Article originally published on HR Tech Outlook
For decades, American Manufacturing was acclaimed for its place as the backbone of the economy. While that is still largely true, manufacturing is going through transformation. Modern, digital transformation initiatives need to be prioritized in order to help position companies for growth, create security within the industry, and attract more talent.
Brand Management has been largely overlooked in manufacturing, until recently. With the large majority of the manufacturing labor pool nearing retirement, and a lack of fresh talent on the horizon, manufacturers are faced with a problem they may not have had to deal with in the past: How do we attract the right employees?
As strategists and brand managers specializing in manufacturing, Strategy House is ahead of the curve. The company’s co-founders, Katie Felten and Bridgette Palm, bring decades of experience working with manufacturers on their journey through digital transformation.
“We are focused on telling the story of American manufacturing. Shifting the way businesses share their vision, goals, and company culture can make an incredible impact on not only the amount of candidates finding your business, but the quality of candidates too,” says Palm. “Our process will strengthen your chances of finding candidates that will successfully grow alongside your team.”
“We are focused on telling the story of American manufacturing. Shifting the way businesses share their vision, goals, and company culture can make an incredible impact on not only the amount of candidates finding your business, but the quality of candidates too,” says Palm. “Our process will strengthen your chances of finding candidates that will successfully grow alongside your team.”
President, Strategy House
The biggest challenge manufacturers face today in their efforts to attract talent is that they are not telling their story. Today’s candidates expect to discuss culture in the hiring process. Modern employees want to feel connected to their work and are driven by a shared purpose. The mission, vision, and culture are all key elements of an employer brand—and content that manufacturers have historically struggled to generate.
Executive leaders are faced with the challenge of attracting millennial talent to manufacturing. The historic lack of focus on digital touchpoints has made it challenging for candidates to find and engage with manufacturers online. When candidates can’t find you, there is often a disconnect between the in-person brand experience and the digital representation of your brand.
When employers start to approach branding initiatives, it can be tempting to start with tactics like a website redesign or social media posts. Though these are all living, breathing branding mechanisms, it should always start with a smart strategy.
An employer branding strategy will effectively align your brand, create continuity, and attract quality newcomers who align with your culture and will be more likely to remain with your company long-term.
This is where Strategy House steps into the picture. Following a unique approach, the Strategy House team works to align your brand with your vision and culture, and translate it to the digital realm.
First, their team conducts internal interviews with employees and C-suite leaders to analyze growth goals, relationships, and culture.
With that information, Strategy House develops a custom strategy to develop and cultivate your employer brand. Weaving concepts like background, interests and purpose, their team is able to create accurate personas of candidates.
With those systems already tested, they formulate a shareable story, with varying aspects broken down into digital touchpoints. Strategy House helps clients share their vision, mission, work culture, community engagement, and core values through social platforms, LinkedIn, and their website. This effort creates a cohesive digital brand and allows candidates to confirm if the company’s values line up with their own.
Working in the large world of manufacturing talent, Strategy House focuses on three candidate demographics: the younger generation aged 16-25 that can be reached through apprenticeships and education, general millennial talent aged 25-50, and existing team members aged 50-70 whose knowledge and insight can be passed on through mentorships. This comprehensive picture allows their team to speak directly to potential candidates, and accurately share the company’s story.
In addition to employer branding, Strategy House also offers a plethora of services that guide manufacturers through digital transformation and better align them for growth across the board.
“We work extensively with our clients to build out digital content that accurately shares their story,” says Felten. “Bringing their vision and mission to the web helps our clients become digitally empowered.”
Strategy House serves as a manufacturer’s one-stop-shop for digital transformation and brand management. Katie and Bridgette work with business’ executive teams while providing an entire remote brand management department. Together with their progressive manufacturing clientele, Strategy House is helping breathe new life into the industry.
