Employer branding is one of the most powerful recruitment tools available in today’s competitive environment. No longer just a marketing or communications initiative, over 40% of companies indicated that employer branding is a “must have” in their talent acquisition strategies. Companies such as 7-Eleven and Hyatt recognize the long-term benefits to improving efficiency and saving costs by investing in innovative technology solutions such as Jobs2Web and social media strategies. Why spend all of your time and resources trying to find quality candidates when they can come looking for you?

Sounds straightforward yet the economic turmoil of the past year have left many companies with a less than stellar employer brand; making the job of attracting quality applicants an even greater challenge. In today’s customer-driven economy, many organizations lose sight of how treating their own employees is the best way to help strengthen their brand. In Forbes’ much anticipated “Best Places to Work List”, best practice organizations such as Google, Wegmans Foods and SAS are able to differentiate themselves by offering incentives, flexibility and job stability. Yes, these companies are still hiring and some are even experiencing job growth at 40% this year. As a result, they are able to more effectively attract top talent without a heavy investment of time and resources.

What can organizations learn from the “Best Places to Work List”? What should talent acquisition professionals think about when looking to attract top talent?

What Does It Take to Strengthen Your Employer Brand Today?

1. Non-monetary incentives: While some organizations are still fortunate enough to offer monetary incentives such as sign-on bonuses, the majority of organizations are trying to find some sense of normalcy and need to think outside the box. Companies such as Nugget Market and SAS increase morale by offering non-monetary incentives that engage employees in the company and foster team-building such as employee lunches and group events.

2. Avoiding layoffs: After a year of layoffs and employment furloughs, companies such as Wegmans Foods have been able to retain their employees without eliminating critical job roles have helped to increase company morale.

3. Flexibility: Companies such as Google looking to attract Generation Y need to include job flexibility and independence for their workers. Engineers at Google are able to select their own projects and teams.

Employer branding is becoming a key element of talent acquisition as companies look to regain their competitive advantage and rebuild their workforce in 2010. Companies need to think not only about how their brand affects their customer base but also the impact of how they treat their current employees. We will continue to cover this topic in depth in 2010 and would love to hear from you.