Employer branding: a quick how-to

With employer branding you work on your long-term image as an employer. You look for an attractive and preferably unique position that can convince your current and potential employees and their influencers. With a strong employer brand you create pride and commitment among your employees. It confirms them in their choice for you as an employer, ensures more commitment, better performance, higher retention and motivated ambassadors, even in uncertain times. An attractive employer brand also has a major impact on your recruitment efforts: they become more sustainable and lead to higher authenticity, more and stronger candidates, faster hires and a lower cost per hire.

Employer branding has five main pillars:

1. your employer identity as the essence of your employer brand
2. the employee value proposition as a promise to current and new employees
3. a clear employer story
4. an attractive employer brand visual
5. a communication plan to reach your target groups and objectives

Your employer identity starts with the basics. Think about your corporate and/or commercial brand and in which playing field your organization operates. In addition, it is important to know your target groups and to understand what you have to offer them (value), in what way you do this (vision) and with what purpose. Equally important are your insights into these target groups. What do they care about? What drives them to choose you as an employer? How do you distinguish yourself from other employers? Your work culture is the final piece of your employer identity. The values in your organization are the handhold to achieve your goals and at the same time guide the behavior of your employees.

The essence of your employer brand is translated into an employee value proposition (EVP). This EVP is the promise (proposition) of what you as an employer have to offer (value) to your employees. Your EVP takes into account the experiences of your employees, the expectations of your target group, your relationship with the competition, your ambition and the strategic context of your organization.

EVP pillars usually respond to a combination of personality and credibility (ethos), feelings and perception (pathos) and rational persuasive arguments (logos). The EVP is the touchstone for all initiatives related to your current and future employees.

A good employer story concretizes and attractively illustrates your employer identity and employee value proposition. It is clear, recognizable and relevant to your employees and potential candidates.

Your employer narrative is your elevator pitch as an employer. The ingredients are usually: a pay-off, a core text with your employer positioning and the specific drivers for choosing you as an employer. This narrative ensures that your organization stands out from the crowd and attracts, inspires and convinces the right target group(s) to stay or come to work for you.

Your narrative then guides the further elaboration of your employer stories per EVP pillar, the different segments and/or personas within your organization. Finally, you show what it is like to work in your company with employer and employee stories such as testimonials and anecdotes.

Your employer brand visual represents your employer identity, proposition and story. It provides stopping power with your target group, brings your message to life and forms the common thread in all your employer branding initiatives. Your visual is distinctive, preferably surprising, but clear and easy to decline and in line with your corporate and/or commercial brand.

You communicate your employer story both internally and externally.

A flawless employee experience starts with clear and continuous internal communication and direction. This may seem obvious, but it remains a sensitive issue in many organizations. With your communication plan, you aim to create engagement and connect your employees. The final step in internal communication is fostering ambassador behavior. A piece of cake, right, with well-informed, engaged, and connected employees?

In external communication, you focus on brand awareness and your open vacancies and opportunities (awareness). You aim to correct any misunderstandings about working at your organization and try to convince potential candidates to choose you as an employer (inspire). You activate and convert candidates through effective recruitment communication. Finally, you enhance your employer brand by providing a flawless candidate experience with an easy application process and follow-up.

This combination of internal and external communication is done in a balanced way, tailored to your target audiences, aligned with your objectives, and through well-thought-out touchpoints at the right moment.

Employer branding consists of five core elements. To achieve a strong employer brand, you must (1) clearly know who you want to be and how you want to be perceived as an employer. With your employer promise (2), you clearly and realistically define your offer to all your employees. You then make your employer brand and promise tangible in a clear employer story (3) that you bring to life with attractive content, imagery (4), and declinations. Finally, you use internal and external communication (5) to reach, persuade, and activate your target audiences.