TalentMinded

When you see two golden arches, what comes to mind? Maybe you see a Big Mac with a side of fries, as your mouth begins to water. Perhaps you’re reminded of a quick, inexpensive way to feed your family on a busy night. If you were seven, you’d probably think of toys and Happy Meals.

Today, McDonald’s is considered the most effective brand in the world and with good reason. They work diligently to create brand consistency and ensure that every customer has the same experience when they enter a store, whether it’s in New York, Albuquerque or Honolulu.

To create a memorable employment brand, put yourself in Ronald’s shoes. What are you promising job seekers? How can you deliver it consistently?

An Employment Brand is a Promise

Implementing a consistent employment brand allows you to communicate more effectively with prospective and current employees. Many believe a company’s brand is simply a logo, but it is much more. The reality is, a company’s brand is a promise to its customer. McDonald’s promises quick, inexpensive and tasty meals in a cheerful and clean environment. But like all promises, it’s only good if it’s kept. Failure to follow through can diminish your brand, leading to lost customers, sales and profits.

To create a memorable employment brand you must define your audience, determine your brand promise, design your look and then implement across all touch points. When developing an employment brand, it’s best to enlist the help of brand development professionals who can work with you to come up with strategic, high-quality components.

Getting Started

1. Define your target audience. Who is your ideal candidate? What are they looking for in an employer? What motivates them? Once you have identified who you are talking to, it will be easier to develop a brand promise that connects with their values.

2. Uncover your brand promise. What does your company have to offer? What are your values? How do you stand out against the competition? Your brand promise should be synergistic with your company’s mission statement and values. But be sure it’s something you can deliver every single time.

3. Design your look. A brand campaign typically consists of a logo, a color palette and a tagline. You will likely use your company’s existing logo and color palette as a jumping off point, but without departing from the brand standards, you can develop a look that is unique to your recruitment efforts through creative use of typefaces, complementary colors and images. You can also create a short, succinct tagline that summarizes your brand promise.

4. Implement across all touch points. Imagine if McDonald’s fries tasted different in Tampa than they did in Seattle. That wouldn’t be very effective, would it? Consistency is key when it comes to branding. The look, feel and messaging on your careers website should be mirrored on your Facebook careers page, display advertisements and other recruitment marketing collateral. Anytime a job seeker comes in to contact with your employment brand, they should receive the same message.

The concept of employment brand is constantly evolving. If you’ve recently been involved with the development of a memorable employment brand, we’d love to hear examples of the steps you took and how it has affected your recruitment process.

 

Image: Keoni Cabral/Flickr