How to Manage Your Employer Brand in the Time of COVID-19?

In these uncertain times, you probably feel a little lost wondering how to manage your employer brand during this special time. Many changes are taking place. The behavior of candidates is not the same as before, and the massive consumption of social platforms forces brands to reconsider their relationships with their users.

If the global COVID-19 crisis has taught us anything, it's how many options we have for staying connected to people (and brands). Social media, digital content, and even videoconferencing are not only important media for communication and information sharing, but they are also essential tools for managing the employer's brand footprint in this regard. period of social distancing.

Go forward, together!

Meanwhile, recruiters should consider a new approach to promoting their employer brand.

While you may not feel like you have the experience you need to deal with the crisis, the worst thing you can do is freeze your processes and suddenly cut all your communications or recruiting budgets.

Alternatively, you can support the interests of your community, current, and future employees by providing them with resources and tools to help them better manage this time.

It is not as usual!

Employers are experiencing a paradox right now: more people are connected on social media, but recruitment ads and digital content are performing at sub-optimal rates compared to those experienced before the Covid-19 crisis.

At first glance, the answer to this paradox turns out to be quite simple: people spend more time online, but they read the news, play video games, and seek inspiration to have a good time in their forties.

In addition, in times of uncertainty candidates need reassurance, which means they are more sensitive to the employer brand which emphasizes job security and company stability.

Considering all these factors, it must be recognized that the current challenges of the employer brand are not the same as usual. However, there are a few steps companies can take to ease this sense of uncertainty and make a good impression on potential candidates:

• Make your values ​​the foundation of your employer brand

There is no stronger statement than turning company values ​​into actions. Don't try to sell too much. There will be time for this. However, the time for empathy and mutual support is now.

• Adjust your hiring process and update your career page

Like you, each of your potential candidates feels uncertain. Let candidates know how your hiring process fits the current environment, from interview to onboarding.

• Make transparency your hobbyhorse

This will say a lot about you as an employer, your leadership, and how you support your employees.

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Take a step back and take stock!

If we see the Covid-19 pandemic as an opportunity for employers to better exploit social spheres, it will be crucial to take a moment to take stock of certain communication elements.

Basically, you have to be extremely careful, both to the representations of your visuals and the tone of your messages, both are key factors, not only to maintain a presence on the web but also to stand out.

Representations

You must be very careful with the representations associated with the visual elements of your content.

Positive, upbeat images paired with collaboration, communication, and team-oriented work environments will provide a brief respite from the deluge of government news and updates.

The tone of your messages

Imagine the worst news about the coronavirus right next to your recruiting post on Facebook or LinkedIn. Does this seem embarrassing to you?

Now might not be the best time for your typical cultural post, especially if your employer brand is built on a happy and fun tone; this kind of content could therefore be considered in bad taste and represent a real risk to your reputation.

Think about what your candidates may need to hear right now, rather than launching fun new opportunities, it would be more appropriate to project stability, security, and hope.

Keep a distance, but not social

You've realized it's not business as usual anymore, you've already taken a moment to review what you're doing in media, and now you're ready to move forward with a renewed employer branding strategy for weeks and months ahead.

What steps can you take to maintain your social media game and truly improve your employer brand during the current pandemic? And how can these actions not only keep you in touch with job seekers but also create an open channel of communication where the candidate is receptive to your message?

Here are some suggestions:

• Be authentic  

Note that this is not the time for extremely well-organized feeds with perfect quality photos. Step out of your comfort zone and share honest, unfiltered content. Switching to the 'real' side on social media can boost your target's engagement. So when you can identify right and wrong, hardship and victory, your employer brand will have a positive impact on your audience.

• Focus on content 

People are stuck at home looking for inspiration to spend their time in meaningful ways! Sharing a set of resources and tips will not only provide support to your audience, but it's also a great way to build trust.

• Tell stories

It should be noted that storytelling is one of the best elements for a content strategy. Stories are a great way to share information with your audience. As things move quickly, stories are great for providing less polished and direct content. 

There is no miracle solution to knowing how to navigate the murky waters of the uncertain times that we live in, but what we have mentioned here reveals some avenues of action to stay competitive in a crowded landscape. The way you manage your presence during the crisis will have a huge impact on your employer brand.