High profile companies or those in exciting industries appeal to new graduates and experienced hires alike, but what if your company is seen as “boring”? How do you overcome that to attract talent without having to offer huge compensation packages? In this article, Hannah Brice of brand-building consultancy Upmarketry looks at how small to medium enterprises can reinvent themselves as exciting and impactful places to work, connecting with new customers and new employees alike.
The recruitment challenge
The skills shortage in the UK currently stands at about 1.19 million people (ONS), and the Federation of Small Businesses has found that 80% of small firms faced difficulties recruiting applicants with suitable skills in the last year.
SMEs are competing against larger companies for access to talented and experienced people which means they have to be creative when it comes to recruitment strategies.
Reinventing yourself as an exciting and impactful place to work is the answer and it doesn’t have to involve huge compensation packages or high profile campaigns. In fact, a simple branding rework could have a dramatic effect on both attracting new customers and hiring top talent.
Rebranding for relevance
The first step in making your company exciting again is with a rebrand.
Rebranding your business involves taking what you already have and making it better. You don't need to start from scratch, but rather take the time to look at your company's core values and messaging. Ask yourself, what makes us unique? What do our customers love about us? Why should potential employees want to join our team? Your answers will form the basis of your new brand identity.
By creating powerful new messaging and values for the company, prospective employees are more likely to feel connected to your business when they visit your website. It also helps connect with potential customers, as well as existing employees too.
A rebrand should also include updated visuals such as logos, fonts, colours and imagery; website design; content creation; and marketing materials. All of these elements should work together to create a cohesive brand identity that reflects the core values of the company.
It's important that you find a partner who understands your goals and wants to help you achieve them. Upmarketry is a branding specialist that has worked with many SMEs over the years helping them create powerful messaging and values which connect with their target audience. This is essential in order for potential employees to understand why they should join your team instead of someone else's - it's not always about money.
Using brand messaging to attract employees
Once you have identified who you are as a company and created a strong set of brand values which will resonate with potential employees, make sure these messages are promoted throughout all recruitment materials. By clearly demonstrating why working with your company is worthwhile beyond just salary packages you will attract those who are interested in furthering their career and making an impact on the world around them.
These messages should be reflected in job postings, social media campaigns targeting prospective hires, and emails sent directly to applicants. Anything related to recruitment should showcase how joining your team will benefit them both professionally and personally.
Focus on telling stories about the company—what makes it unique, why people want to work there, how its products or services are helping customers—and using social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn to engage with audiences who may not have known about the company before. This type of engagement not only helps build relationships but also reinforces the brand message.
It’s also beneficial to make use of existing staff members when recruiting; speaking directly from experience can help bring authenticity back into recruitment materials – something which is often lacking from larger companies with higher profiles.
Ultimately, to recruit talent without offering huge compensation packages requires having an attractive brand message that resonates with potential employees. By taking time out of running the day-to-day recruitment operations of your business in order to analyse what makes it special or different from other competitors within its industry can go a long way towards improving your efforts while also providing value for existing customers too! With the right partner by your side, creating powerful messaging which attracts new customers and employees alike is achievable – even if you consider yourself “boring”. Rebranding can also save thousands of pounds on recruitment costs while still bringing on talented individuals who share in similar visions and values as yourself.