Buckle up: the job market is getting tough for employers. Your potential new recruit is pitting you against a sea of brands thirsty for new talent, many of which have big budgets and an enviable array of benefits. Is your employer brand strong enough to attract their attention, or - let’s be honest - are you more of an employer bland? Employer branding is one of the most essential ways to hire the best candidate for the job. Add video into the mix, and you’re on your way to building the kind of employer branding strategy that’ll have potential new recruits biting your hand off for an interview (not literally, of course). If you’re ready to attract a higher caliber of talent to your company, read on…
What’s employer branding, and why does it matter?
Your employer brand is what springs to mind when potential employees look at your company as a place to work. It’s influenced by your culture, values, and benefits - get that mixture right, and you’re halfway to convincing potential new hires as a place they’d want to work. Communicate it well, and you might just win them over. After all, it’s not just you who is making a big decision when offering them a role – they are, too!
How to tell if your company needs employer branding
The chances are, yes it does! As companies shift to working remotely, the pool of jobs gets wider and wider, and your net gets smaller. If you’re already finding yourself struggling to pit yourself against competitors, losing candidates to better offers, or even failing to fill your roles without a recruitment agency, you need a compelling employer branding strategy – and that starts on social media.
Why to use social media to amplify your employer branding
We’re sure there are plenty of benefits to working for you, but a jobs board on your website just isn’t a competitive enough way to show that anymore. By making social media part of your recruitment process, you’re able to add a much-needed human element to convince would-be employees of why they should work for you, and only you. Show you care, and if you invest in your recruitment process, you’re more likely for the right candidate to invest in you.
How do you stop letting your company be overlooked by potential employees? Use social media to amplify your employer branding – and you’ll start standing out in a crowded job market.
How to build an employer branding strategy for social media
Step 1: Who are you talking to?
Before you start creating your content, it's important to have a clear understanding of who you're trying to reach. Which departments will be ramping up hiring soon, or what areas of your business are you struggling to recruit for? This will help you tailor your content, so you can hone your message. For example, if you’re hiring a senior developer, you could interview the hiring manager, feature a behind-the-scenes video or a day in the life of the team. But all of that content only works if you know your audience first!
Step 2: Choose your channels
Once you’ve built an image of your target, work out where they’re spending their time and talk to them there. Maybe they’re in Reddit forums in the evening, perhaps they browse Instagram before work, or maybe they religiously update their LinkedIn profile. Once you know where they are, you can focus your energy on those platforms. Don’t feel like you have to be everywhere - just choose the channels that make the most sense!
Step 3: Find your stories, then start sharing them!
Once you understand your audience, you can start creating your stories with confidence. What threads of your company life can you weave into beautiful blankets? Which watercooler chats about an employee’s progress would actually lay the groundwork for captivating reads? There are stories everywhere. And you’re in luck, because we’ve also got bucketfuls of ideas for employer branding content – and templates for them too:
- Company updates and news
- Employee spotlights and profiles
- Behind-the-scenes looks at your company culture
- Industry-specific content and resources
- Employee perks and benefits
- Day in the life content
Step 4: Engage with your audience
Social media is called social for a reason – it's about engaging with your followers and building relationships. Respond to comments, share user-generated content, and crucially, interact with other industry players by sharing their content or leaving thoughtful comments on their content. Play the long game: build a strong, positive employer brand and your followers will keep coming back for more.
Step 5: Measure your success
Finally, it's important to track the success of your employer branding efforts on social media. Are they moving the needle effectively? Use platform-native analytics tools (they’re free!) to see how your content is performing, so you can understand what to invest more time into and what to cut from your plan. Combine this with surveying your recruits on what caught their attention, and you’ll be able to fine-tune your strategy and ensure your employer branding efforts are delivering maximum return on your investment.
3 employer branding video templates
Congratulations! You’ve gotten through Employer Branding 101. Now, let’s get to the actionable stuff – what employer branding videos should you make, and how do you make them? Wonder no more - because we’ve got you covered. Here are are 4 employer branding videos that you can turn into staple content. Videos that are easy to put together by following the templates you’ll find below. They don’t require any special filming equipment or professional animations, and you’ll find guidance for every step of the way, from what kind of imagery to use to how to structure your script. The best part is that each template is designed with a particular purpose in mind – wether that’s to keep your audience watching, or pique their interest and get them to follow a link.
A video list is easy to make and easy to watch
Show off the things you love about your office, your colleagues or your company events with this list template. This is a great format for some informal video clips or photos to give your audience a peak behind the scenes!
Use the ‘Cool things list’ Template
Your colleagues are your best advertisement
Highlight the success your colleagues have achieved with this video template. It’s a great way to show the challenging and rewarding work people can look forward to getting stuck into when they join the company.
Use the 'Challenge Accepted!’ Template
Show, don’t tell…
You want your potential recruits to know about the perks of working at your company. Forget about posting a bullet list of activities and benefits. Use the video template 'Stuff We Do' to create a handfull of report-style videos where you take your audience a long for the ride. It’s a deceptively easy format to put together and a really effective one at that.
Use the ‘Stuff We Do’ Template
