Key Considerations for Building a Strong Employer Brand

Developing a new employer brand can be a daunting task. You want to attract and engage talent, whilst re-recruiting your current employees, but how do you ensure your brand is up to snuff?

Let's take a look at some quality checks for developing a new brand.


1. Differentiation

First things first, your brand needs to be different. If Henry Ford had not tried to be different from his competition in the late 1890s, we would probably still be clattering around in horse-drawn carts.

Similarly, if you look and sound like every other company in your industry, you're not going to make an impression on anyone.

Think about your company’s fingerprint, the things that make it one-of-a-kind, and play that up. Whether it is your commitment to sustainability or your quirky company culture, find a way to cut through the noise and differentiate yourself from the competition.

2. Relevance to Your Talent Audience

Of course, being different is not enough if your brand does not resonate with your target audience.

You need to think carefully about who your audience is and what they care about. What are their pain points? What are their aspirations? Your brand messaging should speak directly to your audience and address their needs and wants.

3. Memorability

If people cannot remember your brand name or what you do, then what was all that hard work for?

This is where creativity comes into play. Think about how you can make your brand stand out in a memorable way. A catchy tagline, a bold colour scheme, an edgy tone. Whatever it is, make sure it is something that people will remember.

When you knit together differentiation, relevance and memorability, the result looks a little something like this...

Example (Innocent):

If I were to ask you what one thing makes the smoothie brand, Innocent, so unique, you would probably highlight its visual identity. After all, we all know the haloed anthropomorphic (berry?) from the bottles.

(That's a berry, right?)

Innocent’s colour scheme and graphic design is vibrant and playful. It maximises primary colours and simple, almost childish cartoons, that perfectly match the brand name. This style carries seamlessly through to its job page.

The tone of voice also stands out. As a playful brand, Innocent avoids stuffy, corporate speak, favouring informal, cheeky British phrasing like ‘fancy a job?’, ‘we love a bit of internal progression,’ and explaining that it hangs its values ‘above the loo’ so employees can live by them each day. The job page also offers top tips to applicants and encouraging words like ‘Start sprucing up that CV, we’re rooting for you.’

Beyond that, the company is very vocal about its commitment to make the world a better place, including its goal to be carbon neutral by 2030, its status as a B corp (a company committed to more socially responsible business methods) and its global rewilding project. This type of honesty is music to the ears of purpose-driven of talent who value sustainability and want to feel like they are making a positive impact on the world.So, there you have it. Developing a new brand requires differentiation, relevance to your audience, and memorability. If you can check these boxes, you are well on your way to creating a brand that the right talent will love. So go ahead, get creative, and make your mark.