When it comes to recruiting new employees and retaining old ones, companies need to use their imagination. After all, qualified specialists are rare on the labor market - and they know their value. The decisive factor in employer branding is that the promises made in the glossy campaign are kept. Otherwise the new employees will be gone again very quickly. Social networks are playing an increasingly important role in the choice of employer, especially for young talent.
Hot air has no place
In no other area of marketing is it as clear as in employer branding that internal and external corporate communication are closely interlinked. This is where false promises from campaigns come to light particularly quickly: new employees who join the company due to good employer branding campaigns and then have to realize that it was all just hot air are usually gone again very quickly. This is why the principle of Authenticity in corporate communication.
Social media is gaining importance in employer branding
Nonetheless, employer branding is permitted and necessary for companies that want to attract the best specialists and - at least as importantly - retain them. However, a lot has also happened in this area in recent years: social networks are playing an increasingly important role in employer branding. This harbors risks, but also great opportunities for companies.
Especially the current favorites of HR managers, the Generation Yare known to be very internet-savvy. As digital natives, they are used to making full use of the opportunities offered by social media - both privately and professionally. HR managers should take advantage of this instead of focusing on the risks. After all, what could be a better campaign than authentic recommendations from satisfied employees?
Chief filter overridden
Companies can hardly control what employees post and share on social media. And even if they tried: It would probably backfire. After all, nobody wants to be censored in what they say on Facebook, Twitter and the like. The so-called "boss filter", where everything that gets out about the company is therefore largely nullified in social networks. And that's a good thing: Because the content posted by employees, interns and working students creates an authentic image of the company. This is much more informative for someone looking for a (new) employer than a full-page advertisement in a magazine.
After all, who are you more likely to trust if you are hoping for a neutral assessment? An advertisement or a recommendation from friends, acquaintances, customers or employees? Probably the latter. Probably two thirds of all internet users use social media. Before making purchase decisions, we read forums and Facebook groups, rely on customer reviews and share experiences with friends. It's no different when looking for a job. Companies and employers must therefore use social media for recruitment, as recommended by the German Association for Personnel Management (DGFP).
Get active!
When it comes to personnel marketing, employers must therefore become active in social networks. Sites such as Xing, LinkedIn and the rating portal kununu are playing an increasingly important role in the search for employers, but Twitter and Facebook are also hugely important. The decisive factor is that it is not about advertising, but about providing content, as with the Content Marketing. Stories of employee careers or reports on projects and processes in the company can also be disseminated by the HR department as testimonials and thus provide insights into the company and everyday working life.
Social media cannot (yet) replace traditional employer branding measures such as an online careers page, but they can complement them in a meaningful way. The big advantage: with a sensible strategy and consistent implementation, personnel and financial expenditure are lower than traditional employer branding marketing measures.
Employees must come first
Especially in the social media sector, employer branding must follow the guiding principle "Employees first, Candidates second" apply. After all, authentic messages that support recruitment come from satisfied employees. Their motivation and willingness to perform can quickly decline if they get the impression that "the newcomers" are to be lured with all kinds of incentives that are not available to the "old hands". Employee recruitment therefore always means employee retention.
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