If you’re struggling to build your team, it’s time to take a good look at your employer brand.
In the competitive landscape of the built environment, attracting top-tier talent is as crucial as securing high-value contracts. Skilled site workers, experienced engineers, and professional project managers are the backbone of any successful company operating in construction, but recruiting the best talent remains a significant challenge.
There are a range of factors contributing to this, including skills shortages, changing and increasing legislation, the long-term impacts of Brexit and Covid, an ageing workforce and fewer people entering the sector, the need for greater diversity, and much more. Read more about the challenge of recruiting a skilled workforce in this Building article.
This is where marketing strategies can play a pivotal role, by helping companies enhance their employer brand and creating a compelling narrative that attracts the best candidates.
Building a strong employer brand
A robust employer brand is essential for attracting top talent. It reflects the company’s values, culture, and work environment. Companies operating in the built environment can make use of content marketing, social media, and industry events to showcase the scale and scope of projects their teams work on, giving a sense of what it’s like to work at the company and celebrating successful projects via case studies, testimonials and awards.
Potential recruits are often looking for companies where they can see a future and feel valued. So, sharing stories about how employees are integral to the company’s success, their career growth, and work-life balance can also make the company more appealing. By consistently communicating these aspects through various marketing channels, you can enhance your employer brand and support the recruitment of quality talent.
Targeted outreach and messaging
B2B marketing tactics also allow organisations to precisely target their applicants. Through market research and data analytics, companies can identify where their ideal candidates hang out. This could be specific job boards, industry forums, LinkedIn groups, or even university career centres specialising in construction and engineering.
To tailor your recruitment messages to address the interests and pain points of your target applicants, why not speak to them directly and find out? Take the opportunity to ask applicants what they’re looking for. A new entrant to the sector searching for an entry level project management role might be looking for opportunities for professional development, with access to cutting-edge technology and the chance to be hands-on during significant projects to gain experience, for example. If this is the case, make sure you communicate this in your job descriptions but also demonstrate this via your content and marketing channels (more on this later). If you can communicate with your ideal candidates in their own terminology, and highlight how your role can support their personal goals and motivations, your message is more likely to resonate and result in applications from the most suitable candidates.
Leveraging content marketing
Content marketing is a powerful tool that can be used to attract talent. By creating and distributing valuable content on a regular basis, construction companies can position themselves as industry leaders and attractive employers. Blogs, ebooks, case studies, videos of existing employees etc can be used to showcase the company’s expertise, project successes, and bring your workplace culture to life.
For example, a blog post detailing the career path of a senior engineer within the company can inspire potential candidates. Videos showing day-to-day operations, team interactions, and employee experiences can give prospects a glimpse into the company’s work environment. Additionally, thought leadership articles can demonstrate the company’s commitment to innovation and professional development, appealing to ambitious professionals.
The power of social media and professional networks
Social media platforms, particularly LinkedIn, play a significant role in recruitment. Companies can use these platforms to share content, engage with industry professionals, and participate in relevant discussions. Regular updates about ongoing projects, company news, and employee achievements keep the company visible and top of mind for potential recruits. You can also use LinkedIn to search for candidates with specific skills, join industry groups, and even run targeted ad campaigns.
Get directly in front of potential candidates at industry events
Industry events, such as trade shows, conferences, and even virtual events such as webinars, present excellent recruitment opportunities. Such events allow you to network with industry professionals, showcase your expertise – perhaps by participating in panel discussions or speaker slots – demonstrate your leadership and commitment to the industry, and promote your employer brand.
These events provide the ideal platform to meet potential recruits face-to-face, discuss career opportunities, and build a positive impression of the company.
Harness the influencers within your business
You might have heard of User Generated Content but how about Employee Generated Content? Hearing directly from your current workforce can be incredibly influential. They might take some initial encouragement, but finding ways to make it easy for your staff to share how they feel about working for your business and how you are supporting their career progression will act as social proof for potential candidates.
Aside from creating their own posts such as site visits or expert opinions, social platforms offer a number of ways to simplify engagement with company posts, from tagging people in posts to alerting staff to new posts, and having a social media policy in place helps to give people confidence in what they’re posting and why it’s valuable to the business.
Marketing is not just about increasing brand awareness and generating leads with prospective clients; it’s also a powerful tool for recruiting top talent. If you’d like help leveraging B2B marketing strategies to enhance your employer brand and target and attract skilled professionals, get in touch.