Don’t Waste Time and Money on the Illusion of Employer Branding

Employer branding is the new rage. Yet, I’m amazed at what most professionals think it means to create an employer brand. Engaging in this mistake doesn’t just hamstring your ability to become an employer of choice; it will diminish employee morale, loyalty, and engagement.

Let me give you an analogy for what I see as a common and ill-advised approach to employer branding. Several years ago, a friend told me how much he loved his new Mercedes, but then immediately said how he would never buy another one. This was puzzling until he told me what a unpleasant buying experience he had, followed by frustrating service experiences. Because he bought it from a nearby Mercedes dealer, his service options required a long commute. Even though this was his all-time favorite car, he would never buy another.

About a week later, I heard a clever radio commercial for this dealership. After it ended, I contrasted the “we’re so amazing” commercial with the story my friend told me.

“Isn’t this typical,” I thought. “They spend all this money and creativity on getting people to come through the door, only to drive them back out by the experience they deliver. Wouldn’t it make sense to invest some of that money on upgrading the customer experience they actually deliver?”

This is exactly what I see most companies doing when it comes to employer branding, which is used primarily for recruiting. They invest lots of money for clever ads and recruiting campaigns, but next to nothing on making sure they actually deliver a great work experience that makes a great employer brand possible.

The Illusion of Employer Branding
HR professionals and ad-agency reps who believe they are involved in employer branding always talk about updating logos, updating collateral material, and developing the perfect tag line. Some may even go on to creating an “internal branding campaign” (i.e., trying to convince their employees this is who they are as an employer). Those things could be great, but in this scenario they are putting the cart before the horse.
Just like the car dealership, these approaches help get people in through the door, but when the employer doesn’t actually deliver a great work experience, these employees will soon be leaving.

Before You Tell the Labor Market Who You Want to Be (Or Would Like Them to Think You Are)
Before you invest time and money to “spread the word,” make sure what you’re saying is true. This means, you want to first:
1. Ask your employees what they think about you as an employer.
2. Find out what they see as your strengths and your weaknesses.
3. Ask them how you compare to other employers.
4. Find out what new hires heard about you and why they chose you over other potential employers.
5. Ask your new hires if you’ve been delivering what they expected.
6. Ask employees representing different demographics and professions what you can do to become more of an employer of choice.
7. Make sure you do something with this input.