How Managing Your Organization’s Online Reputation Attracts Better Talent

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image_30On a daily basis, one of your customers, employees, or potential job recruits is posting something about your company on the Web or a social media platform. Although the comments may not be accurate, everything that is written online contributes to the public’s opinion of your organization. The novel aspect of social media is their conversational tone: Knowledge sharing takes place through processes including discussion with questions and answers (online forums), collaborative editing (wikis) or storytelling with reactions (blogs) [1]. While you can’t control what customers or potential job candidates say, your organization can respond to posts online.

Many organizations have a social media specialist that is tasked with managing the company’s brand and reputation. This includes responding to online customer complaints, providing factual information when inaccurate information is online, and extending resolutions to unhappy customers.

Potential job candidates often search for reviews online before they make a decision about a job offer. Social media can be a positive tool for your company’s reputation if managed properly.

Enlist your current employees to be brand ambassadors. It is not necessary to forbid employees from posting on social media about your organization; simply providing some guidelines to your workforce can significantly improve what they post online. It is possible to respect their rights while requiring them to protect the reputation of your company.

The top talent has numerous job opportunities available to them. Competition is stiff, so your online reputation can encourage them to join your organization or not to join.

One powerful tool online is employee reviews. People truly take the time to read a credible review. If there are numerous negative reviews by customers, employees, and others, this is a red flag for a potential job recruit. If everyone is saying the same thing, something is probably wrong within your organization.

Being an employer who engages your employees, satisfies your customers, and creates a good corporate culture is the best protection of your online reputation. Top talent will definitely be attracted to a company that has a positive online reputation.

 

[1] https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/toolkits/pages/managingsocialmedia.aspx

 

How Proactive Branding and HR Teams Build Employee Loyalty

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Reputation management is an essential part of what human resources and marketing managers must do in order to build great teams and maintain employee loyalty. An organization’s reputation affects how potential applicants view the firm. Reputations also have an effect on how people working for the company feel about their employers. According to a recent Glassdoor survey, 84 percent of survey participants would consider leaving their current company if another company with an excellent reputation offered them a job [1]. By taking the time to proactively brand your organization and build strong human resources teams, you can help to build loyalty within your organization.

Daily Experiences in the Organization

A big part of proactive branding is ensuring that an employee’s daily experiences are positive. Your human resources teams will need to set the tone for the culture. When a company’s values are in line with the individual employee’s values, he or she is more likely to have a positive experience at work every day. Proactive branding at work should be included in the mission and vision statements as well as workplace policies. One positive branding message could be, “To treat every person with respect.” This sort of positive messaging is actionable and inclusive.

Focusing on Improvement

Admitting that your organization could use improvement is a great step in proactive branding. Working on improving how your organization does things gives every person a goal to work toward. Because improvement never stops, the idea that there is more to be done motivates employees to stay on at your organization. As employees see that work they are doing is improving your company, they will maintain their loyalty to your brand.

Integrating Brand and Business Strategy

Proactive branding should be intertwined with your overall business strategy. This means doing some brand research to see what people inside and outside of your organization think. The way that the top talent outside of your organization feels about you will have direct impact on who applies for jobs and who wants to initiate business relationships. Allowing your employees the ability to anonymously make comments about the business culture will help to build loyalty. Your organization can use that information to work toward maximizing internal resources and keeping your most talented employees on staff.

 

[1] http://www.careerarc.com/blog/2016/01/13-recruiting-stats-hr-pro-must-know-2016/

How to Get Employees Excited About Your Company’s Brand Image

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image_29Forbes reminds businesses that strong brands aren’t created exclusively in the marketing department [1]. Instead, every employee in the company contributes to its brand and image. Having employees who fulfill their contractual obligations is a far cry from employees who act as brand ambassadors even when they are off the clock. These suggestions help get employees excited about your company’s brand image.

Involving Employees in Social Media Campaigns

Employees have a unique and credible position in social media. Unlike executives or owners, who the public may believe have an agenda, employees can feel like a more realistic, friendly and legitimate source of information. That’s why it is so important to have employees feel free to contribute to and participate in social media campaigns. At Nokia, for example, employees are encouraged to talk about the brand on personal social media, and they have the freedom to give their honest opinions [2]. Social media expert Jenny Kuglin also suggests having staff take photos at work, during holiday parties or whenever something exciting happens involving the brand [3]. Using these photos on social media is a captivating way to show the genuine side of the brand, and it also excites the employee who took the picture.

