Employer Branding All Grown Up: Thoughts for 2017.

For the new year, I’d like to share a few thoughts on employer brand—what intrigues me, where I believe there’s room for growth, and how organizations can create meaningful separation and top-of-mind preference in an increasingly competitive labor market.

The Impact of Employer Brand on Business Performance

I’m interested to see how—and how many—organizations are moving brand past the point of a communications platform and into the real nuts and bolts of building stronger, smarter, higher-performing enterprises that exude “on brand” in full. As a result of their employer branding efforts, how are cultures being aligned more tightly to business strategies; how are programs, processes, and systems being adjusted to deliver a lived, on-brand experience—first to the employee and then, by extension, to the consumer?

I’m interested in hearing from companies that have crossed this threshold (and have proved out a better ROI because of it), opting for best over most expedient … including all those tactics that may generate short-term buzz while leaving the status quo essentially untouched.

Cutting Through the (Impending) Clutter on Social

Effective employer branding is about telling an authentic and compelling story that (1) has adequately defined and demonstrated an in-depth understanding of the target audience(s); (2) is robust enough to span geographies and disciplines, with localization and customization as organic extensions; and (3) is clearly differentiated from talent competitors. As many organizations are now sharing these stories on social media, there will come, in the next few years, a tipping point where the stories themselves become noise, not signal.

So how are organizations anticipating this shift now and ensuring they remain distinctive and click-worthy in an increasingly congested medium? And where do future opportunities lie? I’m looking for organizations that are already moving beyond the standard conventions of social. Ones that embrace the process of carving out new spaces to tell their stories—in authentic, creative, and compelling ways that are uniquely their own. That are as much about an on-brand medium as an on-brand message.

Internal Convergence Around a Shared Purpose

I’m also looking for deeper levels of collaboration between Marketing and TA and have interest in long-term metrics that emerge from this partnership which tie directly to efficiency and profits. What might those metrics look like? And how might applying the best measures from both disciplines not only inform one another but create new business insights that drive both productivity and performance?

There’s a symbiotic relationship between the two functions, much like Sales and Marketing, that can (and should) create a virtuous cycle that elevates both. All with the goal of developing deeper levels of trust and enhancing brand resonance, irrespective of audience. And there’s opportunity here.

What are you watching for? Please share with us your insights and/or success stories on these or any related employer brand topics!