Move beyond branding to gravity for perpetual popularity with job-seekers.
To consistently attract good workers, you don’t just need a solid brand; you need brand gravity. This is when your brand has the “emotional pull” that makes people remember you and your company over time in a positive light. It means that when people are in the job market, they come straight to your organization because they already know it’s a good place to work. So how do you create brand gravity?
Here’s the good news. Brand gravity used to be something reserved for major corporations and large organizations, because it took sheer size to have the resources to create the pull. However, in today’s market, you can build gravity by cultivating your social media presence, creating the right content, and employing consistently strong messages in your brand voice.
Take a few steps to start building your brand gravity:
1. Increase emotional connectivity. Share real stories about how employees feel about working for your organization. These should be genuine and authentic, but they also should touch on key points, such as why they chose your particular organization, what they get from their work, how the company has contributed to their lives, and the sense of pride they get when they tell others where they work. Customer stories that reinforce your employee stories also are useful. While ads with quotes or written stories have a purpose, don’t forget the power of video.
2. Play big. Be everywhere your organization should be. It’s not enough to have a website, a Facebook page, and a Twitter feed. Find an appropriate way to be on Instagram and Pinterest. Have ads and stories in the media in your markets; make and maintain connections with reporters, editors, and producers. Be part of professional organizations, both nationally and regionally. Connect with local schools and colleges that might be sources of employees. Have a strong presence on job sites such as Indeed, Glassdoor, and LinkedIn. If you’re a small organization and lack staff for all of this, be creative. Consider unpaid interns who are willing to work for college credit or small stipends.
3. Be available. Make it easy to connect with your organization. Have contact information and/or forms everywhere. Follow-up promptly on all inquiries. Let people know when they can expect to hear from you (e.g., within 24 hours). Track all connections and the results of follow-up.
4. Be responsive. Monitor blogs and social media pages so that you can respond quickly to comments. When possible and appropriate, continue these conversations.
Follow these steps consistently over time, and your brand gravity will begin to pull in people with the mettle to succeed. Even if they aren’t immediately looking for jobs, they are more likely to think of you when they are job-hunting and refer colleagues to you as well.
