Think your employer brand is just about the day-to day work experience at your company? Think again. While many a social media manager and recruitment marketer tweet and post about workplace traditions or open jobs, job seekers and employees are becoming increasingly savvy consumers of their workplace experience. Especially when their personal politics are at stake.
GreatCompany.org, conceived by entrepreneur Daniel Gross recently catalogued company responses to President Trump's immigration ban. The result? A searchable, growing database where you can enter your organization's name and see the associated stance and response to the Presidential Executive Order.
As a employer brand and marketing professional you have to sideline your own personal views for a moment and recognize your role on behalf of your organization. Do you know what your organization's stance and/or response is? Do you know how you can/should respond? More than ever, your relationship with communications, PR and marketing is crucial to the job you're trying to do.
Four quick things to do right now:
1) Contact PR
If you haven't already, talk with your public relations (PR) colleagues. Get specific instructions on how to manage comments, inquiries and any social media backlash or response. Don't forget to ask for talking points and education on why your organization is adopting a specific PR strategy on this topic and others. It will give you great insight into how they're connecting business and political priorities.
2) Connect with communications
If your organization hasn't communicated internally to workers as many companies like GM and Apple already have, find out if they plan to. It's important you understand the internal message and know what your role is in communicating that message.
3) Guide your recruiting team
During times of crisis or organizational change, recruiters are often ignored as communicators. This may just be the first sign of transparency during this new Presidential Administration and candidates and employees increasingly consult 15-20 sources of influence in their job searches and in determining retention choices.
4) Pay close attention to social
It's a great day to set up additional channel searches to see if and how your organization is being tracked, mentioned or discussed. The site has organizations big and small and is bound to continue to grow.
If you're still thinking employer brand is primarily about recruitment marketing, think again. GreatCompany.org is another example of employer brand applying to your entire candidate and employee lifecycle.
Brands are living, breathing entities and have to be managed that way. And you'll become an even better and more strategic leader by getting in front of this wave of change, and becoming a true partner to communications, marketing and PR.
Need immediate help? Let me know—effective PR and communications plan can be the difference between employer brand success and stagnation.
Susan LaMotte (@SusanLaMotte) is the founder and CEO of exaqueo, an employer brand experience firm building employer brands and the talent strategies that drive them through research, consulting and creative and digital execution. Contact exaqueo to learn more about our employer brand innovation, workforce research and recruiting strategy offerings.