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The economy is weakening, hiring is slowing, and company budgets are tight. Time to pull back on employer branding, right? 

Wrong.

During times of economic uncertainty, it might seem like investing in your employer brand is a luxury. But savvy talent professionals know that establishing brand awareness and reinforcing a positive image in the eyes of candidates and employees requires playing the long game. Employers who double down on their branding now will be in a better position to compete when the talent market inevitably picks up.

“Even during a hiring slowdown, you still need to maintain and reinforce your employer brand,” says Rachel Nevers, senior manager of talent attraction at LinkedIn. “It can take upwards of 40 touchpoints before a candidate will consider applying for a job with your organization. This is a good time to get ahead of the curve.”

How can you make your employer brand more powerful in the year ahead? Rachel, along with Dan Hoyle, senior brand manager of talent attraction at LinkedIn; Marta Riggins, a strategic consultant focusing on employer brand and employee engagement; and Mariano Aragunde, digital leader for recruitment marketing at IBM, shared their thoughts on some key employer branding trends you need to know about.

1. How you handle layoffs will have a big impact on your employer brand

Unfortunately, layoffs are becoming the new normal in some parts of the economy. At risk: your employer brand. 

Companies devote dollars and resources to cultivating a reputation of having a caring and humane company culture. That image could be severely damaged if a layoff is managed the wrong way. 

Witness the fierce backlash unleashed against employers that let go workers over Zoom or announced cuts with a dry company memo. “Companies,” Marta says, “are forgetting that employer brand is almost more important on the way out as it is on the way in.”

It’s important to be empathetic and transparent in your communications, and to provide as much help as possible to those who are leaving. When Airbnb embarked on massive layoffs during the pandemic, company CEO Brian Chesky sent a public message to employees that explained how he made his decision and made it clear to departing workers that it was not their fault.  

“Companies spend so much time creating a voice and tone for their internal communications,” Marta says, “and how to position themselves on their career site and LinkedIn profiles. That same voice and tone should be present when conducting a layoff.”

2. Meet the new must-have EVP: Stability

During times of economic uncertainty, it’s natural for workers to worry about switching jobs. Candidates will be looking for assurances that your company is financially stable and committed to fulfilling its promises to employees. 

“Stability,” Marta says, “is becoming an employee value proposition that candidates are looking for and that companies are starting to talk about.”

Craft a clear and accurate statement about your company’s financial status and business strategy. Write out talking points that can be incorporated into your communications. Train your recruiters on how they should address candidates’ questions and concerns. The goal is to ensure that your organization is articulating a consistent and transparent message that builds trust.

3. Employers will need to continue to communicate their social values

This is not the time to let up on your commitments to supporting social causes, our employer branding experts say. 

Regardless of economic ups and downs, working for a company that shares their values continues to be an important priority for employees and candidates: More than half of workers questioned in a CNBC/Momentive survey said they wouldn’t even consider a job at a company that has values they disagree with.

LinkedIn recently surveyed its own employees to gain a better understanding of what they most value about their jobs. A key finding: The No. 1 reason LinkedIn workers remain at the company is that they support its mission to connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful. 

Employers who want to flag their commitments to values have some new tools at their fingertips. Companies can now add a section to their LinkedIn company pages called Commitments, where they can showcase their dedication to such values as DEI, environmental sustainability, work-life balance, social impact, and career growth and learning.

LinkedIn is also launching a new feature called the Talent Interest Pipeline. With this functionality, candidates will be able to express an interest in working for a company while reviewing their About page but without having to apply for a specific role. Employers can build a pipeline of candidates who share their values, even if there are no open roles available.

4. Still offering flex work options? Flaunt it 

Not too long ago, companies routinely offered remote or hybrid work arrangements. Now, the number of remote jobs posted on LinkedIn is falling even as the number of candidates seeking remote work grows.

“What we’re seeing resoundingly from candidates,” Dan says, “is they want to be able to choose where they work and when they work.”

Use this dynamic to your advantage. If you’re committed to providing work-life balance and are offering flexible work arrangements to your employees, be sure to highlight that in your employer branding efforts. 

“I tell my clients, if you truly have a remote policy that’s not going to change, that’s a huge win,” Marta says. “It’s one of your biggest selling points.”

5. Email marketing is making a comeback

An old school marketing approach that lost its luster in recent years is getting some love again. Mariano Aragunde, IBM’s digital leader for recruitment marketing, says it’s time for employer branding pros to give email marketing another shot. 

Mariano has had success lately by regularly emailing newsletters to a list of potential IBM tech hires. “It provides me with more results than social or anything else,” he says, “when looking at things like click-through rates and open rates.”

Another advantage of email marketing: Rather than being flooded with applications from candidates who don’t fit job openings, IBM can target a select audience. “We have so many job applications,” Mariano says. “What we actually need is fewer job applications.”

What’s the key to a successful email marketing campaign? Create a newsletter that provides “differentiated value,” Mariano says. Rather than touting how great IBM is, the company’s newsletters update IT workers on tech innovations that may or may not involve IBM. 

“I’m not going to incite you to apply for a job,” Mariano says. “I want that application to come organically.”

Final thoughts: The best employer branding will showcase your unique qualities

Marta noted that to remain competitive in the year ahead companies will have to do a better job highlighting what’s uniquely attractive about their organization. 

All too often, employers simply follow a playbook of what they think candidates want to hear. “You might say, ‘We’re humble. We’re collaborative,’ but that’s not unique to you,” Marta says. And, frankly, she adds, those don’t really address what’s top of mind for candidates these days. Marta suggests that, instead, companies articulate clearly where they stand on stability, flexibility, well-being, and nurturing managers who care.

In the end, it may come down to asking yourself: What are the distinguishing features that might make candidates envision themselves working at this company?

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