Give Employees Product or Service Discounts and Perks

Small Business Trends pinpoints one of the key ways to generate interest in a brand: provide employees with discounts to offer friends and family [4]. This makes employees feel like an insider with valuable information, which in turn makes them more likely to speak positively about the brand. Those who receive the discount will have a better overall experience to know they got a deal, which keeps the positive momentum going.

Recognize Their Efforts

Turning employees into brand ambassadors and making them feel genuinely excited about the brand is not an easy task. When it does happen, reinforce what a great thing it is by recognizing the employee. According to Entrepreneur, this could be as simple as commemorative shirts for staff or a mention at a meeting if someone gets positive attention for the brand on social media [5].

Together, these tips can be integral in getting employees excited about your company’s brand.

 

[1] http://www.forbes.com/sites/williamarruda/2013/10/08/three-steps-for-transforming-employees-into-brand-ambassadors/

[2] http://linkhumans.com/blog/how-nokia-employees-brand-ambassadors

[3] https://www.rivaliq.com/blog/expand-your-online-branding/

[4] http://smallbiztrends.com/2014/09/turning-employees-into-brand-champions.html

[5] http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/241560

Best Practices for Branding Your Company

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image_02The way your brand speaks to others can have a great impact on the success of your company. According to LinkedIn’s 2015 Global Recruiting Trends Survey, 56% of 4,125 global talent leaders in 31 countries surveyed for said they believe cultivating their employer brand is a top priority [1]. Good branding takes a lot of thought, hard work, and the consolidation of resources. Here, we will discuss some of the best branding practices that can help your company find its unique identity in a competitive market.

Purpose of Your Brand

Before you get into the intricacies of branding, start with the fundamentals. One of the most important steps is defining the purpose of your brand. While you are still in the discovery phase, ask yourself some questions. What kind of impact do you want your business to have on others? What ideals does your company value? Who is your target market? What goals do you want to achieve in your company’s future?

Developing Your Brand

Now you are ready to build your brand. Understanding your target market and knowing what they want is key to developing your brand. From there, focus on your brand identity. Find out what separates your company from the rest, and once you have that figured out, focus all of your attention on building up from there. After you have developed your brand, you need to exert your passion and energy into preserving your brand long term. Keeping your brand consistent will keep your brand memorable and your customers happy.

Marketing Your Brand

Now that your brand has been established, you need to communicate your brand to the public. This can be done in the form of business cards, websites, and even social media. Establish your presence on sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+. Further your brand through other channels such as physical networking. Create partnerships and referral networks with those who will be able to help positively promote brand awareness. Hold events that center around your company’s purpose and its core values. When using a PR strategy, select media outlets wisely. You want to make sure your brand is always represented in a positive manner. When marketing your brand, not only are you reaching out to customers, but you are also reaching out to your future employees.

[1] http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/240951

 

Optimizing Your Company’s Rankings on the Most Popular Search Engines

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image_11In this current employment market, cream-of-the-crop recruits are in high demand. Now more than ever, organizations must be prepared to compete globally to hire the top talent.

The Internet is the most widely used tool for jobseekers in search of prospects. Those who know they have the goods to offer have so many choices when it comes to finding the right employer. How is your organization going to compete for the individuals who can give your business a cutting-edge advantage?

Search Engine Optimization and Inbound Marketing are the name of the game. Organic search drives 51% of all visitors to business-to-business and business-to-consumer Web sites, whereas paid-search drives 10% and social 5% [1]. Companies must rank high on the most widely used search engines in order to be found quickly. Ranking high on these search engines does not happen by chance. There must be a strategic marketing plan in place to position your company for success.

A strategic Inbound Marketing approach is comprehensive, and the results are measurable. When your organization utilizes this critical business strategy, there will be impressive results. The best of the best will start knocking on your door.

A strategic marketing approach must be ongoing. It is not a one-time solution, so working with a reputable Inbound Marketing company is crucial. Search engine algorithms change frequently, so experienced Internet marketing specialists are equipped to adjust the strategy to meet any challenges. Staying on the cutting edge of recruiting top talent is essential to your company’s bottom line. Money spent on marketing is certain to yield a high ROI.

