It’s the most wonderful time of the year: Q4 closing, end of year projects, holiday parties, soon-to-have time off and planning for 2017. As you and your team look ahead to the New Year, here are five articles to help you best approach your employer brand strategy. Enjoy!

1) 3 WAYS TO ELEVATE YOUR EMPLOYER BRAND STRATEGY IN 2017 from exaqueo

It’s nearly 2017 and employer branding is more mainstream than ever. Active employer brand management is no longer considered a fad. It’s a priority for C-suite executives and heads of human resources. Mid-sized businesses and global companies alike are allocating resources to research, develop and amplify their employer brands.

Let’s assume your organization is 100 percent on board and has been for the past few years. You have: executive buy-in, well-defined brand pillars and even an employer brandline. You’ve seen an increase in career site traffic and social profile engagement. But you are not someone to rest on her corporate laurels. You’re not ready to accept employer brand complacency.

2) EMPLOYER BRAND JOURNEYS BEGIN WITH A SINGLE STEP—RESEARCH from exaqueo

While the notion of employer branding has been around since World War II recruitment posters proudly proclaimed “We want you for the U.S. Army,” the term itself wasn’t defined in print until 1996 by Simon Barrow and Tim Ambler in the Journal of Brand Management. It sat largely untouched for many years with companies focused on recruitment advertising, but not much else.

When I entered the field in 2008, employer branding was a renewed topic of conversation and yet still seemingly undefined. My then company, and a handful of others, began concerted efforts to understand, define and activate their brands.

Fast forward ... and employer branding is more mainstream than ever. Today, active employer brand management is no longer considered a fad. It’s a priority for C-suite executives. It’s a strategic objective set by heads of human resources. Mid-sized businesses and global companies alike are allocating resources to research, develop and amplify their employer brands. But, why?

3) 10 STEPS TO PLAN YOUR 2017 EMPLOYER BRAND ACTIVATION STRATEGY from employerbrand.com

With a new year almost upon us, there isn't a better time than now to start thinking about your employer brand activation strategy. But what should you do differently in 2017? Is posting on social still the right route? What about infographics? And now Snapchat is being used by more and more brands, is this another platform you should be investing time in?

In 2016, we have used that phrase dozens of times with our clients. Fewer blog posts. Fewer Facebook posts. Fewer tweets. Less publishing, but using that energy to build better materials. This isn’t just our opinion.

4) COMPANIES CREATE POWERFUL EMPLOYER BRANDS BY DOING THESE 4 THINGS from CoxBlue

What often gets lost in discussions about job losses in some areas of the country is the massive competition for and a deficit of skilled workers in our country. According to Randstad’s 2016 Workplace Trends Guide companies struggle to fill jobs, especially with diverse executive talent and leadership positions. In fact, 75% of companies surveyed by Randstad said it takes them more time to find the right talent to fill positions than ever before and reported being 13% understaffed. These trends are expected to continue in 2017.

5) 6 POINTS TO CONSIDER FOR YOUR 2017 EMPLOYER BRANDING STRATEGY from Jibe

In response to a disproportionate interest in our content on employer branding strategies and best practices, Jibe launched its inaugural State of Employer Branding Survey in Q3 2016. The survey inspected recruiters’ and marketers’ thoughts on employer branding as a business function and its interconnectedness with candidate experience. We also dug into challenges today’s companies are facing, what they’re prioritizing, and the benefits of investing in employer branding.

Do you have news or insight about employer branding, talent or culture to share? Want us to include it in our weekly update? Contact us below.  

Shannon Smedstad (@shannonsmedstad) is a Lead Consultant & Project Manager for exaqueo, a workforce consultancy that helps organizations build their cultures, employer brands and talent strategies. Contact exaqueo to learn more about our employer brand innovation, workforce research and recruiting strategy offerings.