Employer Branding: What, why, and how with examples

Competition for talent can be tough in a large and international job market. Companies today often must compete to attract the most qualified individuals. 

Besides the job offering itself, potential candidates have to be convinced as to why they should choose your company. Additionally, you must also manage to retain and engage the employees you already have. 

This is where employer branding comes into the picture. 

In this article, we will take a closer look at what employer branding really is, why it is important, and how you can work effectively with it. We will also share some tips to help you get started with a solid employer branding strategy! 

What is employer branding? 

Employer branding is about marketing your company as an attractive workplace. While traditional marketing focuses on promoting products or services to customers, Employer Branding is about showing why working at your company is a great experience. 

The primary goal is to attract new job seekers and engage existing employees. As we will see later in this article, good Employer Branding also has positive effects on your brand in general. 

Employer branding can be a campaign specifically designed for this purpose, but it also includes your company’s values, culture, and how you communicate on your website and other channels. A key point to remember is that all communication from your company affects not only potential customers but also potential job seekers and existing employees. 

Why is employer branding important? 

There are many good reasons why Employer Branding is important and profitable: 

Attracts qualified candidates 

A company focused on employer branding strengthens its good reputation and makes itself more attractive as a workplace. This increases the chance that more individuals with the exact skills your company needs will apply for your job openings. 

Makes recruitment cheaper 

Reaching the right candidates can be expensive. A company with strong employer branding doesn’t have to spend as much money on advertising when a job opening arises. 

Creates engaged employees who stay 

Employer branding is about promoting a good company culture and focusing on your business as an attractive workplace. This focus can make existing employees feel seen, valued, and more connected to the company’s values and visions. It’s a good foundation for creating a work environment where employees want to stay. 

Builds trust with customers and partners 

Although employer branding mainly targets future and current employees, it has a ripple effect. Both customers and business partners will have a positive impression of a company that takes care of its employees and is clearly proud of them. 

Helps build a strong brand 

The overall result is that Employer Branding helps build a strong brand. Potential job seekers notice you, employees become proud and speak positively about their jobs, and customers and partners gain a good impression. Your company gets attention in more ways than just through ads for your products or services and builds brand trust.  

Good employer branding simply creates many benefits for a company. Ready to get started? Great! Let’s look at how you can begin working on it in your company. 

How can you work with employer branding? 

As we’ve seen, employer branding is about showing what makes your company a great place to work. It’s about how your business is perceived by both employees and potential job seekers – through everything from company culture, values, and communication. 

Here are some specific examples of what you can do to strengthen your employer branding: 

Publish employee interviews 

Having an enthusiastic manager talking about how great it is to work at the company can be nice, but it often feels more authentic and honest when employees share their experiences. After all, they are the ones living the workplace reality. 

Create interviews where employees talk about their workdays. They can show the workplace, discuss their daily tasks, or explain what keeps them loyal to the company year after year. 

The interviews can be made as videos or with photos and text and published on your company’s website.   

Show off the company culture 

Share pictures and videos from events, team-building activities, daily moments, or celebrations. This provides a personal impression of the company as a workplace. Pictures, videos, and text can be posted both on your website and on social media. 

Highlight benefits and opportunities 

Do your employees receive any special benefits, or are there opportunities for courses and skills development? Let an employee share this or post relevant images. 

Think employer branding on social media 

Is your company on social media? Then these channels are also great places to implement employer branding. Employee interviews, company culture, and employee benefits and opportunities are excellent starting points for social media posts. 

LinkedIn, in particular, is a social media channel with a professional focus where you are likely to reach job seekers, so building a strong profile here can also be a smart way to strengthen Employer Branding. At the same time, it’s beneficial to share posts on other social media channels as well to build the brand and show an authentic side of the company. 

Use employees as ambassadors 

Just as it pays off to interview employees, using them as company ambassadors on social media can also be an effective approach. A post that comes directly from an employee will enhance the personal feel and seem even more genuine. The company can then share the employee’s post on its own feed for added exposure. 

Create a careers page 

Set up a dedicated careers page on your website where you present your company’s values, work environment, and job openings. Add employee interviews, talk about benefits and opportunities for employees, include a FAQ for job seekers, and provide practical information. 

You can also use storytelling to create a lively and engaging impression of the company and share pictures and videos of daily work life. 

If you’re using the website builder from one.com, creating a new page on your site is very simple. Check out our guide on how to add a new page. 

Have a strong “About Us” page 

A company’s “About Us” page is a golden opportunity to share the company’s history, visions, and values. There’s also no reason not to show off a great work environment and proud employees on this page. 

Inspiration: examples from companies 

Here are some examples of companies that excel at employer branding. Get inspired before you begin your work! 

Innocent Drinks’ careers page 

The UK-based smoothie and juice company Innocent Drinks has a careers page that exemplifies outstanding employer branding. They highlight their company values, share authentic photos of their vibrant office culture, and highlight employee perks. They also emphasise their sustainability initiatives, which appeal to value-driven job seekers. 

Employee stories at John Lewis Partnership 

The John Lewis Partnership, which includes John Lewis and Waitrose, uses videos with real employees on its careers site to provide an inside look into their workplace.

These stories highlight the experiences of employees, detailing their day-to-day experiences and how they benefit from working at the Partnership. This approach offers an honest and personal insight into the company. 

Employer branding campaign: “Made in the Royal Navy”  

The Royal Navy’s “Made in the Royal Navy” campaign focuses on showcasing the transferable skills and personal development gained during service. Through powerful videos and testimonials, the campaign shows how time in the Navy equips recruits with leadership and skills, positioning the Navy as a place to grow professionally and personally.  

Employer branding that delivers results 

Employer branding is about showing what makes your company a great place to work. While it primarily focuses on attracting qualified job seekers, good employer branding will also make current employees proud of their workplace and strengthen the company’s overall reputation. We hope the tips and examples we’ve shared will inspire you to start working on employer branding for your company!