Youth employment in Italy also passes through employer branding, a well-thought-out strategy that, by combining innovation and merit, defines a company’s identity. The benefits include the recruitment of highly specialised professionals and the reduction of company turnover by around 28%.
Table of contents
Employer branding: what it is
According to Digital4, employer branding encompasses a set of qualities and attributes that help define corporate identity. Since it is a marketing and communication strategy that emphasises precise characteristics of the organisation, it is aimed at a well-defined target group: potential job applicants.
The goal of employer branding, which is part of recruiting, is to attract “quality profiles” in line with company values and beliefs. In other words, the company seeks to appear interesting and appealing to current and future employees, so as to generate “value” in the eyes of customers as well. Employer branding, in fact, has an impact on brand identity, another piece of the puzzle; we will shortly understand the differences, the points of contact, and the reasons behind them.
Employer branding and brand identity: a winning combination
While employer branding aims to create of an ideal workplace (employer of choice), where talent and meritocracy reign, brand identity tries to convey to customers a precise idea of the brand.
Employer branding has to do with employer identity; brand identity is the way the company presents itself to buyers. In short, it changes the target audience but not the intent: to convey a positive and distinctive image of the company.
Common elements between employer branding and brand identity
Employer branding and brand identity share certain elements, although the focus, as mentioned above, is different: name, logo and mission represent ‘unique associations’ in the minds of those who want to work with that company as well as in the minds of consumers. For example, if a cluster, such as the JO Group, is oriented towards digital transformation and innovation, it will be important for each of its member companies to reflect these values.
Employer value proposition
The employer value proposition is part of employer branding and consists of the work experience of the people hired. Aspects of the employer value proposition include remuneration, environment, colleagues and actions taken to meet the needs of employees, which should not to be confused with actions aimed at defining the characteristics of the business (employer brand positioning).
Employer brand positioning
It is a recruiting strategy that aims at the best possible positioning in the minds of candidates. Becoming the employer of choice is not easy; most of the time it is a battle that is fought not only in reality, but also on a more abstract level.
Benefits of employer branding
According to well-known research by the Boston Consulting Group, good employer branding can reduce recruitment costs up to 50% and increase employee retention by 72%. In addition, it can:
- improve the company’s reputation
- differentiate the company from its competitors;
- improve the quality of job applications.
Employer branding is important because as a part of marketing and, in particular, of all those branding, recruiting and communication activities aimed at promoting the company’s image as an ideal workplace.
LinkedIn and employer branding: an opportunity to be seized
Social, but first and foremost a recruiting platform, LinkedIn stands as the largest network between individuals in business. With LinkedIn it is possible to do:
- talent acquisition;
- employer branding and brand identity simultaneously.
Ipso facto, it becomes very important to curate your company page, “share” life in the company and to respect certain best practices. These include sharing your employees’ public posts (they generate up to 8 times more engagement than the same content published on a company page) and publishing so-called company updates that could be shared by employees, triggering a virtuous circle.
“Using” employees profiles or telling them to create their own is undoubtedly an opportunity, as we are much more likely to trust like-minded people than the company itself; this requires a proactive environment, as well as the health and safety of employees.
For further updates keep reading the JOurnal or visit our LinkedIn page. If you are looking for a partner for European or digital transformation projects, or simply want to work with us, please do not hesitate to contact us by filling out the form below.