How to KISS Employer Branding today? Read Brandfizz’ summarizing article with experts’ opinions – we help you identify your focus areas and gain massive results on the new business landscape.
Employer Branding experts from different countries all around Europe gathered to share their vision and best practices on how to KISS (Keep-Improve-Stop-Start) Employer Branding after COVID-time. Building great workplaces and engaging employees became the No. 1. priority of Employer Branding today to create the certainty in these uncertain times.
The amount of employee engagement responsibilities by C-level leaders is rapidly increasing, the CEO might be called a chief “enthusiasm, engagement or entertainment” officer. HR, marketing professionals must upgrade their employer branding tools to help business leaders and their teams with a superb employee experience.
Let us see our four aspects to rethink your employer brand, and to identify your focus areas!
First: what to KEEP in employer branding?
Think about the things you did well before the outbreak and keep them nowadays as well. Ton Rodenburg says identity is one of the most important things. Budget is what you should still keep, in order to keep your employer brand health in the next few months and years – in Johann Driessen’s (CEO, branded.careers) opinion. Besides these two, we must keep the company culture, says Kersti Vannas (CEO, Instar). Also, you must grant health and safety for your team and by this, you have to ensure a safe reboarding for the next few weeks according to Ádám Horváth (Chief Sparkle Offizzer, Brandfizz Employer Branding).
In Jiří Landa’s (Partner, Employer Brand strategist & candidate experience designer, BrandBakers) opinion what we do now, is building our competitive advantage for the future. What we must keep in employer branding is strategic thinking. You can do anything for the company until you do not communicate it properly, you lose: communication is still one of the most important roles of employer branding and we have to keep it – says Andrej Aliasov (Changellenge).
What do we have to IMPROVE in employer branding?
There is always place for development. COVID times proved it as well. In this case, we have to rethink our employer brand, step back, and see the holistic picture.
Leaders must improve internal branding. Leadership nowadays is more about making people to really follow and believe you – says Ton Rodenburg. Credibility was always a critical aspect of employer branding, and these days Johann Driessens highly recommend you reconsider the credibility of what you do. Start creating more toolkits and training for your employee and improve your employer branding advocacy, says Kersti Vannas.
Everything you do, you have to manage transparent and honest. In order to get every single action and message reach the finish line and your target audience, you have to improve your internal communication – in Ádám Horváth’s (Chief Sparkle Offizzer, Brandfizz Employer Branding) opinion. Leave the corporate bullshit behind, send real and relevant messages in the right format. Make your employees watch that video with the CEO, do not make long articles in non-relevant topics. Summarize your most important messages in animations, leave the long text as well. Crispy, relevant internal communication is what you need.
When COVID-crisis hit, companies needed to cut their costs and benefits suffered most of it. Based on Jiří Landa’s experience, increasing the level of understanding the mission brings stability in these uncertain times.
Andrej Aliasov ’s recommendation is to improve your AIDA funnel. What does it mean? Online marketing became much more important than ever. AIDA funnel is a fully digital advertising campaign that includes many activities. Awareness – work with the widest audience coverage. Interest – work with an audience that has already interacted with you, or with a „Look-a-like”. Desire – retarget your audience! Action – convert your applicants and measure how your system works.
And then…what to STOP doing immediately?
However, many companies stopped hiring, few of them still has to recruit great candidates, with even higher intensity. In these COVID-times, you should pay higher attention to your recruitment process and stop pushing vacancies without a soul. „Every written line has to sparkle from the heart and soul. Every letter has to have brand value and brand signature.” – in Ton Rodenburg’s opinion.
As Johann Driessens recommended, stop treating people like commodities. We need to humanize our businesses again and focus on people. Give people the feeling that you really care about them. Make your work environment more emphatical.
Stop, and think…. wisdom! Stop short term actions. Are you aware of your organisation’s goals or are you running around and panicking like headless chickens? Plan, be strategic, slow down and take your time to adapt to the new situation – says Kersti Vannas.
Stop wasting money. You should not burn your recourses right now when you have to face cost cuts. How can you? Measure everything you can – advising Ádám Horváth.
Stop annoying your employees with “corporate bullshit”. Regarding internal communication, always iterate on the content you send your colleagues – do they really need to know that global information from another part of the world? Always be aware of the relevancy.
After all, how to restart your employer brand? What to START?
First: make your CEO the owner of employer branding strategy, as Ton Rodenburg says. This is going to be the key to success in your strategy. Start implementing new experiences, because everyone will have new expectations and they will seek something new in your work as well, in Johan’s opinion. Start to redefine your EVP and beside this, start designing your reboarding employee experience. Give your employees much more autonomy – start treating them like adults. Also, start giving them trust, respect, independence, collaboration, and kindness.
And do not forget: you CAN NOT SWITCH OFF YOUR EMPLOYER BRAND.
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