Employer branding is set to be BIG in 2016 and for us as content marketing specialists that can only be a good thing – because, when done properly, they are essentially one and the same. Becoming an ‘employer of choice’ not only helps attract the right talent, it ensures that you retain the talent you’ve got and also has a knock on effect on customer acquisition and retention, resulting in sustainable growth and success.
So, what’s the secret? Businesses are all about people and culture and both prospective employees and target customers need to feel a connection with the people and identity of the organisation if they are to become loyal fans. Here’s three Yorkshire brands that we think are nailing employer branding right now to show you how it’s done.
Friends of Ham
Top quality charcuterie and cheese washed down with craft beer and great wine… OK, so this place pretty much sells itself! But, its expansion into a huge Leeds city centre premises and a second bar in Ilkley have been made possible by adding a personal touch to the customer experience and making sure that they only recruit people who live and breathe the ham lovers’ brand. We love the Team Ham page of the website which showcases everyone in the business, giving them nicknames such as ‘The Duchess of Ham’, ‘The Cheese Diva’ and ‘The Beer Guy’. The outstanding food and drink is made all the more special by the fact that everything is handpicked by people who are both knowledgeable and passionate about what they do. The Ham Tales blog is also packed full of great content that brings the customer experience to life. Why wouldn’t you want to work or play there?!
White Cross Vets
In an industry that’s going through large-scale corporate consolidation, White Cross Vets is not going down either route that the big investors have chosen (either an ‘anti-marketing’ approach that relies on locality and efficiency savings to maintain profitability, or a mass market approach that relies on pet superstore footfall). With 14 practices across the North of England and plans for authentic growth in the coming years, they’re very aware of the talent shortage in the veterinary sector. As a business of only 150 team members, they’re batting way above their league when it comes to internal communications and employer branding. Their professionally produced internal magazine is used to not only make existing employees feel part of the White Cross family but is also sent to target employees of the future to give them a taste of what working for them is like. The plan is now to make the client-facing content even more people-focused to build trust and credibility by showcasing their team’s compassion and expertise.
Blacks Solicitors
We couldn’t write a blog about top-of-the-range people-focused content and not mention our friends at Blacks Solicitors. Headed up by social media stalwart and all round top bloke Chris Allen, he’s created a culture throughout the business based on showcasing their people and expertise in a way that has broken the mould in the Leeds legal market. From their ‘who’s who’ guide featuring music lawyers in headphones and sports lawyers with cricket bats, to the their best practice blog and army of Twitter experts, they’re attracting the best in the business when it comes to both staff and clients. They also use video content and live video streaming app Periscope as an interactive way of showing that their approachable, passionate workforce really know what they’re talking about.
It’s no coincidence that all these businesses are enjoying sustainable growth and have become Yorkshire success stories. Got ambitious growth plans for 2016? Contact us about how we can help.
