Employer Branding Has Changed
Whether it’s product marketing, talking about the work you're doing, or sharing opinions about your industry, it’s all non-linear content. Because the most interesting information is what’s evolving and current.
45-second read (+ 3:07 video)
What used to be defining brand pillars, value props, and marketing culture has given way to scaleable, unpolished micro-content that discusses what companies, teams, and their people are doing, building, making, and creating.
What used to be housed on a well-designed careers site now only matters if it’s effectively distributed in feeds and communities.
Why? Because the way that we discover has changed.
We, as people, spend the majority of our time online in feeds and communities. They’re where we go the moment we need almost anything—from distraction to connection to specific information.
It’s how we find, observe, consume, and learn.
To think that employer branding means anything other than consistently showing up in these places with the right contribution is completely ignoring human behavior.
Whether it’s product marketing, talking about the work you're doing, or sharing opinions about your industry, it’s all non-linear content. Because the most interesting information is what’s evolving and current. Most evergreen content feels out of date—even if it’s not.
Moral of the story: If you know the path, meet people there.
Align with human behavior. And map your content to it.
I’ve said it before: Figuring out how to create micro-content at scale for niche audiences is infinitely more important than designing a fancy careers site.
Many disagree. But I’ll die on this hill.
For context:
When I say content, I mean:
Deep dives in audio, video, and written format.
Contribution in niche communities.
Raw, tactical information that’s relevant to a narrowly defined group.
Talking about your product in creative ways that are relevant to your narrow audiences. (IMO, this is employer branding for high-growth tech startups.)
What I’m wondering: Is employer branding in the traditional sense better utilized as a CX tool—as a way to guide and educate candidates through an interview process—instead of being an external-facing, top-of-funnel marketing strategy?
I lean towards yes. I feel that product marketing in a variety of formats is a more productive approach. At least for high-demand candidate audiences.