Building awareness one person at a time is a lot of work.

Is there a shortcut?   Yes.  It’s called an employment brand. 

When we buy something, a consumer brand quickly answers the basics questions of awareness.

“I’ve heard of you.”   “I like what you provide.”

Employment brands are intended to produce the same response. 

But, the relationship between an employer and an employee is more complex than buying a a can of soda.

What’s it like to work at Amazon?   That depends.  What’s your role?  Who is your manager? What project are you working on?  How’s my work-life balance going to be?

By nature, employment brands are shallow, (“I like your company.”  “I think I know what you do.”), but they can quickly touch a large number of people.

Building awareness through personal connections often leads to faster and deeper connections, but you can only get to a few individuals.

Both methodologies work.

Smaller organizations (single offices, teams) are usually more successful with the narrow and deep strategy.  Personal energy and grit pay off.

Large organizations (large brokerages) are sometimes successful with the wide and shallow strategy.  Effective systems and reliable execution make the difference.