Talent Branding vs. Employer Branding - Knowing the difference and employing both in unison

It’s only a matter of weeks now before you start with us, I’m really excited to get the ball rolling. And what better way to start by getting you to think about Employer Branding. So, I’ve dug up this blast from the past…

Early in 2017 I wrote this piece all about the differences between talent and employer branding. The principles are still the same today, so worth the read. And as a little nod to the past the picture to the left is by a great guy I know Paul Davis, in the old days I used to send him my draft blog and he would sketch me the perfect illustration. Cool right?

It’s rare to get through any marketing or recruitment blog post these days and not see the word ‘branding’. Everything is brandable. Words, practices, people, everything. Social media and sector crossbreeding has penned many a new industry term, and it’s this refinement of recruitment practices and communication that has given us more food for thought and ways to action our messages.

Employer branding is one such term that is steadily creeping into the Marketing 101 scripture. The personalisation of messaging and role of employees in company branding has spread like wildfire, and with new attitude comes new sub-categories, relevance and practices. It’s easy to get lost in a wave of industry jargon and sector swapping, definitions become blurred and hybrids develop. One such blurring has occurred between the mutually valid, but very different, Employer Branding and Talent Branding.

Employer Branding - Hello candidates, come work for us

Employer branding has been a much covered, and argued, term in the world of recruitment. Marketing your company as a progressive, active and employee-centred employer is what Employer Branding is all about. Know what makes your company a good employer choice and communicate that to candidates. It may sound simple enough, but as with all practices, the impact lays in across the board commitment, consistency and the complete company involvement, that includes employees and all company departments.

Many see Employer Branding and its Talent-based sibling as one in the same. Both centre on talent attraction, communication and recruitment. It’s tough out there, talent gets snapped up swiftly so companies need to look to new means of reaching the best folk, baggin the right talent and keeping them happy. Employer Branding can be very effective in grabbing the attention of candidates, beefing out their corporate identity and hinting at the deeper opportunities employees are privy to. More than anything, Employer Branding prioritises communication.

Whether it’s feedback via facebook, blog posts by employees or job ads on Twitter, it’s all about constant contact and an concise and consistent identity that instills trust and excitement in their potential candidates.

Branding can be applicable to all sectors, organisations and departments. Most think marketing first, and this has been the downfall of many who have embarked on a branding mission. Yes branding is key to marketing but this reliance on this one department’s duty fails to recognise that branding is about how you communicate as much as what you communicate.

Talent Branding - Hello candidates, here’s what its like to work with us

Perhaps one of the best ways to explain Talent Branding is to call it ‘The Experience Branding’.

It’s all about how the positivity of every candidate experience associated with the company contributes to the appeal and reputation of the organisation as a whole.

• What talent practices make you a key employer for candidates?
• What jobs will enable you to make the most impact and develop as an individual?
• What is it like to work for your company on a day-to-day basis?
• How is the recruitment process, candidate and talent-centred?

There are similarities between Talent Branding and its Employer counterpart, the potential for employees to make their mark on a company being a main one, but Talent Branding is as much about retention as acquisition. Show candidates how their talent is utilised, developed and valued. Don’t just say, show them. Yes they may be supported as an employee but what about as a talent?

This is where the Talent Value Proposition comes in. Not only is the Talent Brand a direct result of this, but it is central to your business strategy. In short, your TVP, or EVP, is the unique appeal of working for you. What makes you different and why do you have the happiest, longest retained employees? It’s a balance, what’s important to the company and to the team behind it. This combination of Employer and Talent-focused values helps candidates confirm their choices. It is your offer to your potential employees so it has to be rooted in practice, exciting to communicate and above all, genuine.

Employer and Talent Branding can work in perfect harmony together. As with all successful strategies, it’s a case of researching, planning, timing and consistency. There’s no point introducing and communicating an Employer Brand if you don’t have the goods to back it up. If you start professing to be the best company to work for, flexible in working attitudes, social media-friendly and don’t deliver, then not only will you lose employees but you will gain a hard to shake negative reputation. Getting candidates through the door is one thing, keeping them is another. Maybe this is the best way to cement the difference between Talent and Employer Branding.

Talent Branding communicates the ‘goods’ that back it up. The practices, experiences and true value that makes a company the best option. It doesn’t see Talent as an umbrella term for defining the best candidates; it signifies the unique ways and attitudes a company has to develop different talent segments. As mentioned above, it’s not just about what you say but how you say it. The role of social media, employee blog posts or diaries has a huge part to play in this. Talent should talk to talent, employees should communicate with potential candidates directly and the best companies are the ones that facilitate this unselfishly and with total trust.

Roll forward 3 years and Wow! Does this little blog hit home. It’s great to think that we've now positioned ourselves as an agency that can create that culture. And in turn, will be used to drive talent branding and candidate attraction long into the future.

Exciting times indeed. And I can’t wait for you to be part of it.

See you soon, Mark