The Power of the Employer Brand

by Miriam Hanna, Director MadlinHanna Consulting

It is a truth universally acknowledged that PR agencies are the worst at their own PR. In a market that is fiercely competitive for talent, the power of existing as a strong employer brand is massively underestimated and generally poorly invested in. When candidates have several options at any one time, work to define who you are is an employer is most certainly worthwhile to make sure you feature on the checklist of options they work through.

Not What Makes You Different but What Makes You, You

“We do things differently”, “we are different from the competition because”, “we stand out from the rest”. All buzz phrases that I have to be honest, very few people buy into. Spend time identifying not about what sets you apart from your competition but what makes you, you. This can be your story, how you came to be where you are, who your key individuals are or what kind of work you do. Each culture is unique because no 2 groups of people are the same. Don’t be afraid of sharing case studies of people who have done well in the team to show what can be achieved from a career development perspective.

Control Your Narrative

The industry is small, gossip travels fast. I don’t intend to preach to the experts but to have control over your narrative is important to ensure that one disgruntled employee or a sour ex-employee don’t have the power to spread Chinese whispers that put people off joining you in the future. We ask all candidates if they have any preconceptions around agencies and they nearly always do. The agencies that have an established identity don’t suffer from those rumours as much as those that don’t.

 Saving Money

Not to render ourselves redundant but a strong employer brand can work to attract, (particularly junior) talent directly saving on recruitment fees. It has also been shown to have a positive impact on retention. If you can improve your bottom line with lower turnover, have a steady stream of junior candidates applying directly to you and make lives of your recruitment advisors easier by having a positive presence in the market, then you can focus more on growth than consolidation. Surely that is a win-win? 

I really take on board what has been discussed in the past that sometimes you don’t want to be actively touting to the market and appearing desperate. I agree, there is a balance and it must be carefully struck. PR is a professional service and it needs an image to go with that. The management consultancies, accountancy firms and law firms all have examples of businesses that set a value on their employer brand to get the brightest and best. PR should really do the same.

If you would like advice on how to build an employer brand then please contact miriam.hanna@madlinhanna.com.

MadlinHanna Consulting is a recruitment consultancy specialising in corporate affairs, covering public affairs, corporate communications and financial PR. Contact us on 020 8088 4102 for more information or a confidential conversation.