How to Build a Succesful Employer Brand? Tips & Examples

In today's competitive job market, attracting and retaining top talent is crucial for the success of any company. One powerful tool that can help achieve this is an effective employer branding.

In this blog post, we'll explore what employer branding is, why it's important, and provide you with a step-by-step guide to developing a winning employer branding strategy.

So, let's dive in!

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📇 What Is Employer Branding?

Employer branding refers to the reputation and image that a company projects to attract, engage, and retain employees. Just as companies work on branding to appeal to customers, employer branding focuses on appealing to potential and current employees.

It encompasses the values, culture, and overall experience that candidates and employees associate with an organization. A strong employer brand helps differentiate the company from competitors and creates an appealing identity that attracts top talent.

💡 For example, Zappos, the online shoe retailer is famous for extraordinary acts of customer service,
Why? Because they’re excited about working for a company that successfully “builds a positive team and family spirit” (one of Zappos’ core values).

‍To build their employer branding, Zappos has an unconventional and strategic onboarding process: Every single employee that’s hired goes through a 4-week training process plus 2 weeks as a customer service rep. (even if that’s not their future position). At the end of the training, new employees receive full pay for the training plus a $2k check if they want to leave the company, in that way they identify people who are only looking for a paycheck.
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The remaining employees get the benefit of working for an all-on employee happiness company. The company environment includes: a relaxed dress code, team-building activities, discounted food and drink, and a culture that encourages employees to be themselves.

Why Is Employer Branding Important?

Employer branding holds immense significance for several reasons:

1. Talent Attraction: A strong employer brand makes your organization an employer of choice, attracting high-quality candidates who align with your values and goals.
2. Employee Engagement: When employees feel a strong connection to the company's brand, they are more engaged, motivated, and productive, leading to higher retention rates.
3. Competitive Advantage: A positive employer brand sets you apart from competitors and helps in acquiring top talent even in a competitive job market.
4. Brand Reputation: A well-crafted employer brand enhances your overall brand reputation, positively impacting customer perception and loyalty.

Do you want an example of this?

Let’s look at how Patagonia’s employer brand helps to have an engaged employee base:

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Patagonia is a California-based outdoor clothing company that’s built a powerful company culture through an emphasis on corporate social responsibility (CSR).

Patagonia not only advances its core value of “using business to protect nature” through its giving; it instills this powerful value into its employee culture.

In fact, Patagonia hires employees that enjoy the outdoors by looking up for interests, activities, and volunteer work in the resumes.  And, once you’re hired, you’re given time “to play.” They give employees every other Friday off, offer childcare, and even provide paid leave to volunteer with an environmental project.

The result?

‍Patagonia has an extraordinarily low turnover rate–only 4%, according to Inc and over the last years, Patagonia remains extremely profitable

How to Develop an Employer Branding Strategy?

So how you can establish a compelling employer brand? Follow these steps:

Define Your Employer Value Proposition (EVP):

Identify your unique selling points as an employer.

What makes your company special? Is it your company culture, career development opportunities, or work-life balance?

Craft a clear and authentic EVP that resonates with your target talent pool.

Example: Eventbrite is a global self-service ticketing platform for live experiences that allows anyone to create, share, find, and attend events. Eventbrite focuses on offering flexible work arrangements and providing continuous learning opportunities.

Employees expressed a desire for more flexibility, optionality, and empowerment. Eventbrite responded by evolving its workplace philosophy; when offices reopen, it will give employees three options to choose from:

-Work 4-5 days a week in an Eventbrite hub office.
-A mix of virtual and in-office work, being in the office between 1 and 3 days a week.
-Fully remote.

Internal Alignment:

Ensure that your employees understand and embrace your employer brand. Communicate your EVP consistently across all internal channels, such as onboarding materials, internal newsletters, and team meetings. Involve employees in the process to create a sense of ownership and pride in the brand.

One great example of this is Marriott International, which has 30 renowned hotel brands in 131 countries around the world.

At the core of Marriott has the company’s belief that the foundation for its success depends on the well-being of its people.

