WRITTEN BY: CAROLINE MANNO
We know the importance and value of selling our products or services, but have you ever considered how branding might play a role in recruiting the best employees? The authors of, “Attracting applicants through the organization’s social media page: Signaling employer brand personality,” Marieke Carpentiera, Greet Van Hoyea, and Bert Weijtersb argue that a brand’s social media presence and employer brand personality ultimately affects the overall attractiveness of the brand to the potential employees. When deciding to apply for a job, prospective employees look at the organizational warmth and attractiveness of the brand.
A brand’s organizational warmth might mean how friendly the brand is perceived. Carpentiera et al. (2019) explains, “Based on signaling theory, an organization’s social media page that portrays higher levels of social presence, might lead people to infer that the organization itself is more friendly, has high morals and good intentions, which results in improved perceptions of organizational warmth” (p. 4). When researching this, Carpentiera et al. (2019) hypothesized that, “…after viewing a social media page higher in social presence, the organization will be perceived as higher in warmth” (p. 4). This indicates that an organization’s social media content matters to not only their consumers, but potential employees as well.
Another component potential employees look at when deciding to apply includes organizational attractiveness. Carpentiera et al. (2019) suggests that “…informativeness will be indirectly positively associated with attraction and word-of-mouth intentions through inferences of organizational competence” (p. 6). When considering the effects social media has on potential employees, Carpentiera et al. (2019) explain, “…research so far indicates that exposure to company information on social media can positively influence corporate reputation, corporate image, employer image, and organizational attractiveness” (3).
Now that we have determined the importance of organizational warmth and attractiveness, you might be wondering how you can increase your brand’s warmth and attractiveness. There are various brand communication techniques one can use to attract new employees who are culturally a “good fit” for the organization. Dan, a content marketing officer with Talkwalker, reviewed strategies for creating positive brand communication in “COVID19 | Positive brand communication techniques.” He recommends nine strategies: adapting your sales model, providing assistance to key workers, providing support to the more vulnerable, creating more digital touchpoints to engage your audience, being transparent in your communications, engaging in relevant community hashtags, putting your employees before your bottom line, offering free trials or usage to meet client needs, and keeping calm and carrying on (Talkwalker, 2020).
Although many of these strategies are geared towards the consumer, they can be applied to potential employees as well. Dan describes that providing assistance to key workers means supporting individuals who are essential during COVID-19, especially individuals such as healthcare employees and grocers. This may increase your brand’s organizational warmth through showing that your brand cares for others. Dan additionally recommends providing support to the more vulnerable. This is quite important for consumers, but showing that you do provide this support will be another way to show that your brand values others’ comfortability and health.
Furthermore, Dan suggests being transparent in your communications. This not only conveys the values of honesty and transparency with your consumers, but with potential employees. Considering your brand’s values and including these values in a job posting and reflecting those values on social media may help with the overall attractiveness of the organization. Finally, Dan recommends putting your employees before your bottom line. There are many ways you can show your employees that you care. This may include shout-outs on social media, and targeted messages to show you care. In his article, Dan provides an example from Starbucks with a graphic that reads, “We’re in this together. Caring for our community is our top priority,” and claims that Starbucks is providing free therapy for their employees due to the circumstances regarding COVID-19.
Ultimately, social media presence is vital for a brand in 2021. Carpentiera et al. (2019) “…propose that perceived organizational warmth and competence induced by exposure to social media page[s] will positively relate to increased organizational attractiveness and word-of-mouth intentions” (2). If you are looking for the best employees, consider adjusting your job postings and reevaluating your social media content with a potential employee perspective in mind.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Personal Brand Statement: Alignment. Good Energy. Full Potential.
Caroline is a senior at UNC Wilmington majoring in Communication Studies with a focus in
Integrated Marketing Communication. She is interested in Communication Studies because
she enjoys having the opportunity to create and collaborate. In her free time, Caroline enjoys
going for runs, spending time with friends and family, and going to the beach.
After graduation, she plans to apply for the university’s IMC graduate program. She hopes to
work for a social media marketing agency where she can help brands meet goals and reach
their full potential. As a social media marketer, she would also help brands align their values
and mission with the overall cohesiveness of their brand.
References
Coffee, S. (2020, March 19). Starbucks Coffee on Twitter. Retrieved April 15, 2021, from https://twitter.com/Starbucks/status/1240731965902303232?s=20
D. (2020, April 2). COVID19: Positive brand communication techniques. Retrieved April 15, 2021, from https://www.talkwalker.com/blog/covid19-positive-brand-communication-techniques
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