Employer branding examples are easy to find. However, it can be difficult to borrow them without full-blown stealing them. Fortunately, we’re here to help. We’ve collected ten amazing examples of employer branding campaigns, along with suggestions on how you can use them when throwing a killer employer branding event.
In the era of ad insensitivity and universal access to information, employers struggle to acquire new talents. However, employer branding is a part of the solution to this problem. Employer branding actions display and highlight the perks of being employed by a certain organization. This gives potential employees an idea of what it’s like to work for a company, while also encouraging a positive work culture for existing employees.
86% of recruiters agree that recruiting is becoming more like marketing.[1] The game of getting the best publicity was afoot for all brands. What’s more, according to Glassdoor, 84% of job seekers say the reputation of a company as an employer is important.[2] The importance of setting a strong and positive employer image is unarguable.
Employer branding managers have numerous tools to use in order to run employer branding campaigns. The most popular employer branding best practices are:
So, who slays at employer branding?
Google employer branding is one of the best in the world. The company is known for its excellent approach to employees, as well as its knack for building a strong employer value proposition. Every year, the company receives approximately 3 million resumes, of which they pick only 7,000 new employees. It makes great sense, given that a company goes on the extra mile to be the employer of the year. Numerous benefits, campus-style workspace, swift leaders, and more; all of these things directly contribute to the reason why Google attracts their talent.
Google even has its own Hollywood production. Released in 2013, The Internship with Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson tells of two forties who find work in Google. Needless to say, it was one of the best employer branding campaigns of the year.
Although the film didn’t get the best reviews (6.3 / 10 on IMDB), it’s still one of the boldest and most daring employer branding campaigns. The film clearly shows the philosophy of the brand and its culture.
Make an open day and invite students and potential candidates to visit the company. Give them a sneak-peak of what a workday looks like in your company. Organize your work so that selected employees can tell visitors what they are doing and what their daily challenges look like. Choose a day so that potential employees can experience the organizational culture prevailing in your company to its fullest. An important element of this strategy is to remain authentic. Visitors will quickly sense acting and staging.
In order to secure a large number of people willing to meet you, you must ensure that your company and your event are properly advertised. For example, a film stylized as a movie trailer can help. Funny content has viral potential and is readily available on social media.
General Electric is one of the first companies listed on Dow Jones in 1896. After switching to the digital world, the company had to face a new era, and they came to this with great distance. The series of films ‘What’s the Matter with Owen’ showed the funny adventures of a young engineer who could not explain to people around him what he was doing.
Needless to say, it’s a clear analogy to the ‘digital company and also an industrial company’. The light approach from this Methuselah of digital companies delivered just the right message. The young engineers can easily identify with slightly awkward Owen; and thus, with General Electric.
While throwing an event, make sure that you can tell potential employees what your company does in an understandable manner.
First, you will need the audience profile. Identify and analyze data from previous events and from the HR department to build personas. If you can, use the data from event tech software to check the audience demographics during the previous events.
Next, adjust your communication style to the people you want to hire. Make it relatable and understandable. Don’t speak to the engineers like they were on the book club meeting, and don’t address future bankers like the five-graders.
Salesforce refers to their team members and clients as “Ohana” – the Hawaiian word for family. It is also a witty reference to the beloved Disney movie – Lilo & Stich. The quote “Ohana means family”’ still can bring some of us to tears.
The quote has the second part that goes: “Family means no one gets left behind, or forgotten.” What a beautiful value to share. Building a strong community around the company gave Salesforce the title of the #1 World’s Best Workplace for several years in a row.
A vital part of the Salesforce employer branding activities is organizing Ohana family reunions, i.e., internal employer branding events where employees can unwind and meet in a semi-formal atmosphere.
Throw a party for your employees on occasion! Plan it ahead, as you would any event. Gather some feedback on the preferred dates, and check how many people want to come. Ask questions with an online registration form to get data that’s standardized, quick to sort, and easy to analyze, then run a data-driven venue search. Also, use this data in budgeting the event. Your COO will be pleased with facts instead of gut-driven ideas.
This retailer is slaying it on social media. Their Instagram account, @ZapposCulture, is full of behind-the-scenes photos and videos of how is it to work for the company. For example, the company shared its Halloween costume contest, numerous company events, employee photos, and employee stories. They also use it to remind people about the vacancies.
Don’t be afraid of posting unedited backstage photos. Use them to promote your events, and maybe even make them into a presentation for the attendees. Let people see how you really work! This brings employees and employers closer together. What’s more, your employees that are in the photos can feel like brand heroes. Win-win.
Cisco is often named as an exquisite example of employer branding done right. Their career page on their website does a marvelous job when it comes to providing and organizing resources for employees-to-be. They make it easy to share the materials across various social platforms. What’s more, they provide visitors with a clear navigation system through all job offers and career essentials. The landing page contains also success stories of their employees who share insights on how it is to work in Cisco. Every single important detail is within the visitor’s reach.
