How To Avoid Making Your Employer Brand A Cheap Cover Song

If you ask any of my friends they will tell you that I LOVE a good classic song cover –key word being “good”. I emphasize that adjective not because I’m picky, but because I’ve been let down by a lot of terrible tribute bands in the past. From Britney Spears to Billy Joel, I’ve seen too many of my favorite artists’ oeuvres butchered in the name of cheap imitation.

That’s why I set the bar pretty low when I attended a show put on by a local Fleetwood Mac tribute band, Rumors. Turns out they were actually kick@$$ – so great in fact, that I should print this blog post out and literally eat my words. So what made them so much better than the train wreck tribute band concerts I had attended before?

The authenticity – they weren’t trying to recreate the wheel (or the chain). Instead of mimicking Queen Stevie and the gang they made the performance their own. And you know what – it worked for them, and it can work for you too.

So without further ado here are a few cool ways to take social media inspiration from your favorite employer brands without looking like second-hand news:

I. Campaigns Are For Sharing – Why do we create fun, organized, employer branded campaigns on social media? Because we want to break through all of the noise and get top talent’s attention. But instead of copying another brand’s series consider the funky factors that make up your culture and pull from the unique benefits that come from your own peeps.

Big bonus if you get other teams involved in the brainstorming process – that’s how you get campaign ambassadors!

II. Branded Hashtag Inspo – Sure we are all fangirling over Target’s #RedAndKhaki employer branded hashtag, but that doesn’t mean we are going to start using #PurpleAndOrange. They took a unique identifier that unites basically every employee in uniform and put it into a catchy, hashtag-worthy phrase. So think about what makes your industry, mission, or team unique and then go your own way with it.

For example – Kinetix is a cool recruiting company with a love for all things music, so naturally, we branded our team as the #RPORockstars. Catchy, right?

III.  Operation Give Back ‚Äì As organizations that exist in real communities it‚Äôs so important to give back ‚Äì but don‚Äôt copy a company you follow on social media just because the promotional posts about their project performed well. Set yourself apart by choosing a cause that speaks to your people and your company‚Äôs mission ‚Äì this will get the team more excited about the opportunity and the right candidates will resonate with your message.

Use your careers centered social accounts to keep your remote team members engaged or even get the community pumped so that you can encourage outside participation.

Now it’s your turn – comment below to tell us how YOU rock a cool cover of your favorite employer brands!