Okay, so you’ve got the pieces of a consumer facing brand and you’re super happy with them. They mean something to you, your customers and, hopefully, potential buyers of your product or service. You’ve probably got a beautifully recognisable set of collateral and assets, too.

But how do the people who are making your business go great guns feel about working for your brand? Do they know what you stand for? Are they with you in that? And do they know what’s in it for them? Hmmm. It’s a thinker, right? A solid employee value proposition and employer brand, might be the missing piece to creating a brand loyalty that runs from outside in and vice versa.

Alongside your customers, your people are your biggest asset. So much so, they cannot and should not be ignored in the equation. And these days, employees hold more cards than ever before. Competitive salaries and attractive benefits are offered by every firm and their dog friendly office policies.

Employer branding is more than an afterthought. It’s an essential piece in your 360º branding strategy. Let’s look at how it works.

It starts with a proposition

As a savvy marketer, you might be aware of the importance of a proposition. In the world of employer branding, it’s known as an employee value proposition (EVP). And one that works holds some serious water. After all, a strong EVP can increase engagement by 29% amongst your workforce1¹.

Essentially, the proposition is the give and get of working for (or potentially working for) your organisation. It marks out a clear psychological contract between the firm and the workers. It also taps into your core values and brings them to life. The output is an employer brand house (similar to what you might find in a consumer brand) that summarises what it means to work for you. For example, at the moment, integrity, as a value, might be a lonely word. Free for interpretation. But what are the positive outcomes of that value for your people? This is where an EVP articulates this in a more meaningful way.

Your EVP provides a solid bedrock for your HR team, senior leadership and middle managers to make sure your values are lived and not just spoken about. It also helps you build your employer brand – so you can begin to reduce recruitment costs and be front of mind for prospective talent when they decide to move jobs.

Okay, so what is an employer brand then?

Your employer brand is the living breathing articulation of your employee value proposition. Your EVP will generate an organising idea, sometimes known as a single-minded proposition. Your employer brand is the creative expression of that.

You can use your employer brand internally or externally. You don’t necessarily have to be actively recruiting. Ideally, your communications should be always on. That way, when you do need to recruit, your pipeline is already brimming with potential joiners who know what you’re about and keen to be part of the team. It makes the whole recruitment cycle more efficient.

Making a case for developing an employer brand

All this talk of how EVPs and employer branding works is well and good, but what about the numbers we hear you ask. Well, when it comes to making the case for developing your employer brand, the stats are compelling:

• 69% of candidates would reject a job offer from a company with a poor employer brand, even if they were unemployed2²
• Organisations with strong employer brands see a 28% reduction in turnover3³
• 64% of job seekers would not apply for a job at a company with no online presence4⁴
• 76% of candidates want to know about team culture and values before accepting a job offer5⁵

Bottom line, an employer brand’s value cannot be underestimated. It could save you thousands in the long run while building your reputation on an even deeper level than before.

What should you do if you don’t have an employer brand?

First of all, don’t panic. You might have something that resembles an EVP and employer brand already (after all, the starting point is likely to come from your current brand values or vision). But is it organised and cohesive? Employer branding follows the same basic principles as every other type of branding and marketing, and that needs a considered and thought out approach. It’s also important to take stock of your market, your current employee sentiment, and the skill base and numbers you need for future success.

An employer brand is a critical part of the puzzle that is your wider business strategy. The trick is finding the unique and authentic thread that runs through your organisation that will galvanise your people.

We’re in the perfect position to help you out, with experts in a broad range of branding and communications strategies, including employer branding. Give us a call. We’ve got the skills and a box full of ideas that will help you square that circle.

1. Source: Marverick Group ↩︎
2. Source: CareerArc ↩︎
3. Source: LinkedIn ↩︎
4. Source: CareerArc ↩︎
5. Source: Harvard Business Review ↩︎