This Is Why Employer Brand Content Is The Ultimate Marketing Superpower (Learn How To Leverage The World’s Most Powerful Brand Influencers)

In today’s always-on digital world, the impact of brand has never been more important.

A strong brand can galvanize customers, rally internal audiences and inspire belief in something greater than yourself. The very best brands have the power to connect personal belief with a higher, aspirational purpose.

It’s why, for many of us, certain brands become much more than just a “company that sells things”. Brands can become something we identify with – and even imprint on us, serving as a reflection of our innermost selves.

However, as humans, we’ve evolved to detect truth from lies. Thanks to review sites like Comparably, Glassdoor and TrustPilot, consumers and candidates are now more sceptical than ever before. Today, 83% of candidates say the authenticity of company content would impact their level of trust in that organisation.

For consumers, the same message rings true. Forrester’s 2018 Customer Experience Index found that the way an experience makes customers feel has a bigger influence on brand loyalty than any other factor. Elite brands, for example, provided an average of 22 emotionally positive experiences for each negative experience.

When it comes down to it, we’re all human. We respond to being treated well. We reject what’s fake or dishonest, and we’re drawn to authenticity. It seems so easy, yet for many brands, it’s difficult to accomplish.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

If you want to create a powerful brand rooted in authentic human values, then you need to leverage real stories that people can identify with. Forget social media influencers, products or benefits.

The most powerful brand influencers are actually your employees.

The line between consumer brand and employer brand has been shattered

In our content-driven social world, many brands have touted the benefits of influencer marketing strategies. Some of these campaigns have undoubtedly been successful, but trust has become a real issue for brands when using social media influencers.

YouGov and Grey London recently surveyed a nationally representative audience of UK adults aged 18+, asking them questions about influencer marketing, brand trust and loyalty.

The results paint a telling picture. 96% of adults do not trust social media influencers, with respondents citing quality of content, fake news and misuse of consumer data as contributing factors. In fact, 63% of adults trust social media less than they did two years ago.

It’s amidst this backdrop that companies now have a challenge to prove the value of brand to consumers and candidates alike. But to do so, many businesses need to wake up and face the facts.

In 2020, the line between consumer brand and employer brand has been shattered. People have never segmented your brand into two distinct entities. How you treat your employees has a direct impact on how your customers perceive your brand. Equally, how you treat your customers has a marked effect on whether or not candidates want to work for your business. In the past, there was perhaps less focus, interest and even accessibility in how you treat your employees. But today, the way your employees act and how they represent your brand is more important than ever before.

When Microsoft announced an additional three months parental leave to help parents cope with homeschooling, did that change how you feel about the brand? Or look at how Brian Chesky, Founder and CEO at Airbnb, handled the mass layoff of 1900 people. Rather than simply let staff go, he offered every single of them a generous 14 weeks extra pay.

The lesson is clear: in crisis and vulnerability, the employer brand values and ethics that you put into action will change how people perceive your company. You can either take proactive action to shape this perception for the better, or take no action and have it shape you.

It’s quite simple, really. Treat customers poorly, talent will look elsewhere. Treat your employees badly, customers will shop somewhere else. In either case, the reputation of your brand is now paramount to a) attracting the best talent and b) retaining loyal and happy customers.

The COVID-19 crisis has only heightened these tensions. Organizations that treat their employees poorly or force them to return to work in unsafe conditions risk alienating customers and losing out on talent. People want to shop with and work for companies that embody strong values of empathy and compassion.

Given this new cultural consciousness, it’s unequivocally clear that the perception of your brand is now a difference-maker in the success or failure of both your talent and customer acquisition strategies.

Why should we leverage our employees?

While some organizations have been successful at leveraging their employees to bring the employer brand to life, very few (if any) have used this strategy to enhance the consumer brand, as well.

COVID-19 has reminded us all that human interaction and personal relationships are what we value above all else. Whether it’s family, friends or neighbours, we find solace in connecting to and relating with others. The same rules apply to brands.

To build a brand that resonates with people on a personal level, you need to create an affinity and empathy for personal circumstances. Employee stories can help you achieve this. Even the smallest stories that demonstrate personal circumstance can convey empathy and compassion in ways that big budget marketing or employer brand campaigns can’t.

First, start by paying attention and leaning into the small things that people might be worried or concerned about. If your audience can identify with those things, the impact emotionally can be extremely powerful.

It’s important to leverage stories that are true, authentic, personal and have a good story-arc.

How to create powerful, employee-driven content with universal messages

The feel-felt-found technique is useful here. It can be broken down as:

1. I know how you feel
2. I felt exactly the same way
3. But what I found afterwards was...

This story arc is incredibly powerful, because it can convey human values that we all identify with.

To pinpoint these stories, make sure you ask your employees questions that give you a good, balanced view of how people find purpose, impact and belonging. If you can unearth stories that demonstrate each of these three aspects, then you’re in for a winner.

A great way to get people thinking, talking and revealing is to ask them to project answers onto their peers. For example, ask an employee, “Tell me something you really appreciate about a close teammate?”

This could be an example of when an employee went the extra mile for a teammate who was struggling, or someone who helped a new starter calibrate to your employee experience. Whatever the specific story that arises, the key is to align these with your employee brand pillars and find examples of people exhibiting those core behaviours and values.

Another great way to spark conversations is to ask employees, “Can you share a recent difficult situation or issue that either you or a teammate has had to overcome that made you feel proud afterwards?” Given the sensitive nature of the COVID-19 crisis, many employees and organizations around the world have gone above and beyond to ensure that internal and external audiences are looked after. You’ll likely hear some incredibly powerful stories of employees overcoming adversity or going the extra mile. These are the moments that epitomize what your organization stands for and can help you attract people to the human side of your brand.

Your employees can be marketing and recruitment superstars

From a talent acquisition perspective, employee-generated content can propel your brand to the forefront of people’s minds.

If you allow employees to tell a balanced view of your organization, and structure your questions so that they talk about the demands, expectations, adversities and harsh realities found in your organization, then this will put people at ease and you’ll get much more genuine and authentic engagement. This sense of comfort is crucial, especially when it comes to generating stories that candidates will value and appreciate.

But what about marketing departments? Can employee-generated content help customer acquisition, too?

In short, yes. Remember, your audience doesn’t know the difference between employer brand and consumer brand. Today you just have one brand experience. At a time when it’s difficult to push hard on products and services, it’s much easier to tell stories of the heroes behind your organization and showcase what they’re doing to contribute to the betterment of the community, their teammates and the people really in need.

While COVID-19 has put a strain on resources and time pressures, massive feats of ingenuity and innovation are still being achieved by many. Don’t miss out on this golden opportunity. Now is the best time to collect these stories of overcoming adversity – when people are feeling vulnerable, connected and open to sharing.

Even if these stories aren’t released immediately, you can still create a bank of content and champion individuals for the great work they’re doing (in a way that is thoughtful and delicate to the current situation). 

Because at a time when humanity has rallied together, being able to demonstrate the compassion and empathy behind your brand will be key to attracting talent and winning new customers.

If you’re interested in learning more about how you can leverage your employees to create powerful branded content, then you can pick up a copy of my new book, ‘Give & Get Employer Branding’, available now on Amazon and at all major book retailers.