Belfast agency expands employer marketing division with significant investment and job creation

A Northern Ireland communications agency has announced expansion plans across the UK and the Republic of Ireland for its employer marketing division with the launch of The Formula.

This expansion comes as a result of a significant investment by ASG & Partners and will lead to the creation of five new job roles within the employer marketing division.

Employer marketing has been a specialist division of ASG & Partners for over 30 years, evolving from the traditional design and placement of recruitment advertisements to currently offering a service that encompasses employer branding, research, diversity and inclusion strategies, internal communications and specialist media consultancy.

The Formula was created in response to the current challenges faced by all sectors in both the recruitment and retention of staff.

Managing director Emma Murray explained: "We are thrilled to announce a significant investment in our employer marketing division, which will not only create five new job opportunities, but also empower employers across the UK and the Republic of Ireland with the tools for success in today's competitive recruitment landscape.

“The launch of The Formula is not only a testament to our unrivalled experience in employer marketing, but also signifies our commitment to driving employer success in the face of challenging recruitment landscapes.

“There are a number of compounding factors – the impact of Covid, Brexit, a fractured economy to name just a few – that have resulted in this challenging time for employers with regard to both attracting and retaining their staff.

“Based on the latest figures derived from the Quarterly Employment Survey, Northern Ireland is experiencing its eighth consecutive quarterly increase in employee jobs. The market is undoubtedly buoyant and, as a result, attracting and holding on to staff can become much more challenging and competitive.

“A lot of employers simply don’t have the time needed for effective recruitment which regularly results in poor messaging and, unfortunately, unsuccessful campaigns.”

The Formula aims to revolutionise employers' approach to recruitment with a focus on reducing staff turnover, lowering the cost per hire, and optimising every stage of an organisation’s recruitment lifecycle.

Emma continued: “The Formula was borne out of our unrivalled experience within employer marketing and our desire to transform employers often reactive and ineffective approach to recruitment.

“We offer a wide range of bespoke employer marketing products and services that cover employer branding, internal communications, recruitment advertising and research that enable our clients to attract and retain quality talent and build a robust employer brand. A strong brand not only leads to a reduction in staff turnover and in cost per hire but underpins all stages of the recruitment lifecycle and will save recruiters time to focus on other responsibilities.

“An employer may need help in the design and production of an Induction Toolkit for new team members or they may be keen to activate a purely social media focused campaign for their next round of recruitment. The role of HR in a business has transformed and the ask is now much greater than ever before. An employer may also require assistance with understanding how the company as a whole is viewed by potential candidates, how to reach and engage with the best talent for niche or volume roles, how to approach early careers promotion or even how to conduct and analyse an annual staff survey.

“We pride ourselves on working with our clients to produce the right formula for employer marketing success.”