How to Identify the Best Employer Branding Strategy

Step 1: Conduct a Thorough Self-Assessment

Before you can project your employer brand to the world, you need to understand who you are as an organization. This self-assessment phase is crucial and involves several key components:

1.1 Analyze Your Company Culture

Your employer brand should be an authentic reflection of your company culture. To understand your culture:

• Conduct Employee Surveys: Use anonymous surveys to gather honest feedback about what it’s like to work at your company. Ask questions like, “What three words would you use to describe our company culture?” or “What aspects of our culture do you value most?”

• Hold Focus Groups: Organize small group discussions with employees from various departments and levels. This can provide deeper insights into the nuances of your culture.

• Observe Daily Interactions: Pay attention to how employees interact, how decisions are made, and how conflicts are resolved. These day-to-day behaviors often reveal more about your culture than any official statement.

Example: Zappos, known for its strong company culture, regularly conducts culture surveys and even offers new employees $2,000 to quit after their initial training if they feel they don’t fit the culture. This ensures that those who stay are truly aligned with the company’s values.

1.2 Evaluate Your Employee Value Proposition (EVP)

Your EVP is the unique set of benefits an employee receives in return for the skills, capabilities, and experience they bring to your company. To evaluate your EVP:

• Analyze Your Benefits Package: Look beyond just salary. Consider work-life balance initiatives, professional development opportunities, health and wellness programs, and any unique perks you offer.

• Assess Career Development Opportunities: How do you support employee growth? Are there clear career paths within the organization?

• Examine Your Work Environment: Consider both physical and cultural aspects. Is your workspace conducive to the type of work your employees do? Does your culture support collaboration, innovation, or whatever attributes are most important for your business?

Example: Google is famous for its strong EVP, which includes perks like free gourmet food, on-site fitness centers, and the “20% time” policy that allows employees to spend one day a week working on side projects. These benefits align with Google’s innovative culture and appeal to the type of talent they want to attract.

1.3 Review Your Current Employer Brand Perception

Understanding how you’re currently perceived as an employer is crucial:

• Analyze Review Sites: Scrutinize your ratings and reviews on sites like Glassdoor, Indeed, and LinkedIn. Look for recurring themes in both positive and negative comments.

• Conduct a Social Media Audit: What are people saying about working at your company on social media platforms? Are your employees proud to identify as part of your organization online?

• Survey Recent Candidates: Reach out to people who have recently gone through your hiring process, both successful and unsuccessful candidates. Their fresh perspective can be invaluable.

Example: When Walmart found that its employer brand was suffering due to perceptions about low wages and poor working conditions, they launched a comprehensive campaign to highlight their investments in employee education and career development. This helped shift perceptions and improve their employer brand.

Step 2: Define Your Ideal Candidate Persona

To create an effective employer branding strategy, you need to know who you’re trying to attract. Developing candidate personas can help:

2.1 Analyze Your Top Performers

Look at the characteristics of your best employees:

• What skills and qualities do they possess?
• What motivates them?
• What attracted them to your company in the first place?

2.2 Consider Future Needs

Think about the skills and attributes your company will need in the future:

• What roles will be crucial for your company’s growth?
• What skills will be in high demand in your industry?

2.3 Create Detailed Personas

Develop 3-5 detailed candidate personas, including:

• Demographics (age range, education level, etc.)
• Career goals and motivations
• Preferred communication channels
• Values and what they look for in an employer

Example: A tech startup might create a persona for a “Innovative Software Developer” named Alex: 25-35 years old, values work-life balance and the opportunity to work on cutting-edge projects, active on GitHub and Stack Overflow, motivated by challenging problems and the potential for rapid career growth.

Step 3: Analyze Your Competition

Understanding your competition in the talent market is crucial for differentiating your employer brand:

3.1 Identify Your Main Competitors for Talent

These might not be the same as your business competitors. Consider:

• Who is hiring for similar roles?
• Where are you losing candidates to?
• Which companies do your employees leave for?

3.2 Analyze Their Employer Branding Strategies

Examine how your competitors present themselves as employers:

• What messages do they emphasize on their careers pages?
• How do they describe their culture and benefits?
• What kind of content do they share on social media?

3.3 Identify Gaps and Opportunities

Look for areas where you can differentiate yourself:

• What unique benefits or opportunities can you offer?
• Are there any unmet needs in the talent market that you can address?

Example: When Airbnb was competing for tech talent against giants like Google and Facebook, they differentiated themselves by emphasizing their mission of “belonging” and the opportunity to work on a product that impacts how people travel and connect globally. This unique angle helped them attract candidates who were looking for more than just a tech job.

