Today, HR’s role in the organization is broader than what it used to be - restricted to hiring, training and developing employees. Marketing the employer brand through basic marketing activities and tasks is a relatively new area most HR departments are exploring. The modern HR personnel is expected to proactively feed input and participate at times in marketing the employer brand and reputation to candidates and remain up to date with HR marketing trends. Every business organization needs to gain recognition in their niche and establish themselves as a leader in the industry. In this scenario, online marketing is the top choice if you are looking for ways to build your brand identity. While online marketing is not HR’s strongest suit, there are small tasks which done consistently can yield results that bolster the company’s reputation and position.

              

Create useful, engaging and shareable content on your website. High quality content helps the brand to get established and flourish by making an identity and leaving a lasting impression on its customers and visitors. People share content which they find useful and relevant and it immediately piques interest among masses to look up and browse through the website. This way your brand gets higher exposure which is the most important factor for the growth of your business.

      

Invest in some time to email marketing and regular newsletters to create awareness about your brand and services. Make templates and use them to save time. Build your subscriber base and connect with them. Content material can vary from infographics about your industry, a client’s problem and how you can solve it, testimonials, videos showcasing your work culture and employee satisfaction, or white paper related to the company’s services and products.

Occasionally, you can indulge in some time to write your thoughts and opinions in the form of blogs or articles (much like this one). People also like to read posts by the person behind the brand and want to know them. It’s a great way to build credibility and bridge the gap with your customers. Reach out to popular publications and magazines to feature your blogs and write-ups about your brand.

You may engage in different areas within HR from employee engagement, career tips, recruitment pitfalls and how to avoid them, list of tips related to interviews, performance management and other major areas that people care about.

                

Use social media to leverage your business presence and exposure. Often when you are logged in into your Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and other social media accounts, share your content and blogs, voice your views, tag relevant people and other business brands, share their posts, incorporate trending hashtags in your posts and comments. It’s a great way to reach a wider audience and increase your visibility with your brand.

Social brand awareness is so crucial these days, since people spend a good portion of their time on social platforms. Creating visually appealing content and relating it back to people who already work for you and to those that you want to work for your company can pay huge dividends. People share what they like online and offline, and therefore being authentic and expressing the brand’s values in a relatable way is a perfect strategy to build brand reputation.

         

Besides providing valuable and informative content to people, plan out some interesting contests from time to time to engage with your community or other small scale PR activity. It helps in promoting your brand while increasing audience engagement, brand awareness and exposure at a very low cost of a simple giveaways which need not be expensive.

Employer brand marketing is a relatively new area for HR which was primarily the focus for the marketing department of a company, but as organizations shift to multifunctional units, most HR departments have also taken on some marketing activities. While these activities aren’t complex marketing activities, they are small tasks that make a huge difference when done consistently.