Employment branding: a company’s reputation as an employer, or how great a place it is to work — a must for today’s prospective employees.

Dealerships have always placed a heavy emphasis on attracting consumers and cultivating a company brand for them, but with Millennials now making up the majority of the workforce and consumer base, employment branding has not only become an increasingly important objective, but it should also be approached with this target audience in mind.

At Baker Motor Co., that means “You take care of the client, so I take care of you.” True to its word, the organization was recognized as one of the best places to work in 2015 by Automotive News for its commitment to employee health, fiscal success and overall satisfaction. In addition to the coveted schedule flexibility, the company places top priority on employees through resources such as financial advisors, personal trainers and nutritionists.

While a positive company brand does not hurt a dealership’s standing in a potential employee’s eyes, it does not necessarily translate into consideration for employment, either. Millennials, especially, look for companies they identify with and that have a positive employer reputation. In fact, a company’s employer brand is twice as likely to attract potential candidates as its company brand.

For this reason, a host of dealerships are now touting programs and policies geared at providing a positive and enriching work environment to not only increase employee happiness, but to become a more attractive option for prospective candidates. Yark Subaru, for example, hosts regular employee nights and company get-togethers so employees feel valued while strengthening company culture and team bonding. They also provide open lines of communication, training and tools, and make a point to promote from within to further employee development and develop well-rounded employees in every role.

If you are wondering whether your dealership should devote more attention to its employer branding, consider the numerous benefits and rewards:

Savings on Recruitment and Retention

According to research from LinkedIn, companies that invested in employer branding saw a lower cost per hire and lower employee turnover rates of 28 percent, while companies with a weaker employer brand reported an almost double cost per hire.

As the lines between recruiting and marketing start to blur, a concise employer brand has become a staple for top-tier talent. Having the right message reach the right candidates will save your dealership time and money in the recruitment process, and increase your chances of finding the right candidates who will stick around.

Creates Employee Ambassadors

Invested employees who have a positive image of the company they work for can be great resources for the organization, with increased reach to customers and potential candidates. Your employer brand messaging can foster an internal culture in your dealership to provide employees with a common message they can rally around, turning them into brand ambassadors. In this way they can organically spread your employer brand by sharing company content through social media channels or offering word-of-mouth recommendations to potential candidates and customers.

Perhaps more importantly, if your employees are willingly spreading your message, it further strengthens your company’s credibility and authenticity.

Reputation in the Community is Tied to Employees’ Reputation

Potential employees now feel like your company’s reputation affects their own. In addition to the benefits and perks your company may provide, it is now expected that companies have a corporate social responsibility to contribute to their communities. Today’s potential candidates want to know their place of employment cares about its community, and your employer brand messaging is a great way to showcase how your dealership gives back, particularly through tangible actions.

Direct Impact on Customers Consumers tend to make decisions on companies they feel align with their values. Therefore, companies that treat employees well will resonate with their consumers as much as product branding does. A lack of attention to employee branding will not only affect the quality of the candidate pool, but can also hurt consumer relations.

Customers today are known to be fickle and will easily take their business elsewhere if they do not like how employees negatively talk about a company. Investment in employee branding, however, will create a feedback loop that will not only reach potential candidates, but your customers as well, resulting in increased loyalty of both your team and customers.

Where To Start?

Just as consumers have likely done a considerable amount of online research prior to walking into your dealership, potential candidates will be vetting out your company prior to applying for a position. To do this, they will look to your dealership’s Website, most particularly your career page. It is extremely important to have a career site in place aimed at providing candidates with employer brand messaging in an updated, easy-to-use platform that is also optimized for mobile use.

A career site must be sure to include ample information on the company’s benefits and perks, company initiatives and community involvement, and a concise summary of job responsibilities and descriptions. Information should be featured in a crisp, clean design in an easily navigated format. Consider incorporating multimedia aspects to help bring your company’s culture and values to life through pictures or short videos, as well.

By developing employer branding through a core message spread across a strategic platform, your dealership can resonate with both current employees and potential candidates, creating brand ambassadors within your company, recruiting top talent for your company and resonating with your consumer along the way.