Source: http://blog.gooodjob.com/2012/05/implementing-an-employer-branding-strategy-part-4-in-employer-branding-series/

In the final post of our employer branding series, we come full circle from exploring the basics of the employer brand to strategizing employment value proposition (EVP) elements  to actually formulating a competitive EVP. Now we’ll discover how to market your employer brand to your audience.

Three Steps

1. Basic Marketing and Advertising

Good ol’ communication methods can do wonders for the initial exposure of your employer brand. Schedule brainstorming sessions with your company’s PR and marketing teams to develop proficient strategies. Speak with them about promoting your EVP in placement spots and general organization features and press releases. Your messages should be consistent throughout; be sure to emphasize them at every step of the process. (“We offer you/with us you can…therefore, apply today and join our team.”)

2. Get your Employees Talking 

Employees are essentially the face of your company – they are who candidates can be if they also worked with you. Add this to the fact that, as Dr. John Sullivan recently explained, “because your employees ‘live the job’ every day, what they say to candidates is likely to be viewed as more authentic and believable than messages on your corporate website or even sales pitches by individual recruiters.” Their commendations are extremely valuable, and effectively reinforce your employer brand messaging.

There are several mediums employees can utilize. Firstly, of course, social media. They can post job openings, activities which simultaneously send the message that your organization is growing – thereby stable and healthy. (GooodJob can help you set up this up!) Likewise, they can simply share evidence of the cool events you organize for them, such as updates and photos of the recent office trip to the amusement park or a corporate-sponsored dinner at a five-star restaurant. Also, consider creating a series of YouTube videos of real employees talking about topics like why they enjoy working at your company, personal anecdotes recounting their career growth opportunities and specific benefits.

3. Get that Public Vote of Confidence! 

Instilling public confidence in your company’s reputation is a major step in promoting your employer brand. All of your marketing efforts will amount to nothing if potential candidates can’t entirely presume that you deliver on your promises.

To bolster trust in your employer branding messages, consistently engage with your audience and show that you value their interactions. Find them via outlets like LinkedIn groups, online professional forums, Twitter hashtag searches and popular blogs. Focus on activities such as initiating career discussions, sharing input and advice on professional developments in your industry and posing questions. Follow and share the latest news without blatantly publicizing your company. The point is not to appear to sell yourself but to provide something worth buying. Grab their attention, make them think (and rightfully so), “Wow, this organization constantly offers interesting and honest input to the engineering/IT/programming/sales/etc. sphere,” and then when the opportunity arises, they will jump for the chance to work for you.

By taking the time to relate and dialogue, you bring your company into your potential candidates’ realm, speaking in their voices, on their level. You demonstrate your sincerity as a major industry player who is willing to take the time to bond and invest in your target audience. Even more, you differentiate yourselves from your competitors who are vying for the same talent by casting your organization as one which goes the extra mile to connect.

To close our employer branding series, it’s important to remember that from the very first steps of understanding what kind of messages you would like to promote, to devising your EVP and taking it public, always keep your eye on the prize – appealing to those potential candidates and increasing your applicant conversion ratio. It’s about building a community of talent who value your messages and recognize your excellence as an employer. They might not apply this month, this quarter, or even this year. But as long as you set a standard and create a trustworthy and highly regarded reputation, you will be at the top of their list when they are ready to take their careers to the next level.