Enlist Your Employees in Employer Branding

In the fierce competition for qualified employees, strong employer branding is one of a small business owner’s best strategies. But did you realize how helpful your existing employees can be in helping you build—and disseminate—a great employer brand? Here are some ideas for enlisting your employees in employer branding.

1. Make sure all employees know your company’s mission statement. When someone asks an employee what your company does, do they get a muddled and confusing answer? They won’t if you clearly share your mission statement with the entire team and make sure everyone knows it. Craft a concise, interesting mission statement that enables employees to get others excited about what you do—and curious about working with you.
2. Encourage employee networking. If your employees belong to professional organizations or associations, encourage them to go one step beyond just attending and also get involved in leadership roles. Whether an employee is making a speech at an industry conference or moderating a panel at a trade show, he or she is serving as a representative of your business and spreading awareness of your company as a leader in its industry.
3. Promote employee social networking, too. Salespeople, business development staff or other employees with customer-facing jobs should be active on LinkedIn and any other social networks where your customers and prospects spend time. Although they’ll be building their personal brand as well, encourage employees to post and share news and updates about your company’s activities and to reach out and engage with other connections who might someday become job candidates.
4. Share employees’ stories. The “About Us” section of your website shouldn’t only feature top executives. Be sure to spotlight a variety of workers in different areas of the company and tell their stories in interesting, engaging ways. For example, you could share how the featured employees started working at your company, what they like to do in their spare time and what their favorite parts of the job are. People want to work with fun, pleasant people, and by sharing personal stories, you’ll paint a picture a story of what it’s like to work at your business.
5. Get real. Don’t limit yourself to stuffy headshots of employees on your website and social media. Use casual, behind-the-scenes photos or videos of employees at work and at company events—from trade shows to potluck Friday lunches—to share a sense of what day-to-day life at your business is like.

Of course, the number-one way to involve your existing employees in employer branding is to make sure they’re happy and fulfilled at work. Do this, and all else follows naturally, because their enjoyment of their jobs will shine through. Rieva Lesonsky is CEO of GrowBiz Media, a media and custom content company focusing on small business and entrepreneurship. Email Rieva at rieva@smallbizdaily.com, follow her on Google+ and Twitter.com/Rieva, and visit her website, SmallBizDaily.com, to get the scoop on business trends and sign up for Rieva’s free TrendCast reports.