Building a Strong Employer Brand on a Shoestring: How to Attract Talent to Your SME

Welcome to HR360! This newsletter is dedicated to a critical area for SMEs-employer branding. A powerful employer brand has never been more important, particularly for smaller firms that tend not to have the same level of visibility or budgets they want. A strong employer brand can very well spell the difference between an enticing catch for your workforce and its lifelong stay for sure.

Creating an employer brand does not need a budget. In fact, maybe it is a blessing in disguise for SMEs as they could offer a more people-oriented interpersonal work culture that can work as a key attraction for prospects.?

Let us talk about how small to medium-sized enterprises can utilize the unique nature, culture, resources, and values to develop an employer brand that attracts the right candidates into long-term success.?

The Powerful Brand of The Employer for SMEs

An employer brand helps to understand how the company executes itself in the eyes of potential employees. It is the impression given about the work atmosphere, values, and culture. For SMEs (small and medium enterprises), establishing a sound employer branding can fill in the gap in terms of budget and go ahead by stressing on multiple intangible assets that will make the employer favorable.

SMEs are more in touch with working in a flexible, entrepreneurial disposition than larger corporations, and making that known can attract a wider array of candidates. An employer who possesses a strong employer brand conveys a promise from the organization to invest in employees and provides an internal mix of benefits that larger corporate businesses may not want to match. This could include such things as more personalized development opportunities or an overall sense of being impactful to the success of the company.

Building and nurturing an employer brand is an investment of time that pays off in hiring by developing loyalty, lowering turnover, and creating brand ambassadors for the organization.

The Unique Proposition for Your Employers

Your Employer Value Proposition (EVP) is what differentiates you from other employers. It is the distinctive offer you make to employees that conveys the essential benefits to expect while working at your organization. This could be anything from flexible working hours to rapid career growth opportunities, whether in small startups or larger organizations, and to a collaborative and supportive team environment.

To get a grip on your EVP, you would need to first understand what differentiates you in the eyes of your employees. Do you promote work-life balance? Do your employees learn to multi-skill and get exposed to a variety of areas? Once again, these attributes need to be at the forefront when you sell your company to prospective hires because they give prospective candidates an idea of the extent to which your company fits into their value systems and career aspirations. Once you've identified your EVP, make sure it shapes your employer brand messaging across job postings, your website, and social media. Attraction, retention, and engagement of top talent relies on a strong Employer Value Proposition (EVP). The EVP makes it possible to reduce the recruitment costs with candidates who are a good fit for your organization. For younger, more global, and junior audiences, an EVP is especially powerful. This group is looking for employers who align with their values and offer growth opportunities. A well-crafted EVP can be the deciding factor in attracting younger talent and keeping them engaged long-term.

Showcasing Your Company Culture and Values

An accurate showcase of your business culture could wield a tremendous influence when you try to attract relevant talent. Social media platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook are ideal for showing your company’s values, work culture, and daily activities, giving prospective candidates a clear sense of your work environment before they apply.

You could showcase your culture through employee testimonials, anecdotes from team-building activities, or highlights of your company’s community service contributions. If your organization thrives on transparency, social responsibility, or creativity, allow these values to come through in your posts and content. Use pictures, videos, and behind-the-scenes content to bring your culture alive in a way that’s relatable.?

Harnessing Employee Advocacy

Your current employees are the best promoters of anything in your business, and the word-of-mouth marketing from such sources is often much more effective than the fanciest ad campaign or promotion material that you can create. Create social media challenges for employees to post positive experiences about their workplace, or provide rewards/benefits for successful referrals.

Another way to get going might be by starting an Employee Spotlight series on your website or social channels, where you feature individual team members and their stories. These efforts will empower your team and create a real sense of community within your business. This will also give prospective hires a glimpse of what it’s like to work for your firm. Employees who feel appreciated and proud of their workplaces are usually the most ardent advocates of your employer brand.

From recognition programs to social events, there are many options for encouraging employee advocacy that vary based on the make-up of your team. The goal is to unite your people, increase morale and engagement, and this will organically make the employees enthused ambassadors of your brand.

Looking for guidance on how to elevate your employer brand with minimal budget? Let’s discuss how we can help you leverage your unique strengths to attract the right talent.

Developing Links with Local Colleges and Universities

One of the cheapest methods that build strong pipelines for attracting qualified talent is building relationships with local colleges or universities. Students and recent graduates are looking forward to working with lively-growing organizations where they will be able to contribute and make an impact very early on in their careers. This is where your SME can shine with opportunities for hands-on experience, career advancement, and mentorship that larger companies may be unable to offer.

Internship programs, campus recruitment drives, or offering guest lectures and workshops can be great ways to engage with students and introduce them to your company. Forming and maintaining relationships with local colleges and universities opens up access to varied talent pools, backgrounds, and perspectives. It's an investment that will eventually pay huge dividends in terms of talent acquisition and long-term success.?

Creating a Positive Candidate Experience

A perfect candidate experience is extremely vital to nurture the strong employer brand in the market. The first real contact the candidate has with the company is the recruitment process, which is where it is necessary to be welcoming, transparent, and efficient. Candidates would be deterred by a long drawn-out process, whilst a respectful, smooth experience would leave them feeling quite the opposite towards your company.

Clearing up all the questions; when will it happen? Where are they? Has there been any progress? If sufficient information can be given to communicate what the status is, it goes a long way to build trust in the system. Furthermore, candidates who are thanked for their time after being interviewed feel appreciated regardless of the outcome. Candidate experience benefits enough that even candidates who do not make it through usually end up with a positive image of your organization and refer others to apply.

Candidate experience does not end after the hiring decision is made. Following up with personalized rejection emails or thank-you notes makes candidates feel that they were treated with respect while leaving candidates with a good image of the company. That little touch brings many long-term benefits to your employer brand.?

Building a strong employer brand doesn't have to take a long time or cost you much. With your unique company culture, an employee advocacy approach, and building model ties with local colleges, your SME can attract just the right talent and keep it coming back for years. What are the creative ways that you have used to build your employer brand? We invite your contributions!

Looking to build a stronger employer brand and attract top talent without breaking the bank? HRAngle is here to help with personalized strategies that deliver real, lasting results. Reach out to [email protected] to learn more.

Until next time,

Rekha Gehani

Fractional People Partner to Founders and SMEs