Should Employees Appear in Employer Brand Advertising?

 Twenty years ago the answer to this question would have been a simple “no.” The idea that a company would spend (well risk, actually) $1 million on prime time TV ad space featuring eager but cinematically incompetent employees was preposterous. Most companies would not even be able to afford it, let alone entertain the prospect. But, as we know things have changed. Thanks to the internet and social media, the advertising world has become a little more affordable, and just about anyone can afford to have a piece of the advertising pie. Companies now have an abundance of new and exciting advertising channels at their disposal and the only problem is finding enough viral content to publish in these channels.

It’s no surprise then that having exhausted the traditional marketing content, namely products and services, companies, (in a move which some might suggest is scraping the bottom of the barrel) have started using employees to advertise their employer brand and even company brands. This is not as crazy as it sounds, because thanks to the rise of reality TV, “X Factor” and the thirst for instant fame that has been engendered in the public as a result, there is a battalion of extrovert, outgoing and extremely capable performers who all want to be part of your employer branding initiatives.

The question is should you use employees as part of your employer brand advertising? Well, from an effectiveness point of view, absolutely! Because, as we know, top talent is drawn to employers brands that they have personal affinity with and which they can trust. The problem is that while you may be projecting a great employer brand, top talent may simply see it as window dressing and may not believe it, meaning its effectiveness is limited. The notion that talent may not trust employer brand advertising is supported  by research, which suggests that just 14 percent of consumers trust advertising. So, how can you make your employer brand message more convincing and credible?

Well, this is where employees come in, because research from Nielsen also shows that 90 percent of people trust recommendations from people that they know and 70 percent trust consumer opinions and these were the two most trusted types of advertising.

So, if you want to maximize the power and attractiveness of your employer brand you need to ensure that your employee voice comes through loud and clear and that a significant part of your employer brand message is centered around your employees and their opinions.

Perhaps you could have videos and narrative depicting them operating in their natural work environment, showing exactly how they collaborate, interact and have fun. This means that candidates can see the positive culture and personalities and enables them to judge for themselves what they think of the employer brand, without being simply “told” as in the more manufactured style branding and advertising. Research suggests that candidates will trust this depiction of your employee brand more. Don’tsay it’s a fun, collaborative environment, show your employee’s living and breathing it.

Also, make sure to build an effective “About us” page that contains lighthearted, humorous but insightful  descriptions of your key employees and personalities. Use your employee’s diverse personalities as an attractive part of your employer brand message.

You could also show employees using your own products and services, which might help create greater trust around your consumer brand. Include them in banners and make your brand ambassadors a core part of your branding message.

I believe that employer branding that incorporates the employee voice and personality will be the big evolution in employer branding in 2014. Considering that research shows that employees already share 29 percent more about the company than corporate accounts and have 10X more followers than corporate accounts, employers need to harness the power of the employee voice in their advertising to take their employer branding to the next level.