Creating an employer brand campaign to attract new candidates

When an organisation has defined its Employee Value Proposition, it then needs to create a campaign to ‘spread the good word’ and raise awareness of why its employment proposition is worthy, honest and attractive. Here are some key objectives the campaign must achieve:

> have impact, stimulate curiosity and create a desire to find out more. To facilitate this, people should have information close at hand linking them to your website or blog or a person at the end of a telephone. It should stimulate in them a desire to read about you, ask others about your organisation, or even apply for a job.

> engage with their hearts and their minds and be an unforgettable experience

> have consistency with the employer brand promise and that of the corporate brand

> be complementary with all other advertising, marketing and PR activities – you may have to liaise with your marketing department for this one

> give a simple, clear and compelling reason to work in your organisation

> give an accurate representation of what it is like to work in the organisation that is consistent with the views and beliefs of the present employees, to the extent that people actually look forward to coming to work there and are proud to work there

> give a clear indication of the organisation’s level of commitment to finding the right people and then looking after them

> paints a positive picture and gives the impression that it is fun, challenging, prestigious and rewarding to work there

> preferably has a theme – visual or verbal – that sums up the offer ans sticks in their mind

> the campaign must have ‘stickiness’ and longevity and not be seen as a short term initiative

> must be appropriate for the target audiences – whether it be senior managers, the sales team, the production line workers – the content and method of delivery must be appropriate for their needs

> must be believable, realistic and based on truth – not a slick piece of PR spin

> paints a positive picture of the whole organisation – its products, customers, services, partnerships, management style, culture, philosophy, beliefs and so on.

> makes people think about their future career ambitions, the compatibility of what you are offering and how their present job is stacking up

> must attract positive responses when shown to existing employees – in other words test it before releasing it – if the staff don’t agree with it, bin it and start again

> it must be memorable, eye catching, different, unique, funny... even provocative.

> makes people feel that ‘this could be the job they’ve dreamed about’

> will work equally well across different media.

> must appeal to the age group you are targeting – their tastes, language, habits, interests, hopes and dreams

> must have the endorsement of the CEO and senior managers

Tony Heywood is a Fellow of the Design Institute of Australia, founder of Heywood Innovation in Sydney Australia and co-founder of BrandSynergy in Singapore.
tony@heywood.com.au
www.heywood.com.au
www.brandsynergy.com.sg