This has been an eventful few years for employer branding, to put it mildly. With the labor market shifting under our feet — and candidate expectations constantly changing — it can feel like a struggle to keep up.

That’s why it’s more important than ever to take a step back and get some practice taking the long view. Beyond mid-term strategies and short-term tactics lies the chance to get ahead of the curve and create transformative impact.

With this in mind, we’ve gathered some intelligence for you on what’s coming next for employer branding.

Better Measurement

We know employer branding works, but the reality is that it’s very hard to tie individual campaigns to specific changes in data points. For employer branding professionals, it can be hard to gain access to significant company resources without a clear data narrative explaining campaigns’ success.

Currently, this kind of proof of success would require sophisticated external data streams from social media and other platforms, as well as internal metrics on employee engagement and team performance. In the coming years, we expect to see a number of advances in data collection and technology tools that will give company teams a clear view of what’s working and what’s not.

A Generational Approach

From the Boomers to Gen Z, the different generational groups making up the workforce often seem to be driven by completely different values, goals and expectations.

Gen Z workers have a fierce belief in their own choice and mobility; by and large, they are looking for employers that have a strong foundation in values, ethics and impact — and they are willing to be choosy as they find their perfect fit. Millennials, shaped by the challenges of recent decades, often feel more that they are struggling to gain their footing and have less of a sense of agency and idealism as they face the burnout and demands of the COVID era. Many Boomers, meanwhile, have been reluctant (or unable) to retire, and they often bring a more traditional view of the workplace into their professional interactions.

In the current labor shortage (which is unlikely to go anywhere any time soon), employers cannot afford to just speak to one of these groups. We anticipate that in the coming years effective employer branding will focus on targeted messaging and a renewed effort to serve the needs of each group separately.

Superpowered Recruiting

These days, the demands on recruiters outstrip anything we have seen before. It’s not an exaggeration to say that for many companies, their survival depends on sourcing a sufficient number of qualified candidates.

We anticipate that in the coming months and years, we will see a new array of tools and initiatives to support recruiters — including the creation of richer recruiting content, the adoption of more transparency in the recruitment process, and a heightened investment in the candidate experience.

A Hybrid Revolution

We have only begun to understand the cultural and professional shifts that are happening as a result of the transition to hybrid and remote work.

Employer brand professionals will have their work cut out for them on this front for a long time to come. New practices will need to evolve as the leaders responsible for the employee experience begin developing more approaches to help staffers tackle burnout while physically separated from their teams.

We know that vulnerability is necessary to build trust. We expect new best practices to emerge as organizations find new ways to encourage openness during remote meetings. In addition, with hybrid and remote work leading to organizations that are increasingly siloed, we anticipate that many leaders will begin building flatter teams to boost collaboration. The impact to Employer brands is clear, the promise to employees and the plans to activate them, will need to bend to these new ways of working.

Blu Ivy Group is a global leader in employer branding, organizational culture, and recruitment marketing. We help organizations across the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors build extraordinary employee experiences, magnetic employer brands and high-performance cultures.

From C-Suite to Employer Brand and Talent Acquisition leadership, we partner with our clients to transform their organizations and design the most compelling workplaces of the future.

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What’s Next for Employer Branding?