Creating and Implementing a Great Employer Brand
Employer branding is a type of marketing that showcases your company and the employment experience in its entirety. It’s also one of the most discussed topics among business leaders—and its importance spans far beyond LinkedIn.
That’s right, employer branding is far more than a buzzword-y business tactic. It’s a strategy that all eyecare organizations should be undertaking, and one that can seriously impact your ability to find and retain high-quality talent, especially in today’s hiring market.
In this article, we’ll explore the impact employer branding can have on your hiring and how you can implement an employer brand that achieves results.
The importance of a strong employer brand
Before jumping into how to build an employer brand, it’s important to understand why you should do so in the first place. According to iHire’s “Hiring & Job Search Outlook Report,” 54.3 percent of surveyed employers plan to do more to grow their employer brand in 2023. It’s no coincidence that this comes at a time when, according to the same report, 67 percent of candidates expect to search for a new job in the coming year.
54.3 percent of surveyed employers plan to do more to grow their employer brand in 2023. Are you investing in your employer brand?
Building a strong employer brand allows you to showcase what your organization brings to the table. In a hiring environment where workers have been emboldened by the circumstances of the past few years, it’s important to highlight why they should come work for and with you.
Consider the approach of LensCrafters. A scroll their LinkedIn page shows their approach to employer branding, showcasing a teamwide dedication to innovation and style within the optical industry and a dedication to continued improvement and growth, both internally and externally.
Every eyecare organization cannot take the same approach as LensCrafters, and nor should they. The goal of employer branding is to highlight your unique strengths and the value you add, meaning your approach to employer branding should always be unique to you and your goals.
Factors to consider when implementing your employer brand
Establishing an employer brand, especially when you haven’t previously considered your company’s positioning, can be daunting. However, it doesn’t need to be more complicated than necessary, especially if you have a plan for how to navigate the process.
Here are a few factors to consider when establishing and implementing your employer brand:
- Think about your organization’s mission, values, goals and culture. This is a great jumping-off point for employer branding. Consider your unique organizational mission and goals as the base of your employer brand—everything should support these and your clearly defined culture and values.
- Conduct internal and external research. Internal and external research are equally important in defining your employer brand. This research allows you to better understand how your eyecare organization is currently perceived by current employees and targeted candidates, as well as how you are positioned in relation to competitors.
- Define your employer value proposition. Your employer value proposition (EVP) is the all-encompassing definition of what your company can offer in exchange for your employees’ time and expertise. It contains your mission, values and culture, showcasing what you have to offer and why highly-qualified eyecare professionals should work for you. In essence, it is one of the most critical portions of employer branding.
- Establish and use metrics. Like all aspects of business, you should have quantifiable ways to measure the effectiveness of your employer branding. Some options to consider include measuring the quality of hire, employee satisfaction and employee referrals, among other metrics.
Obviously, there are other factors to consider when implementing an employer brand, but starting with these factors in mind can give you a head start on finding eyecare talent that aligns in totality with your organizational goals.
How imatters can help
Understanding the “why” and “how” of employer branding is one thing, but it can be much more intimidating to begin the process of building your employer brand. That’s where our team can help.
imatters is a full-service recruiting firm for the eyecare industry with extensive industry experience and knowledge that has consistently propelled our clients’ and candidates’ success alike. Our team understands what it takes to find the right talent in the eyecare industry, and we can help you identify and highlight the unique aspects of your organization that can fortify your employer brand, while avoiding the common mistakes that hinder hiring.
Already feel comfortable with your employer branding? Consider our advertising services as a way to reinforce your branding among the industry’s largest, curated database of eyecare professionals.
With an upcoming recruitment subscription service—that’s right, stay tuned for this exciting announcement—we can help you consistently leverage your employer brand and find eyecare professionals who fully align with and support your mission and values.
Whether you need help establishing your employer brand, want to discuss your EVP or would like to improve your hiring results, we can help. We are the premier eyecare staffing and recruiting firm, and we know what it takes to succeed. Handle hiring the right way in 2023—schedule a consultation today.