In recent years, terms such as "war for talent" and "staff shortage" have become increasingly important in the field of human resources (HR). Companies are therefore focusing specifically on personnel marketing to strengthen their market position. It does this by increasing employer attractiveness, also known as employer branding, to facilitate the attraction of highly skilled professionals. Effective HR marketing requires specific skills and expertise to develop targeted processes, tools, concepts, and ideas that lead to attracting the right talent.
Definition and tasks of personnel marketing
Personnel marketing can be understood as the development of the external labour market by building and maintaining a positive employer image. It aims to meet the needs of current and future employees and align the company's entire human resources policy with these needs.
The core tasks of personnel marketing include:
- Definition of the target group(s): Who exactly do you want to recruit as an employee?
- Analysis of the media and platform landscape: Where are the desired candidates?
- Developing a Unique Employer Proposition (UEP): What makes the company unique as an employer?
- Creating a strong corporate presence on relevant channels: online and offline.
- Conveyance of UEP and target group-relevant information: Authentic and transparent.
Differences Between Personnel Marketing, Employer Branding and Recruiting
Personnel marketing aims to position the company in the job market and focuses primarily on the job market in order to attract and retain qualified employees in the long term. It uses a marketing-oriented concept, whereby the target group is not customers, but current as well as potential employees. Ideally, all HR activities of a company should be based on an overarching HR marketing strategy.
Employer branding and recruiting are separate concepts compared to personnel marketing. They serve as tools in the HR field, with their alignment influenced by HR marketing strategies. There is some overlap, but they each have different definitions.
Recruiting refers to targeted measures to recruit new employees, such as job advertisements or the use of platforms such as Xing or LinkedIn. Employer branding, on the other hand, deals with the development of an employer brand. It establishes and communicates a specific image that positions the company as an attractive employer and differentiates it from competitors to
the labour market.
Internal vs. external personnel marketing
Internal personnel marketing focuses on the company's existing employees. The aim is to reduce turnover, promote loyalty and motivation, and emotionally bind employees to the company.
This can be achieved through various measures:
- Development of attractive offers: flexible working hours, home office, further training opportunities.
- Promoting appreciation and recognition: Regular feedback, transparent communication.
- Creating a positive corporate culture: team building activities, flat hierarchies.
External HR marketing, on the other hand, deals with recruiting new employees for open positions. It's about getting the attention of the desired candidates and convincing them of the company as an employer.
Effective External Personnel Marketing Measures
- High-quality job advertisements: Informative, appealing and tailored to the target group.
- Career sites and social media: Building a strong online presence.
- Active Sourcing: Targeted search for suitable candidates.
- Participation in job fairs and career centres: Direct contact with potential applicants.
- Employee referrals: Leveraging the network of existing employees.
Success Factors and Challenges
The most important success factors of personnel marketing include:
- Strategic orientation: A clear concept with defined goals and target groups.
- Authenticity and transparency: The company must present itself honestly and credibly.
- Continuous development: adaptation of measures to new trends and challenges.
- Use of modern technologies: use of social media, big data and automation.
The challenges of HR marketing include:
- Demographic change: a shortage of skilled workers and a shrinking generation of young professionals.
- The digital transformation: New demands on the skills of employees.
- Global competition: Companies must position themselves internationally as attractive employers.
FAQs
What does HR marketing mean?
Human resources marketing refers to the process of externally positioning a company in the labor market by building and maintaining a positive image as an employer in order to attract a skilled workforce.
An alternative definition describes HR marketing as a comprehensive concept that encompasses the entire HR policy of a company and aims to address the needs of both current and future employees.
The central idea of HR marketing is to act in a customer-oriented manner in HR work, with a special focus on addressing specific target groups, which means that different measures must be taken.
What are the tasks of personnel marketing?
The main tasks of HR marketing include:
- Determination of target groups
- Delimitation of the geographical catchment area
- Analysis of media and platforms to determine the preferences of the target groups
- Identification of the company's unique employer offering (UEP)
- Presence of the company on appropriate media and platforms
What does internal HR marketing mean?
Internal HR marketing aims to strengthen employee retention, loyalty and recognition in the company, promote appreciation and convey a long-term vision without any intention of change. Employees are to be motivated by emotional attachment to the company. The identification of employees with the company's values and the opportunity for self-realization through their work are crucial for the success of internal personnel marketing.
What does external personnel marketing mean?
External recruitment marketing, on the other hand, focuses on recruiting new applicants for open positions. It is of great importance to convey the attractiveness of the company to potential candidates and to gain their support. By increasing visibility and improving the positive image of the company, recruitment costs can be reduced in the long run. Therefore, it is essential to communicate the company's unique selling points or employer value proposition (EVP) to the outside world in a targeted manner. This can help attract highly qualified candidates and increase the efficiency of the recruitment process.
What are the goals of personnel marketing?
The goals of HR marketing can be broadly broken down into three main goals:
- Recruitment/Acquisition: The goal is to attract potential candidates not only through attractive salary and working conditions, but also to convey a positive image of the company and emphasize the unique features that make the company particularly attractive as an employer.
- Employee retention: This is about attracting existing employees to the company and strengthening the company's position in the competitive environment. This should be reflected in a higher motivation of the employees and a convincing appearance of the company to the outside world.
- Analysis: With often similar job openings on the market, HR marketing strives to highlight the company's unique features compared to competitors. This includes aspects such as product information and company benefits, which can help position the company as an attractive employer.
Result
Personnel marketing is of central importance in the recruitment process. By building an attractive employer brand, a company differentiates itself in a highly competitive market. The core message should be reflected along the touchpoints of the candidate journey. Through a strategic presence in the online and offline sector, the company can optimally position itself as an attractive employer and strengthen its image. The aim is to attract the attention of the target groups and enable them to identify with the company. In times of an oversupply of qualified workers, the topic of personnel marketing was less relevant for many entrepreneurs. However, the changed situation has meant that staff shortages have become an existential threat for some companies. Therefore, it is important to recognize that sporadic measures are not enough. In order to successfully meet the challenges of the job market in the long term, the development of a well-thought-out personnel marketing concept is essential.
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