Why does employer branding via LinkedIn make sense?

Employer branding via LinkedIn is an insider tip when it comes to finding new specialists for your company. Many companies write to suitable experts with active sourcing via the network. However, the response rate is manageable. It is more promising to present yourself as an attractive employer brand, offer an optimal candidate experience and thus fill vacancies.

Why is employer branding via LinkedIn useful? Good employer marketing via LinkedIn ensures that suitable applicants become aware of you. You move away from active sourcing, approach specialists via the business network and interact with them. This makes you particularly attractive as an employer.

LinkedIn has made a name for itself worldwide as a business network in recent years. Over 300 million people use the platform every day. More than 30 million companies are active here. These figures alone make it clear that LinkedIn is valuable for the search for specialists. In times of skills shortages, you shouldn't wait for your employees to find you, but use employer branding on LinkedIn to become a target group for applicants. 

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Your employer brand is your figurehead in the search for new employees. The more comprehensive your employer branding is, the better you will be received by potential applicants. We tell you what is important for good employer branding on LinkedIn. 

The two variants of the employer branding strategy

LinkedIn is a business network. The aim here is to present yourself as an employer brand in order to attract the attention of specialists from your industry. There are two ways to develop an employer branding strategy. Let's take a closer look at these: 

Variant 1: Use of a business profile

As a company, you may want to use a business profile directly to present yourself as an ideal employer. You can use this profile to provide insights into the work processes of your employees. It is also possible to network from a company perspective. 

Variant 2: Use of a personal profile

A personal profile can also be used via LinkedIn. The idea behind social networks has always been personal exchange. The personal touch can be particularly valuable for employer branding on LinkedIn. 

Why do personnel profiles usually score better? Imagine you want to get an idea of a company as an employer. Of course, you would first go to the company's website. However, you know from the outset that all representations are made in the interests of the company itself. 

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In the second step, you will probably look for individual assessments from employees. This makes sense as they report on their personal impressions. This will give you an even better picture of the company as an employer brand. 

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You can also apply this example to employer branding on LinkedIn. If you decide to carry out employer branding via the personnel profiles of your employees, there are the following advantages: 

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• Incorporation of storytelling

• Testimonials

• Personal answers to questions from interested parties

• Build up emotions 

Step by step to successful employer branding on LinkedIn

Patience and the right concept are important for building an appealing employer brand on LinkedIn. We at MORE summarize the points that you can use to make your brand attractive to specialists and potential employees step by step. 

#1 Create good content 

The content strategy is an important part of branding. You have already taken the first step with good content that also offers added value to interested parties. Define your goals precisely beforehand. To do this, it is important to look in the HR department to see which positions will need to be filled in the near future, what expectations you have of the applicants and how you want to achieve them. 

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You can be creative when creating your content strategy. Create special sections that relate to you as an employer brand, such as your company's benefits. You have various options for your content on LinkedIn: 

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• Presentations

• Photo albums

• Job advertisements as appealing PDF

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Give prospective customers something to hold in their hands. Invite them virtually to take a look behind the scenes of your company. 

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Use more images. Text is also important. However, images manage to evoke an emotion within a few seconds. Pack benefits into the images. Photos of the company canteen, pictures of the latest coaching sessions or perhaps even a post with pictures of your dog-friendly company - it's the benefits that make your company unique and these need to be highlighted. 

#2 Take time for networking

LinkedIn has become known as a business network and still acts as a platform for exchange in the business sector. Interactions are the essence of success on LinkedIn. In networking, candidate experience and public exchange go hand in hand. What does that mean?

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The candidate experience describes your responses to inquiries from people interested in a job at your company. How quickly, friendly and helpful do you respond? This is already an important aspect of employer branding. 

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The public exchange strengthens your employer brand externally. The idea of holding this public exchange with your employees is an interesting one. You can give status updates, talk about planned events, discuss topics and network. This allows your employees to act as ambassadors for the corporate brand and give potential applicants an insight into working life at your company. 

#3 Create a hashtag for your brand 

As in other social networks, hashtags play an important role on LinkedIn. Hashtags can be used to assign topics. For your employer branding on LinkedIn, it is advisable to create your own hashtag. This should match your employer brand and be actively integrated into the strategy. It is used for every topic that contains information about working at the company. 

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This applies to both your business account and the personal profiles of your employees. With every status, post, contribution or picture, the hashtag is spread further. Interested parties who may be thinking about applying for a job will notice that this hashtag promises them information, actively search for it or save it. 

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Using it underlines your authenticity and shows that your company is willing to provide comprehensive insights into its working methods, benefits, internal events and plans. This builds trust. 

#4 Act actively in subject-specific groups

You can find specialists for your company on LinkedIn, where people talk about industry topics. The business network offers groups on specific topics. Become active in these groups and do PR. Post information about upcoming events or job vacancies here. Discuss human resources topics, find out about awards your company has won or new projects that are in the pipeline. 

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Don't just scatter individual posts, but stay active in the groups. Of course, this involves effort. But it pays off in the long run. You will quickly notice that the same specialists are always found in the various specialist groups. They will become aware of your company and gain an impression of you through the exchange. In this way, you can awaken the desire to become part of the company yourself. 

#5 Don't leave social issues out

At the moment, we can almost speak of an applicant market. Skilled workers who are looking for a job have framework conditions that they want to adhere to. Social issues are an important aspect of this. CNBC has conducted a survey. What happens when the employer and the employee disagree on social or other important issues? The survey showed: As many as 40% of employees would choose to look for another employer. 

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Prevent this from happening right from the start with good employer branding on LinkedIn. Communicate your company's values clearly and speak publicly about your stance on social issues. 

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What does your company do for sustainability? Would you employ influencers for advertising whose image is questionable? How does your company support disasters? Social engagement in particular allows you to reach many people and draw attention to your company. 

Why employer branding should be actively pursued on LinkedIn

At MORE, we know that employer branding via LinkedIn is an important part of your company's marketing. We are asked the question again and again: Do I need this for my company? 

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The fact is that LinkedIn as a business network is ideally suited to building an employer brand, giving it an image and underlining it in the long term. This gives your company authenticity and builds trust. 

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Perhaps you are not currently looking for new employees. However, there will come a time when you want to fill vacancies. It's ideal if you haven't just started with employer branding on LinkedIn, but have already made a name for yourself. 

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Select suitable employees who will become active in the network and draw attention to the company through content. This task is often assigned to HR staff. However, employees from other departments can also provide exciting insights. 

Conclusion: Generate an attractive employer brand with employer branding on LinkedIn

Showing a presence, opening up to the business network and exchanges on social networks and authentically representing the company - employer branding on LinkedIn offers extensive opportunities. Once you have taken the first step, you have laid the foundation for a modern employer brand. 

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As your external marketing department, we at MORE also deal with employer branding - and not just on LinkedIn. We know the recipe for success to make your company stand out as a potential employer. 

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