What does your online presence say about your company?

By Kyle Schwarm, ABC of Wisconsin Marketing & Communications Director

Many contractors will admit they haven’t done a very good job with branding their companies. On the surface, it may seem to make perfect sense for many contractors, especially those who have business-to-business relationships or operate solely on bid work. These contractors may not feel any need for brand management.

There is another big reason for branding, however: recruitment.

A company’s reputation matters more now than ever. Your reputation – or perceptions held by others — is your brand. Think of it as your identity. It matters to job seekers and current employees.

The days of the employer holding all the cards in the recruitment process are over; at least for the best employees, regardless of how many people are unemployed as a result of the pandemic. Think about a job you pursued at some point in your life. You may have asked yourself, “I wonder what it would be like to work there?” Today, this question is easily answered by applicants. They can check you out online. If they don’t see what they like, they’ll look elsewhere.

According to a study by Randstad, 86% of individuals would not apply for or continue to work at a company having a bad reputation with employees. Today, it’s easy to get a glimpse of what it’s like to work for your company on social media. This is why you should have a strong and solid company presence. Today’s workers have high expectations. While salary and benefits are important factors in the job search, they are not the only factors. More employees are leaving because of intangible benefits such as company culture, loyalty and profitability.

PROMOTING THE CHARACTERISTICS OF YOUR COMPANY ENVIRONMENT AND CULTURE IS KEY TO ATTRACTING INDIVIDUALS WHO SHARE SIMILAR VALUES.

What does your company presence look like online? Do you have a professional website that projects an image of profitability or just getting by? Does it share images of employees who enjoy their jobs? Better yet, does the website have a blog to document employee stories in addition to your projects? Do you have a Facebook page that shares news about your employees and your culture? Are your own employees engaged with that Facebook page? Does it congratulate employees on work milestones and personal stories?

Promoting the characteristics of your company environment and culture is key to attracting individuals who share similar values. Perhaps you can leverage employees’ interest in social media to effectively communicate your brand.

Always remember, the brand must be true and genuine; and should be conveyed through the entire hiring and onboarding process in every step along the way. But it begins with attracting employees. It’s important that employers demonstrate an appreciation for current employees to attract future employees.