Are you concerned about your employer brand? In this article, we explore why your best ambassadors aren’t in marketing—they’re within your own team.
The competition for talent is just as fierce as the competition for customers. Organizations can no longer focus only on selling products or services; they must also learn how to “sell” themselves as places worth working for. That’s where employer branding comes into play. But careful—we’re not talking about inspiring phrases on your website or emotional videos on LinkedIn.
We’re talking about something deeper. Something more real, more challenging… and more valuable: corporate culture.
The uncomfortable truth of employer branding: People don’t leave (only) for money
It’s an old, harmful myth: thinking people resign solely because of a better financial offer. Reality is far more complex. Yes, salary matters. But what truly motivates people to stay or leave has to do with how they feel in their daily life:
- Do they feel heard?
- Do they have autonomy?
- Do they participate in the company’s purpose?
- Are they co-responsible for its success?
- Do they know their work matters?
- Do they trust their leadership?
- Can they be themselves?
If the answer is “no,” no bonus, mindfulness course, or office foosball table will keep them. People don’t leave a company; they leave an ecosystem. They leave a culture.
They also don’t join because of a catchy employer branding slogan
Phrases like “we are a big family” or “we believe in people” decorate many “Join Us” pages. But real talent—the kind you want—doesn’t get impressed so easily.
They want proof. Evidence. Real references.
And do you know the most trustworthy source? It’s not your website or your campaign. It’s that informal message someone receives from a friend: “Hey, I really enjoy my workplace; people are nice, managers are decent, and they give you room. It’s a good place to work.”
That feeling of being “a good place to work” doesn’t happen by accident.
Culture isn’t something you declare—it’s something you live: The heart of real employer branding
Here lies the essence of genuine employer branding: an authentic, consistent culture. You can pay for campaigns, team-building activities, and corporate videos. But you can’t pay someone to genuinely feel good about their job and spontaneously become your ambassador. That must come from within:
- From leaders who truly listen.
- From genuine wellness policies, not empty gestures.
- From teams celebrating shared successes.
- From internal communication that informs and connects, rather than manipulates.
- From a shared, collective purpose.
When that happens, the team speaks positively because they genuinely experience positivity. Then, the magic happens: they begin attracting talent like a magnet—because authenticity is contagious.
Your best recruiter (and the best salesperson for your employer brand)
The people who already work with you and want to stay are your greatest allies for attracting (and retaining) talent. No one can better explain what it’s like to work with you than someone experiencing it daily.
This creates a virtuous cycle for your employer brand:
- A motivated team, feeling central to the organization’s successes, speaks positively.
- This good reputation spreads through social networks, coffee breaks, and WhatsApp groups.
- More people want to join.
- You can choose better, hiring people more aligned with your culture.
- Less turnover, more commitment.
- Better results.
This cycle isn’t created with slogans. It’s created with actions. With consistency. With a clear, consistent, genuinely lived culture.
So, what can HR do to enhance your employer brand?
- Listen actively: Don’t wait until employees leave to find out what’s not working.
- Celebrate successes and replicate them.
And most importantly, according to Madavi: If your team isn’t actively “selling” your company, TRANSFORM YOUR CULTURE.
Cultural Transformation and Employer Branding
Our way of transforming corporate culture is based on a simple idea: a system advances toward what it explores. Companies grow faster when they focus on what they DO have and what they DO desire, rather than on problems. The questions people ask themselves and the vision of a desirable future they imagine are key elements in facilitating cultural change within organizations.
Madavi’s methodology relies on collaboratively discovering what makes the organization most effective. By promoting an appreciative culture, principles of abundance (strengths) and simultaneity (many people simultaneously) simplify the process: recognizing the best that exists and involving everyone towards that compelling future vision.
In a world where talent increasingly chooses carefully where to work, culture is your competitive advantage. It can’t be copied, faked, or bought.
So, if you want to build a strong employer brand, start from within. Start by creating a culture worth living… and worth sharing.
Because when someone says, “It feels good to work here,” you’ve already won.