December 201919 Employer Brand, no matter how enticing the job description, because they want to understand the vision, values and culture before considering it a place to work. By the same rule, potential talent will actively turn down opportunities to work for an employer with a negative reputation, such as a stale or demoralising work environment or unethical work practices. Broadcasting Your StoryWe all know that today, career decisions are made with much more than the prestige of the brand or the leadership opportunities in mind. Talent selects an employer predominantly based on the working environment, which is one of the hardest thing to convey to people who have not had a chance to work for you. This is where Employer Branding comes in, and Employer Branding is about selling the truth - not fiction and not the dream - and it must be believable. Thanks to social media employers can now get their message out to exactly the people they want to target and influence. But there is a lot of noise out there. Every brand is selling their story, so the biggest challenge is cutting through that noise, and make sure your voice is heard. This is where digital storytelling comes into play, and here are the steps you need to follow to successfully capture the attention and interest of your target audience. 1. Understand Your Target Audience and Identify Your Unique Selling PointsThe first step is always to make sure you understand your target talent. What motivates them? What are they looking for when it comes to their future career? What is their perception of your organisation? What employers are they attracted to? Once you understand your target group, it is time to define your unique selling points. What is the "soul" or the "personality" of your organisation? An Employer Value Proposition is always "unveiled" and never "created", and must abide by the following principles: it must be TRUE, SUSTAINABLE, ATTRACTIVE, CREDIBLE and DIFFERENTIATING.2. Localise Your Employer Value PropositionNow that you have identified your strengths as an employer, it's time to "localise" your EVP across demographics and functions. Of course, while your EVP needs to resonate with your different target segments it should also always carry a globally consistent message. I like to imagine the process of localising your EVP in the same way you would dress up a doll. The core "person" stays the same, but the outfit you choose is unique to each role, demographic and cultural context.3. Be Where Talent Expects to Find YouGoing social is no longer optional. Research from Universum has shown that social media is the no. 1 way for talent to learn about potential employers. If you compare social media platforms to countries, Facebook has today the largest world population (followed by China and India), WhatsApp the 5th and LinkedIn and Twitter the 9th and 10th respectively. By promoting your Employer Brand where talent expects to find you, and skilfully targeting your message, you have the potential to reach an audience equivalent to several countries at the click of a button, segment that audience and engage them with content that is uniquely relevant to them. 4. Tell Your StoryA story is a memorable way of presenting your authentic message, wrapping up your company's vision, culture and goals into one compelling and inspiring narrative. It allows talent to be captivated by the tangible aspects of your company experience while giving you an opportunity to stand out of the crowd. The people who will be drawn to your story have the highest potential to make the best additions to your team. 5. Share Genuine ContentYour target audience will not be impressed by a string of empty clichés ­ you want to build your strategy on facts and genuine endorsements. According to Universum research, the no.1 way to convey your EVP effectively is through company employees, so always tell your stories through your ambassadors - not a corporate mouthpiece - and communicate regularly to maximise impact.6. Target the Content StrategicallyDifferent content achieves different results, and it is important that every post has a purpose. If you want to increase your market share among talent who doesn't know
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