In the industrial sector, where talent shortages and competition for skilled workers are persistent challenges, a well-executed employer brand and effective recruitment marketing are absolute game-changers. By building this brand and modernizing your approach to recruitment, you’ll not only stand out from the crowd of companies looking for talent—you’ll stand above it.
So What Exactly is an Employer Brand?
While most companies recognize the importance of customer-facing branding, fewer invest in the creation of a compelling employer brand—the element that speaks directly to potential hires and positions the company as a top-choice workplace. An employer brand is more than a tagline or a recruitment page—it’s the perception of your company as a place to work. This brand is shaped by everything from employee experiences to your company’s mission, values, and how you communicate those elements to job seekers.
A strong employer brand makes your company memorable to candidates and helps build a steady stream of qualified applicants. It communicates your unique values, highlights growth opportunities, and conveys what it’s truly like to work for you. When done right, employer branding helps you attract candidates who deeply resonate with your culture and are more likely to stay longer.
Recruitment Marketing: A Modern Approach to Talent Acquisition
Unlike traditional recruiting, which focuses on filling open roles quickly, recruitment marketing is a proactive approach to engaging talent over the long term. This is vital for today's job seekers, as they evaluate employers much like they do products and services, using online research and reviews to gauge a company's mission and culture. With this modern approach, you’ll use marketing strategies to showcase your company culture, values, and career growth opportunities in a way that resonates with potential hires. It shows that your open roles are more than jobs; they’re great opportunities.
Recruitment marketing is about storytelling and creating an experience for candidates that mirrors your brand. It’s the process of communicating the value of working at your company through channels like social media, job postings, and your careers page. Effective recruitment marketing ensures that when skilled candidates come across your brand, they see a fit and future with your company. It’s not just for attracting new hires though—it’s also an effective method for retaining the talent that makes your team great.
Challenges in the Industrial Sector
Recruitment in the industrial sector comes with unique challenges. Many companies face significant labor shortages, fierce competition for skilled workers, and an aging workforce. To add to all of these challenges, younger candidates often overlook industrial roles as they consider them less appealing or growth-oriented compared to tech or corporate positions.
To overcome these challenges, it’s essential to build an employer brand that not only entices new talent, but encourages them to stay. Here’s where recruitment marketing makes a difference: by showcasing your company’s commitment to career development, innovation, and the value of the work you do, you can shift perceptions and attract a broader pool of qualified and engaged candidates.
By shifting perceptions, you’ll be positioning your company as more than just a workplace—you’ll be building a brand that represents opportunity, purpose, and growth. By effectively communicating what sets your company apart, you can inspire the next generation of talent to see industrial roles not only as viable career paths, but as fulfilling, long-term careers that make a real impact.
Recruitment Marketing in Action
At Site, we’ve seen firsthand how recruitment marketing can transform an employer’s brand and attract top-tier talent. Some success stories include:
Inland Truck and Equipment
To address Inland’s need for new mechanics, we developed a recruitment video that did more than list benefits; it invited viewers to experience Inland from an employee's perspective. We crafted a first-person, day-in-the-life narrative that highlighted the unique work culture, dedication to team support, and commitment to community that makes Inland who they are. By focusing on the immersive, hands-on experience of working at Inland, we created a recruitment message that showed how they are “all in” on their people—capturing the essence of the company through the eyes of those who work there.
Finning
For Finning, recruitment meant highlighting the people who make them an amazing place to work. To meet this need, we developed a series of videos that captured employees’ stories and experiences with Finning’s state-of-the-art equipment and growth opportunities. Through a storytelling approach, we showed how the company empowers employees to learn, thrive, and grow in unique, dynamic environments across various locations. Our videos conveyed the message that Finning is a place where passionate individuals can build fulfilling careers on the cutting edge of industrial innovation.
MAKE Projects
To attract like-minded, driven individuals to their team, MAKE Projects needed a recruitment campaign that reflected their culture’s authenticity. We designed a website and recruitment video that broke free from typical corporate language, highlighting the approachable and high-energy culture of MAKE. The content showcased MAKE as a team-oriented, agile firm where employee ideas are valued, helping potential hires see the real people and opportunities behind the brand. This honest portrayal helped MAKE stand out in a competitive industry and attract talent aligned with their values and vision.
Weaver Consultants
Weaver wanted to attract talent who saw long-term potential in their careers, but the term “lifer” often had negative connotations, especially for younger audiences. Our solution was to embrace and redefine the word by telling the stories of Weaver’s employees who have built lasting careers there. Through interviews, we shared each employee’s personal perspective on what being a “lifer” meant at Weaver, showing it as a commitment to professional growth, community, and meaningful work. By flipping the term into a positive, we positioned Weaver as a place for dedicated, career-oriented individuals.
Building and Boosting Your Employer Brand
Building a strong employer brand in the industrial sector can feel like a daunting task. Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be. If you’re looking to improve your employer brand, you’ll want to:
- Leverage Employee Testimonials
There’s no one more qualified to showcase your employee experience than your employees. Use their stories to share authentic experiences and highlight your company’s commitment to career development and workplace culture.
- Optimize Job Descriptions
When it comes to job descriptions, generic language and a lack of details are red flags for many candidates. Take the time to tailor your job descriptions to reflect what makes your workplace—and the role itself—unique. This will help candidates understand the value of joining your team and what to expect.
- Invest in High-Quality Visuals and Video
First impressions matter. When potential applicants view your job posting or visit your website, visuals will instantly impact their perception of your company. Industrial job seekers want to see where they’ll work and the equipment they’ll use. High-quality imagery and video of the work environment can provide transparent insight into your operations and build excitement.
- Use Analytics to Measure Success
Track the effectiveness of your recruitment marketing efforts. Tools like Google Analytics and applicant tracking systems (ATS) help measure key metrics like application rates, candidate quality, and time-to-fill. As you get this data, adjust your strategies based on what’s working.
- Stay Consistent Across All Channels
Ensure that your brand is consistently represented across your careers page, social media profiles, and job postings. This consistency helps build a memorable employer brand that candidates can connect with.
Elevate Your Employer Brand, Raise Your Recruitment Capabilities
In the industrial sector, the need for top talent is high, and a strong employer brand can set you apart from competitors. Recruitment marketing is the bridge between your brand and potential hires—it showcases your culture, values, and commitment to growth in ways that resonate. A well-crafted employer brand doesn’t just fill roles; it brings in candidates who stay, succeed, and contribute to your company’s future.
If you’re ready to elevate your employer brand and enhance your recruitment strategy, we’re ready to help. Through SiteTalent, we provide specialized recruitment and talent solutions that position you as an employer of choice in the industrial sector. From talent strategy and development to recruitment services, employer branding, and employee experience, we’ll help you attract and retain talent that enables future growth and performance for your business. Reach out today to get started!
