5 Companies That Are Getting Talent Branding Right

If you’re struggling to come up with a talent brand strategy, you’re not alone.

Many organizations suffer from talent brand paralysis, and it usually stems from not knowing where to start. Building a “brand” can feel nebulous, and most people prefer to follow clear steps.

So…how do you get started? First off – stop overthinking it.

Talent brand boils down to the simple promise you (and everyone else at your company) makes to future talent about what working at your company is all about. How you convey that promise is up to you, and there are a million approaches. You just have to simply start sharing it.

Here are five companies who I believe are fearlessly telling their talent brand story, and can inspire you to make 2015 the year of talent brand.

Five Companies Fearlessly Rocking Their Talent Brand

1. Cloudlock

We spend a lot of time with our coworkers, and inside jokes tend to emerge. Simple things like this shape our company culture, and bring our talent brand to life.

This video on Cloudlock’s website career page showcases a random, funny aspect of this company’s culture, making the viewer feel closer to the company by being ‘in’ on the reference. (I hope I never have to actually encounter a chicken llama because it sounds terrifying.)

2. Lyft

When most people think of Lyft, they picture the pink mustaches. So, when I decided to check out their Instagram account, I expected to see dozens of creative photos of rose-colored facial hair. But, I found something deeper.

Lyft clearly cares about its employees, and brings that to life by celebrating their stories large and small--from volunteering endeavors to Lyft driver marriages.

3. Zappos

Most companies use Twitter to talk, but Zappos also uses it to listen.

By tweeting out questions meant for current employees, the company is harnessing their best brand ambassadors to tell their talent brand story. Not only is this approach honest and creative, it’s also a lot more interesting to prospective talent.

4. Nordstrom

You need to have a passion for retail to work at Nordstrom, and their LinkedIn Career page makes that clear. By embracing this aspect with fun and eye-catching graphics, they’re better positioned to catch the attention of talent that shares this passion.

The style of these graphics can be easily mimicked with some basic Powerpoint tips. We know that LinkedIn Status Updates with images are 84% more engaging than text-only posts, so Google some basic Powerpoint design tips and try it out.

5. Etsy

Etsy is a mission-driven company, and they want their talent to share those values.

When I scoped out Etsy’s LinkedIn Career Page, I found a featured video unlike any I’d seen before. Instead of employees talking about vacation perks and free food, this video celebrated one artist who relies on the Etsy marketplace to bring her work to the world.

Now it’s your turn—What promise can you make to prospective talent about what it’s like to work at your company? Think as big or as small as you want. The important thing is to start.