Blog Post: How Do You Brand Your Business?

Each and everyday all of us have business brands out in front of us.  If it's the billboard on the highway, the radio/television commercials, magazine ads or logos we are always seeing.  I'm sure I can say without doubt we all know the marketing brands of Coca Cola, Nike, Starbucks and Walmart.  Now I ask, do you know what their employment brand and their culture is all about. 

A positive employment brand is critical to hiring and retaining the best talent in your local community.  By looking at the Jobing.com website you can see that we are all about helping employers tout their brand.  We have some of the best video the industry has to offer so you, our clients, can tell your organizations story to the local job seekers.  Click here to check out these wonderful videos.

Your employment brand goes deep and needs to focus on key issues that matter most to the people you want working for you.  While reading an article by Bill Freeman recently I came across the following key points:

1. Build a positive corporate culture. Companies need to decide on two to three corporate qualities to promote within. The focus needs to be championing these attributes as the organization's core values throughout the entire company, making sure every employee has a strong understanding of the defined values.
2. Invest in your employees. Companies must realize employees are an important asset at all levels, that they are corporate ambassadors and a solid investment in training and retention pays off. Every employee should be seen as a stakeholder in the company's branding efforts. For instance, when guests step through the door of a hotel, their interactions with the staff will influence the rest of their visit. Well-trained staff members will know how to handle all kinds of situations, no matter whether they are difficult. An investment in training can really make or break a guest's perception of the hotel.
3. Every customer could be a future employee. Customers form ideas of what it would be like to work for a company from their experiences with that business, as well as usage of its products. Studies have shown college graduates frequently have an evoked set of companies that come to mind when deciding on a place of employment after graduation. They choose companies based on current products and in-store experiences. Apple moved from No. 41 to No. 13 when it came to recruiting top undergraduates in a 2005 survey by The Economist, undoubtedly because of the hip and modern products offered, as well as positive customer service experiences at Apple outlets.
4. Appeal to Generations X and Y. A tight labor market and the shift in demographics with a large number of baby boomers retiring from the workforce this decade has created a large generation gap in the workforce. The up and coming 20-somethings serving as replacements are a little bit harder to please than members of past generations. Offering unique benefits or stimulating incentive programs are a good way to attract qualified applicants and motivate the current young employees.