Your Internet Marketing specialist will design a comprehensive strategy. They will then optimize your website and all of your content distributed online. Any adjustments that need to be made will be discussed with you and your firm. The real key to a great Internet marketing strategy is consistency.

These specialists are able to analyze what works and tweak the strategy to best work for your recruiting needs. At any given time, your organization will be able to see how many visitors are landing on your site, what practices are working and what strategies need to be changed. As an organization, you don’t have to worry about these details. Let a skilled, reputable Internet Marketing firm bring in the goods.

 

[1] http://www.business2community.com/online-marketing/21-spectacular-seo-and-search-marketing-stats-and-facts-01258892

Increase Brand Awareness and Your Recruitment Reach by Implementing Fresh Content

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image_16When you need to increase awareness of your brand and bring in new, energetic staff members to your team, one way to do so is to implement fresh content across all of your media. Your website is the first place prospective candidates go to find out about you. Old, outdated content that is no longer relevant or that never changes from one day to the next is a sure way to turn off high-quality applicants. Consider implementing these four types of content to keep your recruitment and brand up to date.

Informative News
When you’re launching a new company-wide initiative, releasing a new product or making updates to an existing service, let your customers and potential employees know about it. Take care to not only release statistics but to create small sound bites of 88 words or less about what’s going on this week at your organization.

Videos
Actions speak louder than words, and today’s job seekers want to see what your company is up to. Uploading relevant videos to your website and social media pages helps applicants really get a feel for what your organization is doing. Videos should not be highly choreographed or edited but should provide a glimpse of the important goings-on at your headquarters and facilities.

Asking Questions
Another way to increase your brand awareness and keep recruits interested in your organization is to ask questions as a part of your overall content stream. Be welcoming to any and all responses, including those that might not be as positive as you would like. Even criticism helps to keep the conversation going. The more likes and followers, the more of your content that will be shown on your followers’ feeds.

Success Stories
Your customers and potential recruits love to hear success stories related to your brand and not just self-serving ones. Let your customers, current employees or former staff members who have retired or moved on tell others about their successes with you. Perhaps an episode of exceptional customer service or a fantastic mentoring program is just what your recruitment marketing needs to draw in the best of the applicants.

 

The Importance of Articulating & Positioning Employer Branding

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image_03In recent years, labor markets have become increasingly competitive, which in turn has become a major concern for employers trying to attract and retain employees. Finding the perfect candidate who not only has the skills, but who also will contribute to the strategic goals of the organization can be a difficult task. HR leaders need to know the importance of articulating and positioning employer branding in order to gain a competitive advantage.

Just as consumer branding attracts customers, employer branding serves as a means for attracting talent to your organization. Before marketing your brand, make sure you fully understand what your brand stands for. By gathering information both internally and externally, you’ll see what makes your organization’s brand engaging, compelling, and unique.

In order to position your brand in the marketplace, you must first create an accurate view of what it’s like to work at your company. Be real and upfront with people. Instead of using stock photos on the company website, take real pictures of employees working in their actual work environment. When you clarify your brand in the marketplace, you will attract more candidates that are in line with your goals.

Once you have your brand positioned, you need to consider a method of reaching your desired audience. The Internet should be one of your main marketing tools as it is a great platform to reach a large pool of job candidates. Social media is also trending among employers looking to reach young, emerging talent. Of course, newspaper, radio, and television ads are also good traditional methods. Even involving your employees can be a great way to reach people and disseminate the message you want to share.

Employer branding can help attract key talent, increase the number of employee referrals, and even improve the quality of job candidates. As an HR leader, you have the responsibility of sustaining your employer brand. It’s not something you can check off a list; maintaining your brand is an ongoing project. Once you actually see the results of what articulating and positioning employer branding can do for your company, you will have a noticeably stronger business.

 

The Importance of Selling the Job Opportunity

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image_017Every employer wants the best staff that his or her money can buy. In order to attract the most desirable candidate, you need to sell the opportunity as you would any other product. The purpose of this is to attract top individuals to your organization. These prospective employees need to feel like working for your company is the ideal career choice.

Peaking Their Interest

When you post a job opportunity, there is little doubt that you may see an influx of resumes and applications. With the job market the way it is, even unqualified individuals may send in their information. By putting more effort into selling the job, you may increase the interest of candidates that excel in the position. With his or her skills and knowledge, the candidate can find a job in a variety of locations, and you want your organization to stand out among those prospective employees that have superior qualifications.

