14 Key Elements of Your Employer Brand, And How to Review Them

14 Key Elements of Your Employer Brand, And How to Review Them

75% of jobseekers will consider the brand of any potential employer before applying for a position, with research finding that a good employer brand has the potential to:

• Decrease the average cost-per-hire by 50%
• Increase the number of qualified candidates applying for any position by 50%
• Reduce staff turnover by 28%
• Speed up the hiring process by up to two times

In 2024, getting your employer brand right is more important than ever. As the life sciences industry is showing new signs of growth after a challenging couple of years, the competition for top talent is soon to get tough, and now is the time to be positioning your organisation as an employer of choice.

In this article, we’ve highlighted 14 elements of your employer brand that you should be reviewing; from your company website to your physical workspace…

Your Company Website

Your website is the most important platform to utilise when building and enhancing your employer brand. View your website through the eyes of somebody who doesn’t know much about who you are and what you do or ask someone outside of your company to do this for you.

Ask yourself and the other person(s) to spend some time going through your main pages, and write down answers to the following questions about your organisation:

• What is your initial impression of the company?
• How clearly does the website communicate what the company does?
• Are the company’s mission and vision statements prominently displayed and easy to understand?
• Are the company’s core values clearly articulated? Do these values resonate with you?
• Does the content (text, images, videos) on the website feel authentic and genuine?
• How effectively does the website convey the company’s culture and work environment?
• Is there evidence that the company values diversity and inclusion?
• How easy is it to find information about career opportunities?
• Does the company showcase any community involvement or social responsibility initiatives?
• Are there testimonials from current or past employees? Do they provide valuable insight into the company’s environment?
• Does the website provide information on career development and growth opportunities within the company?
• Is there any mention of work-life balance or employee wellbeing initiatives?
• How would you rate the overall user experience of the website, including navigation, load time, and mobile responsiveness?
• How appealing is the website’s design, including layout, colour scheme, and images?
• Is the website content well-written, engaging, and free of errors?
• How easy is it to find contact information for the company’s recruiting team or HR department?
• Does the website link to the company’s social media profiles or blog?
• Is there a clear call to action for potential candidates interested in joining the company?

When it comes to your website, every page counts. Even on pages where you’re not actively promoting your organisation as a great place to work – for example, in your product portfolio or contact pages – these are still pages that jobseekers will browse to learn more about you and are therefore still important parts of your company’s overall image.

Employer Review Sites

In most cases, jobseekers trust feedback from current and previous employers more than your word. This is why it’s so important to actively keep track of your company on sites like Glassdoor and Indeed, and to pay attention to any recurring themes whether positive or negative.

Even if you’ve got a string of negative reviews, publicly acknowledging concerns and demonstrating your commitment to doing better can contribute to a positive brand. You’ll be showing jobseekers that you value the employee experience, and that you encourage open and honest communication.

Competitor Research

As well as reviewing your own brand, you need to be aware of how your competitors are positioning themselves. As you’re working in the same field, you’ll have overlaps in the types of candidates you’re trying to attract, and so your employer brand is key in setting you apart. There’s no point investing your time and resources into rejuvenating it if it’s only going to echo what’s already out there!

Make sure you have your own unique selling points, and a clear reason why jobseekers should apply for a job with you.

Employee Feedback

Getting your employer brand right isn’t only beneficial for talent acquisition, but also talent retention. Use internal surveys, focus groups, and 1-to-1s to discover how your employees perceive your company as a place to work. Ask about the onboarding process, company culture, professional development opportunities, and anything else they think could be improved. Not only will this give you ways of improving things, but it also might give you some positive key words and phrases that you can interweave into your messaging.

Ensure you gather feedback from all levels of your organisation, and that you’ve created an environment where employees feel comfortable and empowered to be open and honest without fear of repercussions.

The Application Process

Even if you have an employer brand that shines through on your website and social media channels, the work doesn’t stop there. You need to make sure that at every touchpoint throughout a jobseeker’s journey, your brand is clear and consistent, and this includes the entire application process. It’s not just about the messaging and imagery you use, but also how the process is structured, how long it takes, and how you communicate with candidates throughout.

Apply for one of your roles yourself and ask someone outside the company to apply to experience your application process firsthand. Note any frustrations or areas for improvement, including how to make the process as quick and simple as possible to reduce drop off and improve engagement. Everything from the language you use in application forms to your candidate’s response rates should reflect your brand, and in the competition for top talent, every single part of the process counts.

Candidate Feedback

If you want to create a brand that engages your target audience of candidates, you need to understand what it is they’re looking for, and the best way you can do this is by asking them!

