Your company has two brands. One faces consumers and is all about the products or services that you offer. The second is your brand as an employer. That brand tells your present and future employees what it is like to work for you, and whether or not what you offer and the culture you project is genuine.

This is increasingly shown by your employee referral program, and this is a part of your brand, which you need to market to recruiters, employees, and potential job candidates. But how do you market your employer brand, and more importantly how do you market your employee referral program? Here are some tips and tricks for you.

Educate Employees and Recruiters

It’s important that both employees and everyone on your recruiting team know the ins and outs of your employee referral program. It should be part of the orientation for new employees, and whenever you have openings, it is never a bad idea to remind your current employees of the program and its benefits.

They will, after all, be your best ambassadors to new talent and those you want to recruit. The key is not only in having a good program, but it also lies in training staff on the best ways to get the details about that program to those who benefit most from it.

So how do you do that? There are a few best practices to follow to effectively get the word out about your employee referral program.

Partner with Your Marketing Experts

Your company probably already has a great marketing department. So why not put them to work, or at least get their advice on marketing your employer brand? That team will have ideas you can use and will know marketing best practices. They may even be able to generate graphics or other marketing assets you can provide employees to help them participate in your referral program.

If the marketing department is looking for a new team member, they turn to you, the recruiter, for help because you are the expert in that area. Don’t be shy about doing the same and relying on their expertise to assist you in marketing your employee referral program.

Offer the Right Rewards at the Right Time

The key to any employee referral program is the reward system you have in place. What matters is not just the incentives you offer for the employee and the candidate they recruit, but the timing of those rewards.

Provide incentives upon hire, not after a probation period. This shows your confidence in your employee and the new hire they brought in and it says a lot about your company culture. Treat employees, current and new, as if you expect them to stay with you long term, and they will be more likely to.

This also shows your confidence in your hiring process and your ability to vet candidates. It’s a huge part of your employer brand. A rapid turnover rate isn’t appealing to anyone.

Also, be sure that rewards align with your company culture as well. Cash, gift cards, and other incentives can be a great way to get new talent through the door, but make sure the marketing message it sends resonates as well.

Recognize Both Participants and New Hires

Along with cold, hard cash, employees like their efforts to be both acknowledged and recognized publicly. Be sure to highlight employees who bring in new talent and the talent they bring in. This does two things:

• It shows the new hire and your employee that they are appreciated.
• It shows other employees that your referral program works, which could encourage them to participate in the future.
• It strengthens your employer brand as generous and appreciative.

You’ll never get a chance to make that first impression on your candidates again, so do it well, and show your other employees your appreciation at the same time.

Analyze Your Results and Make Improvements

It’s highly likely that your success as a recruiter is judged largely on results. And the way you can make your employee referral program better is to analyze those results. Look at your referral program to see what is working and what isn’t.

• Reevaluate what is working, and double down on those efforts.
• Look at what isn’t working and make changes. You can even test two different approaches with a group of employees and candidates and evaluate the results after you’ve hired someone for that position.
• Use the technology you have, like applicant tracking systems (ATS), and incorporate them into your employee referral program.

If you take a hard look at your results, you will know where your efforts are most effective, and what your employees and potential candidates value.

No matter what your current program looks like, you need to find ways to market your employee referral program effectively. Use data analysis, partner with your marketing team, and offer the right incentives at the right time. If you do these things and make sure your employees and recruiters are on the same page, your program will be more efficient and successful in no time.

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