Yes—by clarifying the real deal and differentiating you, you attract fewer-but-better applicants and close faster.

Hard-to-fill roles usually suffer from low awareness, weak differentiation, or high perceived risk (complex work, niche skills, location, shifts, comp). Employer brand helps by getting specific about: the problems they’ll solve, the tools/standards, the support they’ll have, and the tradeoffs. That specificity increases qualified self-selection and reduces wasted screening. It also strengthens the close by giving hiring managers proof-backed talk tracks that address the real “why leave?” questions. If comp or location is truly the blocker, brand won’t magically erase it—but it can reduce friction, widen the pool, and improve conversion so you fill roles with less spend and fewer resets.