Collect as much feedback as you can from candidates who have gone through the hiring process, whether they were hired or not. Their insights can reveal a lot about your company’s appeal and the efficiency of your process. If they’ve actually met with you or gone into your office and spent time with your employees, they can also give their perspective on the culture and work environment, and anything else they picked up on during their time with you.

Social Media Profiles

Having a strong employer brand on social media doesn’t mean your company has to be visible on every single platform. Instead, focus on the platforms where you know your target candidates are, and those that you know you have the time and resources to update consistently.

Ensure your company culture, mission, values, and vision are clearly communicated not only through the content that you share, but also through the information you include on your company page. Especially if you’re using social media platforms like LinkedIn to post your roles, make sure you’ve utilised the little space you have on your page to clearly communicate the benefits of working with you, positioning your organisation as an employer of choice.

Social Media Engagement

Analyse the engagement level of your posts related to company culture, events, and job openings. Social listening tools can help you gauge the public perception and sentiment towards your brand and give you an idea of what types of content jobseekers like to see the most.

Look through your recent posts, and make sure that the content that’s being shared is consistent with your brand. If someone left your website to check out your LinkedIn page, would they see a continuation of your company voice, branding, and culture? Do the posts you share of your employees reflect what you’ve said about your company culture online? Review everything on your social media profiles from your logos and bios to your content and replies and take note of anywhere you feel your brand could be better amplified.

Employee Advocacy

Your employees are your biggest brand ambassadors. Assess how often they share company content, refer positions to others, or speak positively about your company on their own social media accounts.

Whilst it’s not a requirement for your employees to use their personal social media accounts to talk about work (unless it’s their job!), there is content you can share to encourage this, and to help spread your brand organically. For example, you can use your company page to celebrate employee milestones and share employee-focused content such as ‘day in the life’ videos or blog posts.

External Recruitment Platforms and Directories

You should always keep track of any external platforms and directories that your organisation is listed on, including job boards, review sites, third party directories, and more. As these are all places where you can be discovered by jobseekers, your brand must be present to make a long-lasting impact. Every listing you have should reflect what jobseekers will find on your website and other channels and should entice them to find out more.

Whenever you make a significant change to your website or marketing collateral, make sure these are reflected everywhere your organisation has an account.

Internal Communications

Your internal communications shape the lived experience of your employees, which is the foundation of your employer brand. When employees have positive experiences backed by consistent and supportive communication, they are more likely to contribute to a positive employer image both inside and outside of your organisation.

Review all your internal communications, ensuring that the messaging included in things such as company newsletters or posts on your staff intranet are positively reinforcing what you stand for as an organisation.

PR and Media Output

Getting your external communications right is just as important, and this includes things such as company news announcements, whitepapers, webinars, and more. Again, these are another touchpoint for potential candidates, and can shape their first impression of you.

Review everything you’re sharing, and how you’re incorporating your employer brand. Even if you’re sharing a formal press release containing financial updates, you can incorporate your company’s personality, whether that’s through a personal quote from the CEO, or by including an engaging ‘About Company’ section following the release.

Even if the news you’re not sharing isn’t positive, how you manage your public image during the downs as well as the ups can positively reinforce your brand. Transparent and ethical communication in times of challenge demonstrate responsibility and integrity, appealing to both current and prospective employees.

Marketing Collateral and Merchandise

Company merchandise, brochures, business cards, and other promotional items can have a significant impact on your brand by creating a tangible connection with the brand and enhancing its visibility. Well-designed collateral can convey a professional and cohesive image of your company, reinforcing its identity and values. For example, if you’ve got business cards, do they show each employees’ photo? Are they smiling in that photo? Has the photo got a corporate backdrop, or is it more personal to the employee? All these little things make a big difference in terms of creating the right first impression.

Company merchandise such as branded hoodies and t-shirts can serve as walking advertisements when used by employees and partners in public. They can act as conversation starters, generate interest, and be a source of pride for employees who become brand ambassadors for your company. Strike a balance between ensuring such merchandise is usable/wearable for your employees outside of work, whilst ensuring it clearly communicates your company’s image. For example, is the company logo on both the back and front of your hoodie? Have you included your company tagline? Have you stuck to your company’s colour palette?

Physical Workspace

Lastly, your physical workspace also says a lot about the type of company you are. For example, open plan offices can signal a culture of collaboration and cross-functional working, as well as a lack of hierarchical barriers and more communication between different levels of your organisation.

How you design your office depends on the type of environment you want to cultivate but requires a strategic approach. Everything including the colours you use, the way your desks are set out, and even the location of your office will signal things about your company whether consciously or unconsciously and shouldn’t be ignored.

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