Effectively executing your employer branding strategy can have long-lasting benefits, states John Sullivan in a recent ERE.net article.  One key tactic towards this goal is using online videos to convey your employer branding messages.  In today’s world of instant communication, videos, like any visual presentation, enable you to connect with your audience quickly and easily.  They offer more captivating alternatives to boring data reports – no heavy reading required – and allow you to spread your message in a more user-friendly and informal manner.  Videos give you the opportunity to virtually bring your messages to life; by speaking to your audience, you can make a more personalized impression.

 A recent Pew Internet study presents clear evidence of the rising popularity of online videos.  In only two short years between 2007 and 2009, the percentage of adults who watched informational videos on the Internet jumped 16%.  A whopping 84% of young adults view and download videos, as does 74% of 30-49 year-olds.  If the name of the game is to reach and engage with candidates, videos are certainly a sure-fire technique.

Ideas for Leveraging Online Videos in Employer Branding

 The end-goal of all employer branding videos is to successfully communicate your Candidate Value Proposition (CVP).  Whatever a video’s specific angle, the storyline must be consistent with your CVP from beginning to end, making it clear how your company can advance its employees’ professional careers.  

 With that in mind, below are a few recommendations for employer branding videos:

1.   Provide a Range of Topics: Videos should cover a wide array of subjects, including your company’s goals, work culture and desired candidate characteristics.  Don’t be afraid to target your messages.  If you want to attract a particular type of talent – say, you frequently have open positions for entry-level college grads – make a video aimed toward this sub-group, explaining and emphasizing why your company is a great place for people to begin their professional careers.

2.   Don’t post Boring Slideshows: No one wants to sit through three-and-a-half minutes of a humdrum black-and-white text presentation.  Your videos need to be cutting-edge, colorful and hip – you want them to go viral, so make them worthwhile to watch.  While you should take care that your creative attempts don’t take away from the core messages, be sure to add in plenty of graphics, cool music and funny narratives.

 3.  Film Employee Stories: Online videos provide an opportunity for employees to share their own experiences working at your company.  Post videos of your workers speaking about topics such as a ‘Day in the Life of a [your company] Employee’, explanations of different jobs your company offers, why working at your company has helped them professionally, employee benefits and success stories.   Employer branding via your employees gives a more authentic insight into the real goings-on at your company, and is an excellent way to get your message across.

Check out the Zappos Careers YouTube channel, where they offer a first-rate approach to employee video branding.  Also view Starbucks’ video on their socially responsible practices:

http://www.youtube.com/starbucks#p/c/4DD39D3B9D8389D3

 4.   Do-It-Yourself: While your videos shouldn’t be sloppy productions, it is possible to stick to a budget.  Use a simple video camera, or even a higher-end smartphone, and you are in business.  Your marketing team can edit the clip and add in the music and graphics.

 5.   Embed It…on your Career Site: Be sure to post all of your videos on your career site, accessible via a “Videos” link.  This provides another way to engage with website visitors, and encourages them to stay online for longer.  It also shows that your company is forward-thinking – you should come across as a creative and innovative business in order to attract creative and innovative candidates. 

 6.  Share with your Social Media Networks: Due to the ease of sharing online videos, the social media crossover potential is huge.  Creating a YouTube channel is a terrific way to enter the field and get your videos noticed.  With more than 700 BILLION views in 2010, YouTube can greatly boost your exposure.  Be aware that a lot of ‘white noise’ on the site means that people who are not specifically looking for your company’s videos will most likely not stumble upon them, so it is important to optimize your presence.  Use specific industry keywords in your tags, video descriptions and titles, and encourage ‘likes’ and comments to increase your site ranking.  Check out this website for more tips.

 You can also post videos to your Facebook company page, either directly from YouTube or from your own files.  Your posts will show up in your friend’s newsfeeds, and thanks to Facebook’s EdgeRank optimization algorithm, the more they like, comment and repost the videos, the higher they will appear towards the top of people’s newsfeeds.  The rankings depend on the extent to which people interact with the post content, and social media consultants cite video posts as an excellent way to encourage engagement, moreso than simple text status updates.

Conclusion

Online videos are an inexpensive way to easily and effectively share your employer branding messages with potential candidates.  An effective way to get the word out, videos are simply fun to watch, and portray your company as high-level and progressive.  Be sure to include your career website address and contact details in all video descriptions and at the end of each clip.   

 We’d love to hear from you!  Share your video branding success stories below.