Employer Branding: My company as a brand

Why can one company always choose the best employees while another can't? Perhaps employer branding is the magic word. It's about marketing yourself—building an employer brand.

This article is part of the special feature on employer branding: Turn your craft business into a brand

In the past, employees had to compete for jobs; today, in most industries, the opposite is true. Companies need to stand out as attractive employers, especially smaller businesses that aren't as well-regarded as larger ones.

Positioning your own company

"Employer branding is rarely used, but is much more successful in recruiting than, for example, online job portals," says Dr. Anika Jansen from the Institute of the German Economy Cologne (IW).

Jansen is an expert in securing skilled workers. She emphasizes: "Marketing yourself as an employer is an ongoing process." So, it's not something you can do overnight—like an online job posting, for example. But it's worth it in the long run. You have to build it systematically over the years and then maintain it.

The company logo is taken from the grandfather

This also applies to the skilled trades, because good employees don't just fall from the sky. As nice as that would be. "You have to embrace marketing from the very beginning," emphasizes Sarah Eichhorn, business consultant at the Düsseldorf Chamber of Skilled Crafts . But this is often where corners are cut. However, the expert believes it's never too late to polish your marketing.

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All too often, a company logo is passed down from generation to generation, inherited from grandfather, so to speak. "That then looks terrible to the outside world," says the consultant. And no one says anything, because it's always been that way. "But you can change it and refresh it. Raider also became Twix, and we still eat it."

KKL GmbH from Düsseldorf provides an excellent example of how to attract apprentices to the skilled trades using videos and an online application form . Eichhorn strongly advises companies to abandon their old image, if necessary, and adopt a modern, fresh corporate design . "And not just a little bit, but across the entire external and internal presentation of the business." This often doesn't even cost much, the consultant emphasized at an event hosted by the Chamber of Skilled Crafts.

And: "First impressions are incredibly important." It's worth thinking about the logo's color scheme . And also about where you can be found locally, as well as online and on social media. "Do we stand out?" Everyone should ask themselves that question.

Develop core messages

Building an employer brand involves not only taking stock of the company (ask employees, relatives and friends what they think of the external image), but also the question of what applicants actually want.

Is it the proximity, the pay, or the work-life balance? Is it flexible working hours or career opportunities? And the question, what the company wants. Diversity in the workforce, more women on the team, or more younger employees? You can develop your core messages based on these. 

Which questions also help:

• What do we stand for?
• What are we particularly good at?
• Do employees love what they do?  
• What makes our company unique?
• What are our values? 
• How can this corporate character actually be experienced?
• "Involve employees in developing your employer brand," advises Sarah Eichhorn. "Because a single dissatisfied employee can ruin your entire image."
• It also helps to ask yourself, as a boss, whether my people actually like me, and what can I do better? The boss plays a key role in this. Ideally, they make it their personal concern.
• Would my employees recommend me as an employer?

The expert believes that the primary goal in the skilled trades industry should be to gain regional recognition. Local networking is extremely important in this regard. 

This can be achieved, for example, through the boss's network in clubs or other local organizations, through partnerships with schools, trade fairs, open days, company tours, transparent production facilities, the company website, creative advertising (poster advertising in the local area is rarely used by tradespeople, but it's noticeable and not particularly expensive), or through partnerships with universities and colleges. 

"However, the most important multiplier for spreading the brand remains our own employees," emphasizes Sarah Eichhorn.

Tip: Anyone who needs help with marketing can contact their local Chamber of Skilled Crafts at any time . The consultation is free.

What are the benefits of an employer brand?

The advantages of employer branding are explained by Kofa - the competence center for securing skilled workers.

• More applicants: By becoming more attractive as an employer, you receive more applications, and vacancies can be filled more quickly.
• Fit: Candidates who share the company's values ​​are particularly likely to apply. The risk of bad hires is reduced. 
• Good working atmosphere: Employees identify more strongly with the company. Satisfaction and motivation increase, and loyalty grows.
• Labor productivity: Higher motivation reduces conflicts and friction within the team. This, in turn, can have a positive impact on productivity.
• Cost cutting: If applicants and employees are a good fit, turnover within the company is lower. This leads to lower personnel costs in the medium term.
• Corporate image: Those who build a brand as a competent employer also achieve a better overall image as a company. This also positively influences relationships with customers and business partners.
• Awareness: With a higher level of awareness, for example through press work, you improve your market presence as an employer but also as a provider of products or services and strengthen your perception in the region and among professional circles.
  
  

Do that self-test of the Kofa on the topic of employer brand
Take a look at what other companies are doing to stand out as an attractive employer, advises Kofa: "For example, look at small and medium-sized companies in similar industries or sizes in your region that are looking for skilled workers with comparable qualifications." 

The biggest challenge in building an employer brand is developing genuine unique selling points , standing out from the crowd, and not simply relying on all the common attributes that make a company attractive to target groups. Since this can't happen overnight, patience and perseverance are essential.

"You don't want to disappear into the uniformity of supposedly attractive employers? Then be authentic and have the courage to be different, to be special," it says. 

Tip: You can download the recommendations for building an employer brand , which include many useful tips, as a PDF.

DHB is now also available digitally! Simply click here and register for the digital DHB!