Ever wonder how premium brands manage to attract elite followings and charge sky-high prices for their products and services? Aside from the multi-million pound advertising budget (helpful, admittedly), they use a variety of approaches to brand and marketing that apply equally to candidate attraction and engagement. Fortunately, we do not have to spend millions to achieve our desired results as a little bit of creative thinking and some support from employees will go a long way. Here are some quick pointers on attracting quality hires, from the world of premium branding.
Be Inspiring
Play to people’s aspirations as well as their needs. The reason brands use celebrities to endorse their products and give free loot to influential bloggers is that we all love to be associated with individuals that embody the qualities we desire for ourselves. In employment terms, it is not about wanting to feel sexier, more attractive or necessarily richer (although remuneration does count); it is about wanting to work with people who are smart, collaborative, trustworthy and fun to team up with – people who can make our daily work life enjoyable, and people who can help us learn and grow.
Be Human
Featuring your high performing employees in your employer branding collateral and campaigns scores points with candidates on a number of levels: it provides a human interest story; it shows opportunities for career progression and success (as opposed to just telling candidates) and – when done correctly – it provides real insights into what it is like to work for your business, warts and all.
Be Authentic
I know what you are thinking. Those premium brands never show models or celebrities with warts (I would love to see those campaigns!). However, providing an authentic view of an employment opportunity (with an emphasis on the positive) helps candidates make an informed decision about whether or not to apply. Self deselection is as important as self-selection in designing attraction communications. Some people love a fast-paced and dynamic environment, while others do not. Some people thrive with few rules and others favor a prescriptive process-based approach. Honesty from the outset avoids disappointments further down the line, for the candidates and for you.
If you would like a more in-depth read about how to leverage tried and trusted brand and marketing principles to boost your quality of hire, you will find further insights in our article “How Employer Branding Improves Your Quality of Hire,” which covers five key principles:
- Know your audience
- Tailor your messaging
- Promote your heroes
- Engage your ambassadors
- Enable two-way dialogue
Thanks for reading and happy hiring!
Post contributed by Dawn Hollingworth, Director of Brand Strategy and Creative Services for Cielo. You can connect with her on LinkedIn. For further information or to explore getting help with your employer brand strategy, please contact Dawn or any member of the Cielo Brand Team.