There is an exciting balance in the word employer branding. It is HR and communication. It is people and market. It is security and trust. It is the ability to constantly innovate - in order to reach and engage employees and candidates. To succeed with the balancing act, an employer brand needs a concept that creates the common thread. And content that the target groups really want to see, read and experience.
Employer branding is about building relationships
Today, in a digital age with social media and marketing, all branding has made a shift. From being the company's identity that we can have a relationship with, the brand has increasingly moved towards becoming the relationship itself. So the focus today is on keeping the conversation alive and building long-term, credible relationships - to always be high up in the target group's consciousness. This is where employer branding plays an important role.
How do we define a concept?
When we at KSMG work with employer branding, we think in three dimensions: Concept idea, employer branding platform and activation. First, we formulate the main idea in your employer brand, the idea that you want to arouse feelings, commitment and build relationships around. The idea should accommodate your employer value proposition (EVP) and have a clear identity. Secondly, we concretize the basic idea in an employer brand platform. But the concept's most important task is to create the common thread in your employer branding communication. Therefore, the third part is to activate and really use the concept.
In summary, the concept is a manual and toolbox that makes the employer brand fly. It should work in all channels, to different target groups, it should be a strong core but at the same time be flexible and be able to inspire new stories.
Make sure to create content that your target group wants to experience
This is where the content comes in - what brings the concept to life. Content is our strongest tool in the competition to reach the target group. It is when we share content that we show who we are and make ourselves relevant - both for external and internal target groups. With today's social platforms, the demand for content has increased further. If the content does not engage, we scroll on carefree. But when the content is spot on for what the target group wants to talk about, changes that were previously impossible can suddenly become possible.
Good content often starts with a feeling rather than logical arguments. When we produce content for our customers, we encourage more heart and emotion, and less reporting. One way to create content is to use storytelling. It's the art of captivating people, so that they listen to your messages and want to hear more. The great thing about the method is that it fulfills many functions: It creates rooms where we can gather and share our stories.
Let the pictures speak
Storytelling is not just the verbal story. We live in a time with a great focus on the visual and on the image. Pictures and videos create immediate emotions and at KSMG we see that moving posts arouse great commitment, regardless of whether the content is large or small, globally or locally. But the generations that grew up with Instagram and Youtube quickly sift away what feels ugly or false. It is a good reminder in the employer branding work. Many organizations are willing to put a lot of time and resources into developing well-thought-out messages and concepts. But then they lack good visuals to work with.
Our call is to be creative and dare to try! Find your way to work with employer branding. Create an employer brand that conveys identity and stands for your values.
