Employer branding, employee branding and the importance of LinkedIn

In today’s world, work has become more than just a job: it is a boundless adventure, and in this fascinating realm, companies are no longer mere places of production, but incubators of talent, hotbeds of innovation where dreams come to life.

And this is where the magic of employer and employee branding is born: two powerful tools that shape the future of companies and employees.

Employer branding: what is it?

Employer branding is that spell that attracts talent to a company, with the promise of a place where they can nurture their ambitions and fulfil their professional expectations.

It covers everything concerning a company’s reputation as an employer, its reliability as a stimulating environment, its ability to offer growth opportunities and its belief in a corporate culture that embraces innovation and diversity; it is therefore a promise that reflects how the company is committed to meeting the expectations of its audience, made up of potential employees.

There are numerous benefits that come from strengthening one’s employer branding, for example, in terms of market attractiveness, companies with a strongly positive reputation are more desirable and receive a substantial number of high-quality applications; moreover, they will be rewarded with greater loyalty from their employees, who tend to remain in an environment where they are treated with dignity and respect.

When a company succeeds in developing strong and authentic employer branding, it transforms into a beacon that lights the way for talents, attracting them and offering a safe haven where they can flourish their potential.

Employee branding: the other side of the coin

The magic doesn’t stop here. Within the company walls, employee branding also works its charm—the very essence of the employee experience, the secret potion that turns work from a job into a passion.

In this perspective, employees feel valued, inspired, and engaged, and this is reflected in the way they act as ambassadors for the company itself, in the stories they share about the reality they live every day and toward which they feel fulfilled.

Employee branding is the essence of corporate culture, which goes beyond mere job satisfaction; it engages employees emotionally, heightens their sense of belonging to the company, and makes them its foremost and most sincere advocates.

The synergy of two forces

However, it is the alchemy created between employer and employee branding that develops the true wonder, elevating the company to new heights of success.

A company that invests in the well-being of its employees will automatically build a positive reputation as an employer, and, on the other hand, employee loyalty will only serve to enhance the external reputation of the company.

By influencing each other, with employer branding creating a favorable environment that in turn promotes employee branding and vice versa, these two forces create a virtuous circle that improves the company’s reputation and attractiveness.

These are simply two complementary aspects, united by a single vision: to create a working environment that inspires and nurtures talent, and that drives corporate success in the modern landscape, going beyond compensation and benefits to create an optimal working ecosystem.

Where to start? From LinkedIn.

Great, we agree, but in practical terms, how can we start developing an employer and employee branding strategy that conveys trust and reliability, and makes the brand and company perceived as a place where people want to invest their time and skills in order to grow and build a life for themselves?

A good idea is to start with LinkedIn. But not with the company’s LinkedIn profile, rather with the profiles of those who hold relevant positions within it.

‘Putting your face out there’ is usually excellent advice when it comes to social networks. Not only because numerous studies in the field of neuromarketing – but also data that any communications agency can provide on the content that generally receives the most appreciation – tell us that seeing a human face in an advertisement, image, or video activates our empathy mechanisms, making us identify more with it and consequently attracting our attention. But also because we often forget that if we decide to communicate without faces, the company will end up looking like a cold, distant machine, incapable of feeling emotions and closed off to anything belonging to the outside world.

Would you ever want to interact with a place like this? In fact, would you even try to become part of it and devote 40 hours of your week to it for the next 50 years?

Seeing that a company has managers, executives, and project managers on LinkedIn who share personal thoughts and advice for users on their profiles, who congratulate and celebrate not only the company’s goals but also the personal successes of those who work there, showing them empathy and human warmth first and foremost, means you are already working on both employer and employee branding.

You can also repost posts and projects published by employees, leave constructive and valuable comments, and write positive references on the personal pages of people you have worked with.

It is not about “becoming the face of the company” (perhaps only a little), but rather being the primary representatives of the company’s values and what it can create from a human and relational perspective, thus indirectly conveying the working ecosystem that is cultivated.

In conclusion

Ultimately, employer and employee branding are the fundamental basis on which a company’s success is built, and they are not just abstract business concepts, but a philosophy that permeates every aspect of its organization.

The importance of investing in these areas cannot and must not be underestimated, as they contribute to the creation of a strong and distinctive corporate culture, which in turn generates a competitive advantage in the world of work.

The synergy between employee and employer branding teaches us that a company’s true treasure lies in the minds and hearts of its employees; cultivating it requires commitment and dedication, but the result is worth every effort.