Employer branding and market segmentation

Over the last decade, firms large and small have begun overtly branding themselves as employers as well as purveyors of goods and services. Drawing on an investigation of employer brands in practice, we examine how market segmentation is being used implicitly by managers and how established techniques for market segmentation can be applied more extensively in the employer branding context. Further, we posit that using a range of segmentation approaches in concert can strengthen explicit links between employer branding and the broader strategic goals of an organization. In particular, the use of a combination of generic types of market segmentation should help the firm to be more efficient and effective in attracting, retaining and motivating both current and potential employees.