The Competition

The employees of competing organizations are what drive its success. If you don’t secure highly qualified staff members, you could be inadvertently strengthening the competition’s hold within the market. By enhancing the listing of the job opportunity to engage those individuals, your company could become stronger as a whole. Cases in point, brand name organizations such as Apple and Google are successful because of the people working within the establishment. Talented employees can drive the success of virtually any business platform.

Being More than a Brand

While many people will seek employment from various companies simply because of the brand name, others may want to know why they should apply. What kinds of opportunities are available for growth? What is the general atmosphere like? Questions such as these can speak to a potential candidate and give him or her information about what it would be like to work for your company. Certain working atmospheres can play into people’s personalities creating an enjoyable environment. The happier staff members are to remain at their jobs, the less likely you’ll have to find replacements and train new employees.

Selling the job opportunity doesn’t need to sound like you’re begging for qualified staff. You need to focus on why a person would want to work within your organization. This can help you find the right staff member who will be an asset to the team and enhance the company profile.

Effective Blogging Strategies for Recruitment

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image_010Locating and then recruiting the right staff members is a challenge for any organization. As job candidates increasingly look to blogs, online postings and social media to search for jobs, one way that Human Resources personnel can recruit the top tier of applicants is by taking to the blogs themselves and enticing the best candidates to apply for openings within the organization. These top four blogging strategies for recruitment are effective and efficient at getting the most desirable person into the job.

Infuse the Blog with Personality

Even corporate blogs should be infused with personality that is in line with the operations of the organization. The tone of the blog should allow readers and future applicants to get a feel for the culture of the organization. A light touch of humor can go a long way in helping applicants feel welcome to the company.

Vary the Posting Types

Readers of a business blog do not want to read the same material over and over again. Vary the type of posts to maintain reader interest. Consider various post options such as tips for applicants, hints about what is going on in the industry and success stories of people working in the company. Interviews with current staff members and list-type posts also help to recruit top-notch candidates.

Make a Point in Every Post

Give applicants a reason to come back and join the corporation. Every post should have a point. Making each recruitment posting worthwhile helps applicants understand that their time is respected and that future events at the company, such as staff meetings, will be productive and worthwhile. Blog posts should not be too wordy or too vague.

Share Industry Insights

Keep it interesting by sharing industry insights that show why the business is top in its field. Infographics are an up-to-date means of sharing information in a way that is eye-catching and easy to understand. Embedded videos are another way to share insights while maintaining the applicant’s interest in being recruited to the organization.

 

Best Practices for Engaging Top Talent in Interviews

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image_015A prospective employee’s interview is part of the hiring process continuum rather than an isolated stage. Top talent engagement begins before the formal interview and continues while they remain in the pipeline, during training and throughout their career with your company.

Engagement Based on Employment Brand

Your organization’s employment brand derives directly from the company’s shared vision of the future. The brand image must be comprehensive and present themes tailored to your hiring demographics.

Each organization’s brand is unique, but encompasses basic values:

  • Open communication and information sharing
  • Support for learning and growth
  • Meaningful work goals
  • Regard for work/life balance
  • Generous compensation for great work

These and a shared sense of mission towards personal, department and company-wide goals are the basis for recruit engagement.

Prior to the Interview: Consistent Branding

Smart companies will have developed suites of videos communicating their organizational values and showing off their “best place to work” attributes. Videos reinforce brand image after an interview and are easily shared via social media.

During the Interview

Despite a consistent brand image, a top candidate may remain skeptical about whether the organization means what it says. Prepare for their doubts about how their career goals align with those of the company. Listen carefully and address these with relevant, concrete examples. If possible, enlist a member of the team with the requisition to address their questions.

Post-Interview Engagement

Especially if your candidate was identified with the help of social media, utilize that media after the interview to maintain engagement. Sharing relevant media or comments shows interest as long as it is tasteful and non-intrusive. Regular contact lets the candidate know there is ongoing interest, and he or she will greatly appreciate the attention to any further questions they have.

Benefits to Interview Engagement

Candidates who feel that a company has a place for them and listens to their concerns and ideas are far more likely to accept an offer and subsequently grow to be high performers. They also have potential to become one of your organization’s greatest proponents of the company culture to other recruits.