In the past, HR and marketing departments had little to do with each other. Human Resources placed their focus on new hires and current employees, while the marketing team would concentrate predominantly on the consumer side of things. However, with the growth of technology and social media, the two departments have been growing increasingly closer to one another and it turns out that creating a great employer brand involves many of the same techniques as marketing the brands product. Though many HR professionals would consider themselves pretty tech savvy, it’s the marketing professionals who tend to know and have access to the latest technological trends to communicate and engage with their customers.
So how exactly is technology bridging the gap between HR and marketing and what can be done for them to work well hand in hand?
Customers have become potential employees.
A lot of brand marketing reflects the culture and values of an organisation in order to create a rounded representation of the company in the eye of both the consumers and also job seekers. If a certain individual has become a loyal customer of the brand, chances are that they have done so because they feel they are familiar with the brands products, can identify with the company culture and share similar principles. Essentially this makes them a good cultural fit for the company, which is crucial for employee engagement and retention.
All you need then are the required skills of course and you’ve found yourself the perfect employee!
So once the consumers had been identified as potential employees, it made sense to create some crossover between marketing that targets both customers and also job seekers, with particular focus online. These individuals can be pinpointed among the brands social media following and data can be taken from user activity that will not only to predict consumer behaviours, but also employee performance.
Creating an effective employer brand.
Most businesses have a strong online presence for marketing purposes, however they can also leverage this presence for talent attraction. The growth of technology has really broadened the reach of an organisation, whether it through the existing company website and social media accounts, or by setting up new career focused ones. This has opened up possibilities for employers to source the best candidates available to them and made significant changes to the way that employers communicate with talent.
Building a great employer brand can make a world of difference when it comes to hiring. After all, job seekers are more likely to want to work for an organisation who successfully promotes themselves for supporting their employees and having a constructive, enjoyable work environment, than for a business who offers very little insight into their company culture.
By integrating HR and marketing strategies, a company can build an effective employer brand that will attract the top talent to the organisation. Similar methods can be used for attracting new employees to the company, as for enticing customers to their product, such as advertising jobs, sharing interesting content, interacting with followers and exhibiting the human side of the brand.
Social media makes it possible for an organisation to share a glimpse into the company culture and the experience of the employees, that will allow job seekers to envisage themselves working there. Much like in marketing, it is important for an organisation to be able to interact with and build a relationship with their followers, for the sake of building a reputation as a personable and reputable business.
Employees are brand ambassadors.
Current employees make the best brand ambassadors, as they can offer a more authentic and trustworthy representation of your organisation than that presented through official marketing channels. People will look to a company’s workforce for a more honest and personal insight into a company, not only as a consumer, but also for seeking an insight into what the company is like as an employer.
Social media is the perfect tool for employee advocacy, as a large number of employees will already have an extensive network of friends, followers, and connections, expanding the brand’s reach significantly. All it takes for social advocacy to work, is to encourage employees to talk about their job and the company on social media, be it by sharing photos of a team night out or expressing thoughts about a project they are currently working on. Any positive posts about the organisation and what it’s like to work there will create a favourable impression of the business as a brand and an employer.
Many companies have developed an employee hashtag where all employee content about the organisation can be recorded, for example #lifeatlinkhumans.
