How to Market Your Brand As a Remote-Friendly Employer
Being a remote-friendly company means that you support and understand work flexibility. Given that as many as 97% of workers want some form of remote work, you’re ahead of the pack when it comes to providing the flexibility your employees desire.
But being a remote-friendly company doesn’t guarantee that you’ll get qualified applicants for your open positions. With so many people searching for remote work and more companies embracing the model, you need to market your remote-friendly employer brand to ensure you’re attracting top remote talent to your team.
What Is an Employer Brand and Why Does It Matter?
Your employer brand is similar to but separate from your company brand.
In both cases, your brand is what sets you apart from the competition. It’s the unique or distinctive “thing” that identifies you. And while you may think of your brand in relation to your customers and clients, that’s just your company brand. Your employer brand is what people think it’s like to work for your company.
As a remote company, one of the unique things that set you apart from other employers is being remote. However, in the wake of the pandemic, it’s not nearly as unique as it once was, so how you position your remote-friendly company will impact how quickly and easily you fill your open positions.
How to Market Your Remote-Friendly Employer Brand
1. Educate Applicants
To help job seekers decide if you’re the right company for them, start by educating them. Explain why you’re a remote company. Was the company founded as a remote-first workplace, or did it happen over time? Did the pandemic change things? Letting candidates know why you chose a remote model better helps them understand the hows and the whys of your remote work philosophy.
Put this information on the “Career” or “About Us” page to help applicants get a better feel for your company culture. Discuss the type of remote work your company supports (results-only, work-from-anywhere, etc.) and mention why this matters to the company.
Also, consider adding a section devoted solely to the “remote” part of your company. How do you build a remote work culture? Why does it work for your company? Does the whole company get together to meet in person? Talk about how remote work has positively impacted your company and the staff.
2. Include Your Remote Work Policy Everywhere
Clarify the details and specifics of your remote work policy on every job posting and in every job description. Including your remote work policy in every job listing identifies you as a remote work supporter and helps ensure that candidates who apply for your open roles are clear on the types of remote work you do and do not offer.
3. Post on Remote-Specific Job Boards
Posting your openings on job boards that cater to remote workers is a great way to market your remote-friendly company. It shows that you’re in touch with the remote work world and understand what it takes to be a successful remote company.
And while the big job boards give you the option to specify that your job posting is remote, you’re less likely to receive applications from candidates who understand what it takes to be a successful remote worker. They may apply to the role because it sounds interesting or because they think they want to work remotely.
Job seekers who frequent remote-specific job boards are more likely to be interested in remote jobs. While they’ll still only apply to jobs that sound interesting and they’re qualified for, these candidates are interested in remote work specifically and likely have the necessary skills to be successful remote employees.
4. Become an Advocate
Get your voice out there as a flexible work advocate. Write about your company’s experience with remote work. Share what works and what doesn’t to help other companies understand the advantages and challenges of going remote.
Also, consider having employees contribute their experiences working remotely to your company’s blog. Have them explain why they chose remote work and what they love about it. Encourage them to share the tips and tricks they use to be efficient, productive, and stay focused.
5. Use Social Media
In addition to posting on your company’s blog, engage with others in the remote work community on social media.
Create informative and shareable posts for social media that set your company apart as a remote-friendly company. Respond to and interact with followers who comment. Then, engage with others who write posts about remote work and comment on their posts.
As you share your expertise on remote work, you’ll find others start to look to you and your company as a leader in flexible work.
6. Enlist Help
One of the ways job seekers research a company’s brand is by checking out what past and current employees share on social media. Encourage staff to share their experiences with remote work on their profiles so job seekers can understand what it’s really like to work at your company.
And don’t be afraid of staff sharing negative experiences. Being honest about the challenges they’ve faced can help applicants see how your company supports its remote work staff when they face these challenges.
Getting Your Brand Out There
As more companies decide to go remote, getting your employer brand in front of job seekers has never been more crucial. By talking about your experiences and explaining why you’ve chosen remote work, you can market your employer brand as one job seekers want to work for.
For more information about running a remote company, check out our Q and A’s.
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By Rachel Jay | Categories: Build a Remote Team
