5 Ways to Build a Competitive Engagement Brand

Over the course of several years, companies have realized there’s a growing trend across all industries: brands are no longer built exclusively from the perspective of their service to the customer, they also need a strong employee-facing identity. Why? Because the modern-day workplace has changed drastically to accommodate the evolving needs of a worker. With digital nomads in the mix, freelancers, entrepreneurs, all the way to seasonal workers, companies can no longer merely offer a handsome check and expect the worker to hurry to work for them.

By DAVID WATTERMAN

Today, with so many up-and-coming businesses, employees and workers in general want to work with brands that have a relatable purpose, values, and a vision that is aligned with theirs. They want to receive specific benefits in addition to that solid salary, but they are also happy to work on a temporary basis if they keep their freedom to work for multiple employers, instead.

This is where the trend of an “engagement brand” has surfaced as crucial – in engaging the part of your workforce other than your full-time employees. Here are a few core tips to help position your engagement brand and your employer brand in your market.

Leverage worker-facing marketing

Your job ads and project ads aren’t the only way to put your brand out there for potential contingent workers to find. In fact, the outreach of your brand depends heavily on your ability to leverage your marketing outlets to target highly qualified workers that spend most of their time on various digital channels.

If your customers are on Facebook, chances are that your finest non-permanent workers might be spending their time there, too. In addition to sponsored posts, use your marketing to bring your engagement brand to life. Your content should help potential workers understand what makes you so unique, and it should boost engagement brand awareness as well as visibility.

Create targeted HR strategies

From the actual selection process, all the way to onboarding and offboarding, every single part of your employee-facing strategy needs to be spot on. Too many brands in competitive markets such as Asia try to tackle their own contingent workforce without a dedicated strategy for seamlessly choosing, onboarding, and offboarding non-permanent workers.

Over the years, experts like CXC Global in Asiahave started creating dedicated strategies for contingent workforce management. It allows brands to set up a clear value proposition for their non-permanent workforce, find the most qualified local and global talent, but also ensure compliance and safety for all those involved. When you’re bringing in temporary staff to your site, or even collaborating remotely, you want to make sure that you’re hiring trustworthy individuals, and that you are building strong relationships with them. 

Define your engagement brand’s UVP

In the simplest possible terms, could you explain why a seasonal worker, or a freelancer should accept working with you? When they have options, and the best of them do, employees want to make sure they know the “why” behind their decision. What makes you better than your competitors in your industry, when it comes to what you have to offer your employees?

Make sure that your value proposition is front and center, and not just the pay. As wonderful as it is to be transparent about payment and salary options, you also need to make sure that your contingent workers know the core values that make your brand the leader of the market.

Let employees tell your story

So many employers focus on collaborating with influencers when they set up social media campaigns that they forget about the stories their employees can tell. Just like you want your customers to know what your brand offers and what makes you better than your competitors, you should allow and empower your employees to become your most valued ambassadors.

Your entire employer brand, and with it your engagement brand, depends on how your employees portray your business. Encourage your content creators to work with your employees if they need guidance on creating blog posts or video content on social media. Then again, encourage transparency by inspiring them to leave reviews, not just on your own site, but on third-party platforms that help boost your reputation. If your contingent workers leave positive reviews, then more superb workers will likely flock your way.

Provide growth opportunities

Full-time or not, employees want an inclusive work environment. That means that even your contingent workers, seasonal or project-based, want to feel like accepted members of your collective. If you regularly grant your teams opportunities to advance, be it in the form of giving them a bonus or by sending them to a workshop to improve their skills, your non-permanent workers should have the same.

From regular, constructive feedback, to providing learning opportunities, your brand needs to showcase how you’re investing in all of your workers. Protect your employees and your relationship with them by offering them similar, if not the same chances to grow and advance. When they feel appreciated, they’ll want to come back to your brand when another project arises that fits their skills.

Considering the rising competition for top-rated and most qualified workers, you need to put your best foot forward with your branding efforts when you’re doing your best to attract contingent employees. The fact that they are around only a limited amount of time doesn’t mean that they don’t need to connect with your brand on a more meaningful level – after all, you want them to want to come back when the time is right.