Step 4: Define Your Employer Brand Pillars

Based on your self-assessment, candidate personas, and competitive analysis, identify 3-5 key pillars that will form the foundation of your employer brand:

4.1 Align with Your Corporate Brand

Ensure your employer brand pillars are consistent with your overall corporate brand. They should feel like a natural extension of your company’s mission and values.

4.2 Focus on Authenticity

Choose pillars that genuinely reflect your company culture and employee experience. Authenticity is key to a successful employer brand.

4.3 Consider Your Unique Selling Propositions

What makes your company truly unique as an employer? These differentiators should be reflected in your brand pillars.

Example: Patagonia’s employer brand pillars might include:

1. Environmental Stewardship
2. Work-Life Balance
3. Employee Activism
4. Adventure and Outdoor Lifestyle

These pillars align perfectly with their corporate brand and appeal to the type of employees they want to attract.

Step 5: Choose Your Channels and Tactics

With your brand pillars defined, consider how best to communicate them to your target audience:

5.1 Match Channels to Your Candidate Personas

Where does your ideal talent spend their time online? This could include:

• Professional networks like LinkedIn
• Social media platforms like Instagram or TikTok
• Industry-specific forums or communities

5.2 Consider Your Resources

What kind of budget and team do you have for employer branding efforts? This will influence which tactics are feasible.

5.3 Align Tactics with Your Brand Pillars

Choose tactics that allow you to authentically showcase your brand pillars. This might include:

• Employee storytelling videos
• Day-in-the-life blog posts
• Behind-the-scenes social media content
• Participation in industry events or career fairs

Example: If one of your brand pillars is innovation, you might create a video series showcasing innovative projects your employees are working on, share these on platforms like YouTube and LinkedIn, and encourage employees to share their own innovation stories on their personal professional networks.

Step 6: Develop a Content Strategy

Content is the fuel that powers your employer branding engine. Develop a strategy that brings your brand pillars to life:

6.1 Create a Content Calendar

Plan out your content in advance, ensuring a mix of formats and themes that align with your brand pillars.

6.2 Involve Employees

Encourage employee-generated content. This not only provides authentic material but also increases employee engagement with your employer brand.

6.3 Tailor Content to Different Stages of the Candidate Journey

Create content that appeals to candidates at different stages, from those just becoming aware of your company to those actively considering applying.

Example: Salesforce has a robust content strategy that includes employee spotlights, behind-the-scenes looks at their culture of philanthropy (aligning with their 1-1-1 model), and thought leadership content from employees at various levels. This diverse content mix appeals to a wide range of potential candidates and showcases multiple aspects of their employer brand.

Step 7: Implement Measurement and Feedback Loops

To ensure your employer branding strategy is effective, you need to measure its impact and be ready to adjust:

7.1 Define Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

These might include:

• Application rates
• Quality of applicants
• Employee referral rates
• Retention rates
• Employer brand awareness metrics

7.2 Regularly Gather Feedback

Continuously collect feedback from employees, candidates, and new hires about their perception of your employer brand.

7.3 Be Prepared to Iterate

Based on your metrics and feedback, be ready to refine your strategy. Employer branding is an ongoing process, not a one-time effort.

Example: IBM uses advanced analytics to measure the effectiveness of its employer branding efforts. They track metrics like the number of employee referrals, the quality of applicants, and even the sentiment of social media mentions about working at IBM. This data-driven approach allows them to continually refine their strategy for maximum impact.

By following these steps, you can develop an employer branding strategy that authentically represents your organization, appeals to your target talent, and sets you apart in the competitive talent marketplace. Remember, the best employer branding strategy is one that is genuine, consistent, and adaptable to the changing needs of both your organization and the talent you seek to attract.

Further Reading and Sources

1. Mosley, R., & Schmidt, L. (2017). Employer Branding For Dummies. John Wiley & Sons.
2. Theurer, C. P., Tumasjan, A., Welpe, I. M., & Lievens, F. (2018). Employer Branding: A Brand Equity‐based Literature Review and Research Agenda. International Journal of Management Reviews, 20(1), 155-179.
3. LinkedIn. (2020). Global Talent Trends 2020. Retrieved from LinkedIn Talent Solutions.
4. Glassdoor. (2019). Mission & Culture Survey 2019. Retrieved from Glassdoor website.
5. Harvard Business Review. (2015). CEOs Need to Pay Attention to Employer Branding. Retrieved from HBR website.