Why should employees want to stay?
• What makes the company attractive to talent?
• What does this target group find attractive?

Finally, this is followed by the development of measures that optimise internal conditions (if necessary) and then communicate these to the outside world through the right channels.

So? Do I really need it?

The fact is: you already have employer branding. And you can’t even defend yourself against it. You are positioned somewhere on a scale from “good” to “bad” or from “visible” to “invisible” labour market.

That is why it is important to deal with its classification. However, the owner or the management must make the decision to deal with this positioning and to influence it actively and positively. Especially the implementation is long-term and means high stamina for the company.

If this does not happen, you will have increasing difficulties in attracting employees to your company and in retaining existing employees.

If you are interested in such a strategy, please contact us for a non-binding and personal consultation.