Why Employer Branding Matters for Startups

You’ve undoubtedly heard of branding and how effective this marketing strategy is. You’ve also probably heard of the fact that you should start branding your business as early as possible. This is especially true for startup businesses that are just making their way in a competitive and saturated market. A lot of startup business owners are so focused on growing and developing their company that they don’t realize that there’s another form of branding that’s equally important for your startup. This is called employer branding and it’s vital for startup growth. 

So what exactly is employer branding? Simply put, it’s a form of branding that helps you pitch your company and its culture to potential employees. 

If you want your startup to succeed, you’ll need a team of great employees who will help you out. However, to find such employees, to begin with, you have to convince them to come work for your first. With that in mind, here are a few reasons why employer branding matters for startups. 

You can start early on

Let’s be honest here, very few startup owners have the time or resources to consider creating an HR department or creating a recruitment strategy that will bring in talented employees. For the most part, you’re on your own. 

Employer branding might be just what you need to get people interested in working for you. Therefore, whenever you engage in building a presence, visibility, and awareness for your startup to attract customers, do the same to attract potential employees via recruitment marketing. 

It’s easier than it seems. All you have to do is show who you are, what you want to achieve and portray your mission in a way that will interest similar-minded people. 

Don’t forget to pitch your company’s culture as well while you’re at it, mainly because people are more attracted to the vision and company’s culture than the salaries you’ll promise.  

It doesn’t take much time

Everyone knows you have a ton of things to do within a day and it all has to do with developing your startup further. 

The fact of the matter is that most entrepreneurs spend around 40% of their day on tasks that aren’t related to revenue. 

Fortunately for you, engaging in employer branding activities doesn’t take much time and it won’t hurt your schedule in any way. 

You can even consult with professionals that specialize in employer branding and let them help you tell your story, as well as guide you on how to find the best people for the job. 

After all, engaging in these activities is also considered relevant for developing your startup so you shouldn’t be so quick to disregard the importance of having a great team by your side. 

It doesn’t hurt your budget

Another well-known fact is that startup owners have limited capital to invest in opportunities other than focusing on startup development and growth. 

Unlike branding your entire business, employer branding doesn’t require a hefty capital. You can do the majority of things on your own to help pitch your idea to potential employees. Here are a few things you can do to improve your employer brand. 

• Create an EVP (employer value proposition).
• Create the right messages.
• Create an onboarding process for new hires.
• Use top-quality media to pitch your company.
• Create a company blog.
• Portray benefits and doesn’t focus on salaries.

You can use any channel available

The online world is a vast place ready for the taking. When it comes to employer branding, you want to be as present online as possible. 

Nowadays, most candidates look for a job online and that’s where you should be. What is more, you can use any means necessary to promote your startup, company culture, work conditions and environment on any channel available to you, such as email, traditional means, company website or blog, social media, etc.

A good example of such channels is social media, more specifically LinkedIn. Other networks work exceptionally well but LinkedIn is a social media platform designed to help people find jobs and for employers to find employees. 

Moreover, it’s free and you can use it to its fullest potential to help improve your employer brand, as well as build awareness for your startup. Therefore, here are a few things you should do on this social media network.

• Write awesome job posts – These posts are crucial for finding the right candidates. You can even use a specific brand voice to make your offers more appealing.
• Create a company page – This is where potential candidates come to get some details after hearing about a job opportunity. Make sure you portray your company in the best way possible.
• Career pages – These pages are an addition to your company page. Here, potential candidates can get informed about the job itself, what’s involved, what’s required and what the benefits of working at your startup are.

Employer branding is vital for startup businesses because it allows you to find the right people who will work for you and help you grow your business. Plus, this strategy won’t take much of your time or your budget but it will mean a lot for reaching business success in the end.