Define your goals. Cisco’s page is all about making people apply for the job, and every single detail serves this purpose. Make your goal the core of the event. Plan the venue, prelections, and extras so they can tell a coherent story and lead the attendees towards the proper action. It can be scheduling an interview, leaving their resume, or sharing live video in their social media feed. The outcome all depends on the goal.
While prepping the venue for the event, make sure that all the important materials and stands are easily accessible. Put them somewhere visible in the main lobby of your venue. All gadgets, starter packs, and souvenirs should be easy to find for visitors.
The third place after home and work may not be immediately associated with the great employer branding strategy. Starbucks has a very strong communication strategy: they use social platforms like Twitter and Instagram to run employer branding profiles. Starbucks uses mentioned platforms solely to communicate with current and future employees.
They also update followers with the newest job opportunities:
The thing that caught our attention was the way they refer to their employees: Partners.
Doesn’t sound like a silly after-school job, isn’t it? Building a specific culture of respect and partnership is really important for people working in a company.
Reward all team efforts that lead to the event. Show all involved employees as the heroes. Also, do not pick favorites. Find a good thing to say about everyone. Highlight their quirky personalities in relation to the company values. You can even build your own hall of fame. Bear in mind to keep it aligned with the company values. Make it adequate and real. Avoid being pompous and do not exaggerate. Keep it simple and lighthearted.
Aside from being the company of the software industry, Microsoft is a company that many want to work for. Partially it’s because the company works hard to close the gender gap. They support their female coworkers and celebrate their success; for example when the CFO of Microsoft was listed as one of Forbes' Most Powerful Women in the World in 2018.
Photo by Fortune
Current employees, as well as potential employees, can follow the fan page, share their content, and apply for the job openings.
Pick an idea aligned with your brand’s philosophy and support it. Let people feel that your words are followed by your actions. If you want to support underprivileged students, run a scholarship program. If you sympathize with the healthy body image, support a body-positive movement. Throw a charity event or virtual gala to support your cause. There are many opportunities to showcase yourself as a brand with strong values. Pick yours and remain consistent and true.
One of the simplest and most powerful employer branding videos is the one made by the American brewery, Samuel Adams. In the video, the narrator talks about the everyday perks of working with the company, with mentions about bringing pets to the workplace, sharing the passion, and making the beer they enjoy drinking - and that’s it. Zero hired actors, zero animation, zero complicated scenarios. The message is powerful – our everyday things are worth highlighting, we are passionate about our job, and it’s like a second home for us.
Tell your story loud and clear. There are no two identical companies in this world. One man’s ‘everyday’ is another man’s holiday. Start by asking employees what they value most about the company, and go from there. If it is a ‘bring your pet’ policy, make sure there will be a few pooches at the event. If it’s free daycare, encourage young parents to bring kids to the event and organize a special kid-zone for them. Make it your banner and be proud of it. If current employees already appreciate it, prospects will too.
The other beer-related company on the list is the international giant. Heineken launched their Go Places campaign, focused on acquiring new talents. First, see their manifesto.
And now tell me, can you work for Heineken? Of course, you can. And how do you know that? The man in the suit told you.
Bring your company manifest to life! If your company has a list of the values and rules that define its shape, put them together and tell people who you are and what it means to others. Find a few catchphrases and put them to good use while promoting your next event. You can even make a video where the face of the company tells the story. Check if every detail of the event is aligned with the manifesto. If not – redesign. It will bring you to a whole new level of being the embodiment of the values you cherish.
Netflix is one of Glassdoor's best-rated employers. The company cares for its employees’ work-life balance. Back in 2015, they announce a ground-breaking parental leave policy. It allows the new parents to take as many days off as needed during the first year after the child is born - but that’s not all. Netflix navigates towards the open-minded, friendly organizational culture, that is employee-centered. They see the team as one, but they respect one’s individual needs. Instead of building a traditional organization with chiefs who give orders, they listened to a great dreamer – Antoine de Saint Exupery:
“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the people to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.”
Always listen to feedback and treat employees as the company’s greatest asset. Dedicate a part of the employer branding budget only to integrate the whole team. Make an epic party according to their needs, and make sure that the C-levels and execs will be there to listen to others. Also, don’t put the feedback on the ‘read’ tray. Announce which employee-generated changes will be implemented and when. Use company parties to reach your audience.
These are only a few of the great employer branding examples that you can use while organizing your event. If you're new to the virtual and hybrid event space, let us guide you through the planning process! We specialize in all types of events, from virtual trade shows to in-person conferences. We can help to ensure that your internal and external employee events run as smoothly as possible on a reputable event platform. We’ll take care of the logistics so that you can focus on your employees. Contact us today to find out more, or download our free e-book below, The 6Connex Playbook to Planning Your Virtual Event.
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Sources:
1. The Undercover Recruiter - Why Recruiters Need to Start Acting More Like Marketers
2. Business News Daily - How to Create a Strong Business Recruitment Strategy
3. LinkedIn - The Ultimate List of Employer Brand Statistics