HR and Marketing: A Perfect Combination
When you think of the role that human resources plays in your organization, what tasks immediately come to mind? More than likely you are thinking of the various administrative functions HR performs: maintaining personnel records, managing employee concerns and internal relationships, training, and compliance. Another major responsibility of an HR department is the recruitment and retention of employees. In today’s current employment market, this particular role has become more challenging (click here to read our recent blog on “Recruiting in the Modern Day”). HR professionals find themselves not only looking for qualified candidates, but are in the position of having to market and “sell” the company to potential new employees.
The human resources and marketing departments have traditionally been looked at as two separate entities, but in today’s information society, their goals are more closely aligned and intertwined than ever. HR should have a seat at the marketing table. As the competition for quality talent increases, HR professionals have become marketers as they work to attract the right people to apply for open positions and retain the employees you have. The company image you present should be unified across all departments and channels both internally and externally. Marketing materials to potential and current clients/customers, internal communications to your employees, your customer service presence, your website, and job postings all need to consistently represent your company’s brand.
Incorporating HR into your marketing strategy is also vital to your brand reputation. Reviews of your company or product don’t only come from your clients or consumers. Sites like Glassdoor.com, Indeed.com, and other review sites allow current and former employees to post reviews of what it’s like to work at your company. Candidates also post reviews about your interview process and their impressions of your company. This information is accessible in a way that it never has been before. When a quick google search can pull up information not only about your services or product but about the kind of workplace you provide, this can influence the decisions that both potential customers and employees make when looking for products or services or new employment. HR and marketing should be working hand in hand to attract both the right customers and employees.
The skill sets needed to be successful at HR and marketing are very similar. Both roles require strategic thinking, high level verbal and written communication skills, strong analytical skills, as well as good interpersonal skills. Forward thinking companies have begun to see this link between the two disciplines. And while HR professionals may tell you that human capital is a company’s most important asset and marketing will say that it is the company brand, it is really the joining of the two that will help propel companies into the future.
Companies need to be swift and agile and each piece of the puzzle needs to work together. For small and midsize companies with limited resources, the combination of an HR/Marketing solution for your organization is ideal. Contact us to see how we can help you.
