Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Katherine Mar. Her opinions are her own.
Recruiting new employees can be time consuming and costly. Employing people that jump ship quickly or are not up to the role can be even more so. This is why many businesses outsource their recruitment processes to talented firms, headhunters or talent scouts. These entities take over the job of finding the best professionals in the industry for their needs. However, there is another way that is taking flight in today’s age.
LinkedIn is a unique type of social media because it is not about cat videos and holiday snaps. It specifically wears its suit and tie and remains professional, which is the biggest difference between those browsing Facebook or Twitter and LinkedIn. Those on the latter platform are looking for a job or discussing work-related topics. Thus, it is the ideal vehicle for companies to attract new staff.
However, to attract professionals who use LinkedIn, a business must also have a LinkedIn account and use it in a manner to find employees. This can be done by the company themselves with guidance by consultants or by companies dedicated to employer branding on LinkedIn. This post will look into companies that do it well, such as InTouch Games or the guys at Google with their beanbags and free food. Read on to learn everything about employer branding on Linkedin and why your business should be doing it.
Why is a Powerful Employer Brand so Important?
LinkedIn has done its own research into the importance of a good employer brand and excellent reputation. The findings in their Winning Talent Report discovered that no matter how much money a company was offering, most professionals would decline to work for companies with a bad employer reputation. So, how does this translate into numbers?
Every business that is failing to enhance their employer brand and thus their attractiveness to talented workers is losing money. On average, it is believed to cost an additional £2,720 for each staff member hired by companies with a bad employer reputation. However, the bad numbers do not end here. This is just the hiring process costs and they can materialize through wage bills. Some even suggest that an additional £4 million+ could be spent each year with a company exceeding 10,000 employees.
The bottom line is that not having an appealing employer reputation can cost you significantly over the long haul. Moreover, it prevents you from accessing the top talents in a lot of situations no matter how much money you throw at them. Overall, money, time, innovation and potential business growth are lost.
How to Build a Successful Employer Brand on LinkedIn
The benefits of owning a successful employer brand via a LinkedIn account are massive and can save your business money and time. So, how do you create a LinkedIn account that has this sort of pulling power?
1. Focus on What Employees Want
Your LinkedIn account should evidence the things that the top professionals look for in a company. Research suggests that this predominantly includes career progression, fellow committed professionals and most of all, job security. This can be portrayed directly but it could also be offered subtly such as celebrating an employee’s ten years working for the business or showing teams having fun together at team-building days.
2. Include Your Current Employees
To enhance your employer brand on LinkedIn, your account should not only be outward facing. The LinkedIn account is also for your current employees and people throughout the business. If you can get current staff to contribute to the account and make their voices heard, this will authenticate any claims made by the company. One example would be to hand over the password to different departments throughout the year and actively encourage participation in the account.
3. Have a Dedicated Career Page on LinkedIn
Although not necessary, some companies aim to improve their employer brand by operating a second LinkedIn account dedicated to careers at the company. This second account may also use the other techniques discussed above and below, but as a purpose-specific place for job seekers.
4. Sponsored Content
You don’t even have to use your own LinkedIn account to sell your employer brand. Using third parties to document your company’s achievements, employee satisfaction and more can go a long way to improving the way industry professionals view your company. This is what sponsored content, also known as branded content, is all about. Other LinkedIn accounts can promote your job openings along with the best reasons to choose your company. Videos are invaluable in these instances and can be utilised to showcase your dedicated and happy office culture.
5. Stay Active and Produce Frequent Content
Remaining active with your company’s LinkedIn account is key. More content usually draws a larger audience, who can then engage with and foster loyalty to the brand. In addition to this, there is one interesting tactic that can aid your efforts to get more eyeballs. If your website includes a blog or other resources, you can redirect these pieces of content to LinkedIn and gather more account visitors.
The Unspoken Benefit of Employer Branding
The core focus on employer branding has naturally been to attract talented professionals and help grow your business. However, there is one other benefit from employer branding that often goes unnoticed but keeps on working in the background. This is to reinforce your customer relationship with your business. Employer branding is just one aspect of your brand, and as anyone in business knows, overall branding has the power to attract more customers, clients and business partners. If a shopper sees how well you treat and appeal to your workforce, they will be more likely to purchase from you. Similarly, other businesses will be more inclined to make deals with you if they know you have a satisfied workforce who are committed to your business goals and do not want to leave.
Just one other reason why you should be building an employer brand on LinkedIn.
Author
Jack Flynn
Jack Flynn is a writer for Zippia. In his professional career he’s written over 100 research papers, articles and blog posts. Some of his most popular published works include his writing about economic terms and research into job classifications. Jack received his BS from Hampshire College.
