4 Red Flags to Look Out for When Choosing an Employer Branding Agency

As good as it is to know what a good employer branding agency is, it’s just as good (maybe better!) to know the red flags. 

As you’re shopping around for an agency partner, beware these telltale signs your employer brand might be in danger.

1. We can do it all, we swear!

You want an employer branding agency with a solid menu of capabilities, but you don’t want an agency that lacks self-awareness. 

If their pitch to you is this: We can develop your employer value proposition from scratch, survey your workforce, develop content, strategize for your socials and run them, run a weekly blog, change your oil, rotate your tires, and pick up groceries for your mom! They may be overselling it. 

Any good agency is aware of its strengths and weaknesses and is frank about in-house capabilities and what they’ll be outsourcing. 

2. They don’t have an employee retention strategy

Employer branding doesn’t stop once a recruit has signed their offer letter. A solid strategy also includes employee retention. What good is it to get them through your doors if they don’t stay there? 

Your branding agency should be able to advise you on in-house best practices and execute internally and externally facing campaigns that keep workers happy and your organization sticky. 

3. They don’t get the relationship between customer-facing and candidate-facing brands

You’ll be able to evaluate this by the work samples in their portfolio. If their employer branding campaigns don’t jive with the public brands you know, that’s not a good sign. Employer brands build on existing image and voice. 

4. They don’t have a research plan

Any good agency partner will use data to build your candidate-facing brand. Even if you’ve never put forth a dedicated employer brand strategy, you have an employer brand. What’s your public reputation? How do candidates think of you? What kind of applicants are knocking on your door? What’s internal morale like?

A good agency can advise or help you conduct a pulse survey to understand your starting point—and build a stronger brand.

Emily McCrary-Ruiz-Esparza writes about workplace culture, DEI, and hiring. Her work has appeared in Fast Company, From Day One, and InHerSight, among others.

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