Source: http://blog.gooodjob.com/2012/04/employer-branding-and-why-it-matte...

Employer branding is quickly transforming into a key element of the recruitment industry. Today it’s not enough to simply advertise open positions and wait for candidates to submit their resumes. Now you need to source proactively – explain to candidates who you are, what you stand for, and most importantly, why they should want to work for you. With so many of your competitors also engaging with the same limited number of skilled industry professionals, you must set yourself apart from the pack to grab the attention of the top talent. 

Creating a strong reputation is an integral component of any basic branding strategy. Consider how your company markets its products. The focus is on what makes your product special, and why those of your competitors are second-best.

The equivalent approach applies to hiring new employees. Successful employer branding should captivate candidates, provide them with an emotional tug and provoke a positive response. Elevate your brand equity, highlighting your innovative and distinctive characteristics.

Benefits of Employer Branding

Remember: strong talent is attracted to strong brands.  Developing an appealing “organizational reputation” can lead to an escalation in qualified applicants. As long as you maintain and improve upon your strategy, the cycle consistently renews itself, producing lasting effects.

With more competition for top applicants, employer branding sets you apart from other companies. It gives you a distinctive voice in the so-called “war for talent.” Once you establish a reputation as a sought-after workplace, candidates will constantly send in their resumes, even if you are not advertising a particular job.

Your immense popularity can have crossover effects. Suddenly the PR team has ample material for press releases, media pitches, and applications for top employer contests – all of which keep you in the spotlight and continue that winning cycle.

Your employer brand also has an impact on your internal corporate mind-set, with a direct influence on your employee referral program. Your employees play a major role in disseminating your employer brand by recommending their friends for open positions. Knowing that they work for the coolest company in town will revitalize their attitude towards their workplace, and they will want to share their good fortune with their social networks. Their enthusiasm also increases their loyalty, which improves retention.

With an intriguing employer brand, you gain the attention of passive candidates who may not have heard of or considered your company. By casting your company as a leader in the industry, and a challenging and satisfactory place to work, you attract the top talent who want to be where the action is – and who you want to hire.

companies need to set themselves apart from their competition in order to attract top talent. By recognizing the value of employer branding, of essentially promoting your workplace, you can then implement practices to change your public face. Heightening candidate familiarity with your distinctive work environment creates a desire to find out more – and makes engagement that much more relevant and productive.

Don’t miss our second post in the employer branding series, which covers the ins-and-outs of the employment value proposition.