by Anne Margrethe Mannerfelt

We are all feeling it – 2009, the year when employer branding strategies, activities and priorities are evaluated closely. With smaller budgets, many employers have had to evaluate how and where they spend their money. Are we doing the right thing, are we reaching out to the right target group? The demands for return of investment on marketing activities are higher than ever before.

A lot of employers have chosen to focus more specifically on identifying their target audience. There are very few employers that need to be number one amongst all students. But are you number one amongst your target audience?
Failing to reach your target group now, will have a negative effect when you start recruiting again. And attracting the wrong target group is expensive.

Perhaps that is the reason why more and more employers now see the value in doing their homework before planning communication strategies. In order to be successful you need to identify more clearly the challenge you face. In order to communicate the right message, you need to know what that should be. Make sure you communicate the right thing – in the right way – to the right group. And you need to do it now. Not being present at all on campus means you have to start all over again rebuilding your brand when the economy turns and the need for talent becomes more pronounced.

In 2010 and 2011, employers will begin to recruit in larger numbers again. The war for talent will be in full swing once more. Not only will the demographic issues continue to prevail, with large retirement figures really starting to have an impact. But additionally, as soon as the economy improves there will be a significant movement of talent groups. Many employees are thinking: “I will hang tight at my current employer until it turns around. Then I can seek something more interesting”. Losing your key talent at this time, when output is increasing is not ideal. However, this impact will be more critical if you also need to start-over rebuilding your employer brand. How will you quickly secure top talent to replace your key employees? If employer branding is not prioritised this year –coming years will be an expensive affair. Who can afford it?

If there was ever a time to build and maintain your brand, it’s now.

5 tips

1. Continue your presence on campus. We hear from our clients that if you disappear for one year, it will take you three years to regain your position

2. Know your target audience. With budget cuts it’s more important than ever to make the right decisions. Make sure you communicate the right message, to the right group, in the right way.

3. Identify your key employees. Losing talent from within the company is devastating for employers when the economy grows. Retention of top people will continue to get harder.

4. Word of mouth, social networks and blogs. The conversations that current employees have with others via their social and professional networks (virtual or real) will impact your brand. What a friend, relative or colleague says has a larger impact than any marketing materials. Make sure you know what your current employees are saying about you.

5. Define your employer brand. This is the time to coordinate your internal identity, your external image and the consumer brand. The same message needs to be communicated across the board. A non-coherent message will never be a successful message.