Introduction
Employer branding has grown to become one of the hottest and most complicated matters for businesses wanting to recruit and keep the best talent whilst maintaining a good reputation in the market. But who owns employer branding in an organization? Is it an HR function only, or does it fall under marketing?
The reality is employer branding is in the crosshairs between HR and marketing—merging recruitment practices with brand storytelling. This will be a two-part blog that will hopefully help you explore employer branding from both sides of the coin and see how HR and marketing can work together to establish a more integrated and cohesive employer brand.
Employer Branding in HR
How HR Defines Employer Branding
As an HR practitioner, in the context of the workplace, employer branding is an extension of an organization’s working environment, values, and proposition as an employer. It’s the way a company markets itself to prospective and current employees, and it’s inextricably linked to core HR functions such as recruiting, employee engagement, and retention.
The employer brand, for HR professionals, isn’t about simply attracting new talent but also ensuring your current employees feel connected and in a position to be proud of the company they work for. A good employer brand helps convey the worth of the business to its employees—also known as the Employee Value Proposition (EVP).
The HR Responsibilities in Employer Branding
1. Recruitment and Talent Acquisition
HR departments have to write job descriptions, maintain professional career pages, and ensure a positive candidate experience once they apply for a role. LinkedIn claims that 75% of job applicants research a company’s reputation before applying for a position, making employer branding an integral element in talent attraction plans.
2. Employee Engagement and Retention
‘Employer branding’ is largely influenced by the positive work environment and company culture. The HR department is typically responsible for employee engagement surveys—simply because happy employees make happy customers, leading to positive brand advocacy.
3. Onboarding and Training
HR is instrumental in shaping new onboarding experiences that entrench company values, culture, and messaging, whilst establishing clear expectations for new hires. Effective training and development programs also bolster the employer brand by ensuring that employees feel invested in and valued.
Why Employer Branding is Crucial for HR
- Reduces recruitment costs by attracting talent organically.
- Drives employee advocacy, turning staff into brand ambassadors.
- Boosts employee retention by fostering a strong sense of belonging.
Employer Branding in Marketing
How Marketing Defines Employer Branding
Marketing-wise, employer branding is all about a story that you are telling, which makes your company an attractive place to work. It tries to get the external world attracted to a brand—using a narrative, designs, and digital ideas.
If you are a marketing professional, employer branding is an offshoot of corporate branding to attract new ‘customers,’ i.e., employees. The same employer branding across all internal and external channels means people will feel like 1 big cohesive company when they see you.
The Marketing Responsibilities in Employer Branding
1. Content Creation
Marketers craft engaging content that highlights workplace culture, from social media posts showcasing team achievements to employee testimonial videos. For instance, HubSpot regularly shares “A Day in the Life” content to showcase its team dynamics and work culture.
2. Online Presence and Branding
Marketers manage the company’s online reputation on platforms like LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and Indeed. They ensure that the employer brand is visible across all touchpoints by optimizing the careers page, sharing employee success stories, and showcasing their diversity and inclusion initiatives.
3. Brand Storytelling
Employer branding needs a strong, authentic narrative to stand out. Marketing teams conceptualize and execute campaigns that reflect the organization’s values. For example, Airbnb’s employer branding campaign “Belong Anywhere” connected its corporate mission with its workplace culture.
Why Employer Branding is Critical for Marketing
- Enhances the company’s overall brand reputation.
- Aligns the public perception of the workplace with corporate values.
- Attracts top talent that aligns with the brand’s vision and mission.
HR + Marketing Synergy in Employer Branding
Why a Collaborative Approach is Key
The real magic of employer branding happens when HR and marketing collaborate. While HR provides insight into organizational culture and employee needs, marketing contributes creative storytelling and strategic initiatives. When these two departments work together, the employer brand becomes stronger, more cohesive, and far more effective.
Collaborative Strategies for HR and Marketing
- Shared Goals: Define common goals, such as improving application rates or enhancing employee advocacy. Both teams should measure progress using the same key performance indicators (KPIs).
- Employer Brand Guidelines: Create shared brand guidelines. These should include tone of voice, visual design, and core messaging to ensure consistency across all channels, from job descriptions to social media posts.
- Content Co-Creation: Host cross-department brainstorming sessions to plan campaigns. HR can provide real-life employee success stories, while marketing turns them into compelling visuals and content pieces.
- Joint Ownership of Platforms: HR and marketing can share ownership of employee-focused platforms like LinkedIn, Glassdoor, or the careers page on the company website, ensuring they are consistently updated and aligned with the employer brand.
Successful Example of Collaboration
An excellent example of HR-marketing collaboration is Adobe’s “Check-In” process. This employee development program was marketed externally to highlight Adobe’s commitment to transparency and learning. The campaign successfully enhanced both Adobe’s employer brand and overall corporate branding.
Building a Unified Employer Brand Benefits Everyone
Employer branding is not “only HR.” It is not “only marketing. It’s a joint venture that demands the collective strengths of both departments to have the most effect. HR sets the cultural vision and the backbone that makes the organization a great place to work; marketing magnifies this to the market through storytelling and digital strategies.
For companies that want to keep up in the competition for talent, a strong employer brand is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity.
If you want to improve your organization’s employer branding efforts, begin by building a solid partnership among your HR and marketing teams. Together, they can build a compelling story that lures great people and keeps them.
