Seconding that emotion 🔬 EBH

Calling for a vote to ratify...

+++ employerbrandingforsmallbusiness.com +++

Marketers and neuroscientists agree: we don’t make decisions rationally.

What actually happens in our mind is that we make decisions emotionally. We have a gut reaction. We desire something.

And we don’t always know why.

Of course, if you ask someone why they bought those shoes, that sofa, those headphones, they will give you plenty of rational reasons. They might mention the features or the value, but those things are all post-rationalized. They are the reasons we come up with to justify emotional decisions.

We think less than we think we think.
But the more we feel the more we buy.
- John Kearon

Are you with your partner for rational reasons? Of course not. You “fell” for them, and when someone asks you (a little drunkenly, I would imagine) why you love them, you will struggle to come up with rational reasons why. And you will fail.

For all the thinking we do when buying a home or car, for all the list-building and spreadsheets we might make to compare features and relative pros and cons, we chose based on emotion.

So it stands to reason that we pick our next jobs based on emotion.

Think about that dreaded moment when you search for a job title on a major job board and are faced with dozens, if not hundreds of logos, most of which you have zero rational information about.

Why click THAT one?

Why read THAT posting to the end?

Why decide to engage with THIS one?

Emotions.

Sure, once we learn about the company, we can post-rationalize, but the instinct to click, to read, to engage, those are emotionally driven.

SO WHY ARE SO MANY CAREER SITES DOMINATED BY RATIONAL FACTS!??!?!

Here are the seven benefits we offer.

Here is our founder talking about founding the company 23 years ago.

Here is our stock price.

Here is a diagram showing our hiring process.

Here is a corporate message stating that we have a great culture.

Here is an award we won (hopefully) recently.

Facts, facts, facts.

Where’s the emotion?

It certainly isn’t in the staged photos.

It certainly isn’t in the job posting that sounds like it was written by two lawyers who are each pretending the other doesn’t exist.

It certainly isn’t in the descriptions of the benefits.

Now, here’s the problem. I can’t tell you how to spark emotions.

One, because I don’t know what emotion you want to spark. (That’s where it starts.)

Maybe ask yourself which of the seven deadly sins we deliver. Maybe get yourself a feelings pillow and start throwing darts at it.

But two, because you can’t spark an emotion by saying you’re trying to spark it. Last year, Coke spent $4B on ads to get people to associate it with ‘happiness’ and none of the ads SAY happiness.

If I say “sad” to you a million times, you won’t get sad.

If I say “pride” to you a million times, you won’t feel pride.

(it actually kinda works for “angry” but that’s the exception that proves the rule.)

Look at examples of work that makes you feel something. They almost never tell you what to feel. They lead you to the door and let you walk through.

We’re so obsessed with spelling out the features that we’ve lost sight of the fact that jobs are emotional. Choosing a job is emotional.

We shouldn’t ask the question, “What do people THINK when they see my brand?”

We should be asking, “What do people FEEL when they see my brand?”

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Small business owners have survived on the same employment tips and tricks for decades and then, the pandemic changed the entire business landscape, and those tricks are now passe. What can small businesses do as goliath brands and their marketing machines manufacture new jingles, slogans, and expensive promotions? Enter James Ellis' new book Employer Branding for Small Business which helps small businesses cut through the clutter and evolve their attraction and retention game without breaking the bank. You can’t win the game unless you play, and you can't play unless you're equipped. Get equipped by reading Employer Branding for Small Business over and over and over again. You're welcome.
- Chad Sowash, The Chad & Cheese Podcast

Coming April 4! employerbrandingforsmallbusiness.com

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