Recently, #WorkTrends podcast host Meghan M. Biro sat down with employer brand expert Susan LaMotte to talk about the power of a great employer brand. Specifically, they focused on why every organization needs to assess whether their employer brand truly represents their company’s essence, or only conveys its “eh.”
Susan, the Founder and CEO of Exaqueo, has worked with an wide range of organizations, from chicken dinners (Boston Market), to communications (T-Mobile), and from education (Princeton University) to a retail giant (CVS Health). Although these companies vary dramatically in their industry focus and mission, Susan recommends that all organizations focus on their heart and soul. Anything less won’t attract strong talent or engage existing employees, she says.
Employers spend tremendous energy and big budgets on marketing, but CMOs and their teams focus on customers, Susan said. In contrast, a great employer brand requires a focus on job candidates and employees. However, they both depend on a common strategy: research and more research.
Learning everything about employee’s values, needs, behaviors, life in and outside of the workforce is all a part of it, and so is enlisting everyone, every stakeholder, to be part of the effort. And the most important part? “Consistency,” Susan said. “On the marketing side, we look at the attributes of a product and then we settle on the strongest ones that are most important to our customers to build our brand on. We should do the same thing on the employer brand side as well.”
“You hear that, everybody?” Meghan said. “Consistency. That is absolutely the word of the day.”
The two discussed the importance of listening — how it’s too easy for executives to overlook complaints or concerns from employees. They talked about candidate experience as well — and agreed that the candidate experience, in fact, is part of the employer brand.
“We’ve got this continuous sense that everybody is connected to the lifecycle, the brand, the outcome, the rest of the world,” Meghan said, underscoring that brand meaning isn’t static, but dynamic.”
“It’s every interaction,” Susan concurred, even from the first time a candidate hears your brand name. “That initial contact “gives them a perspective,” she said. “You’re branding from the first moment.” And as leaders, she added, “that’s what we have to pay attention to.”
Listen to the full conversation and see our questions for the upcoming #WorkTrends Twitter Chat. And don’t forget to subscribe, so you don’t miss an episode.
Twitter Chat Questions
Q1: Why aren’t some brands better at discovering their employer brand? #WorkTrends
Q2: What strategies can help organizations build a strong employer brand? #WorkTrends
Q3: How can leaders shape a powerful, authentic employer brand? #WorkTrends
Find Susan LaMotte on Linkedin and Twitter
