Employer Branding Awareness Week 2021

This week (10^th-15^th June) is Employer Branding Awareness Week which celebrates companies creating and communicating great workplaces. As modern candidate's job desires and priorities change, employers are realising the importance of highlighting their company culture in order to attract and retain top talent.

Research by Wonderful Workplaces found that 90 per cent of job seekers take an employer’s brand into consideration when applying for jobs yet only 46 per cent of respondents say employers are effectively communicating their brand. This disparity means employers should be more proactive and creative in their branding and communications efforts if they want to attract and retain the right candidates.

According to Branding Mag, branding is the ‘perpetual process of identifying, creating and managing the cumulative assets and actions that shape the perception of a brand in stakeholders’ minds’. Taking control of branding means taking the reins of your company’s reputation and communicating messages that are in-line with core values and objectives. Alongside this, branding reflects the internal workings of a company, and can help create and nurture unity and a ‘community’ feel to a workplace where employees feel a part of something that is more than just an office.

In recognition of Employer Branding Awareness Week, we’re looking at the evolution of Wade Macdonald over the years and how we’ve adapted our branding initiatives and messages to reflect our ongoing workplace culture and values.

Logo

Traditionally, what comes to mind when you hear ‘branding’ is logos, symbols, colour schemes and other visual forms of marketing. Our logo has changed four times over the past 30 years, each time evolving to represent a fresher and more up-to-date company as we’ve evolved. Having a clear and professional logo communicates clearly the aim and function of the business, whilst communicating professionalism and credibility. Having a memorable and distinctive logo that relates to the business can build a company’s association with a certain expertise or sector.

Adverts

Long before the internet and email, the only way to reach potential candidates and stakeholders were through print direct mail. When it comes to advertising and marketing, strong branding is a no-brainer, and can help companies to stand out from the crowd. We always ensured our direct mail wasn’t boring with a pun or two thrown in for good measure.

Testimonials

Branding and reputation come hand in hand. 'Reputation’ is how potential candidates perceive the business – and is one of the most vital things for an organisation which wants to establish itself as a trusted, reliable and professional organisation with a desirable work culture and values. We’ve used employee and candidate testimonials for years because it’s a way of communicating genuine, first-hand experiences from credible people.

The importance of branding is indispensable, and it’s important that it evolves over time in order to stay relevant and appeal to the changing audiences. Over the years, our focus has been on the exceptional service we offer and the care and commitment we give to our clients and candidates, which has put emphasis on the need for our evolving branding which builds trust, reliability and credibility. We’ve also worked to ensure our branding is in line with our internal workplace ethos; to offer an enjoyable working environment where people feel supported, valued, nurtured and empowered.