As such, they made a commitment to make their workplace an environment where their people’s emotional, physical, and financial needs matter, and they communicate it.  Marriot makes sure that all employee feels like a valued member of a team and motivates them to make a difference in their communities.

The company’s various social media channels show countless examples of what Marriott does to live up to its promise.

On Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn there is, for instance, a lot of content on what the company does to support and improve their associates’ wellbeing. There also is a lot of content on the organization’s efforts on diversity and inclusion.

Marriott really does a great job at keeping its word

External Promotion:

Effectively communicate your employer brand to external audiences. Leverage various channels such as social media, your careers page, job advertisements, and industry events. Showcase your company culture, employee testimonials, and success stories to attract top talent.

Let’s see Netflix’s employer branding example, and how they communicate it simply and with brutal honesty:

Netflix’s careers page starts with a section about its famous culture.

The company’s culture is described pretty extensively and doesn’t make things seem prettier than they are. For instance, it talks about what Netflix means by a dream team, how they believe a team should function, and how not everybody may remain on the team if they don’t pass the so-called keepers test (meaning their manager would not fight to keep them if they were to leave).

They’re also very candid about their compensation policy, which is to pay employees top of their personal market (instead of a 2% raise for adequate and a 4% raise for great, as they put it). This also means that some employees will be paid faster than others if their market value goes up.

Also, for those candidates who prefer watching a video, the company’s careers page also features a video.

Seven Ways to Extend Your Employer Brand:

Your employer brand, it's the magnetic force that attracts top talent, fosters employee engagement, and propels your organization toward its goals. However, creating an employer brand is only the first step; the real challenge lies in extending and amplifying it to reach a wider audience.

In this section, we will delve into seven powerful strategies that will help you effectively extend your employer brand's reach and impact.

1. Promote Your Values: Integrate your company values into your messaging, making them visible on all fronts – from your website to social media, and even during employee onboarding. These values serve as the foundation for your employer brand, shaping how employees embody it and influencing the customer experience.
2. Leverage LinkedIn: Regularly share recognition moments on your organization's LinkedIn page. Highlight the experiences of new hires and existing employees to demonstrate the teamwork and vibrant atmosphere that defines your organization. This can be a compelling way to attract potential candidates.
3. Employee of the Month Shoutouts: If you have an "Employee of the Month" program, take it a step further by showcasing the recognition received, complete with a photo of the employee. Encourage managers and leadership to extend their congratulations on external platforms, showcasing teams that excel on a quarterly basis.
4. Overcome Social Shyness: Empower employees to engage with and share posts about themselves and their teammates. Provide examples and collaborate with the marketing team to make sharing easy and appealing. Even small contributions like comments or likes can make a significant impact.
5. Highlight "Wow" Moments: Encourage employees to share their stories of remarkable actions on social media. Use these platforms to spotlight instances where employees have made a substantial impact on coworkers, customers, and the organization as a whole. These narratives breathe life into your company's core values.
6. Spotlight Company Values: Dedicate each month to a specific company value, connecting it to a moment of recognition. Use external platforms to explain the value, showcase how employees embody it, and provide prospective candidates with insights into your company's daily commitment to these values.
7. Reveal the Fun Side: Share employee events, such as recognition dinners and company-wide picnics, on your company's Facebook page. These celebrations offer a glimpse into your company's internal culture and demonstrate how employees are valued. It's an opportunity to showcase the human side of your organization.
8. Continuous Evaluation and Improvement:Regularly assess your employer brand's effectiveness and make necessary adjustments. Collect feedback from employees, conduct surveys, and monitor online reviews. Use the insights gained to refine your employer branding strategy and improve the employee experience.

✨ How to Measure Your Employer Branding Success

Once you have crafted a compelling employer brand, understanding its impact and effectiveness is equally essential. This is where the art and science of measurement come into play.

In this section, we will delve into the intricacies of quantifying the success of your employer branding initiatives.

To gauge the impact of your employer’ branding efforts, consider the following metrics:

1. Candidate Quality: Measure the quality and suitability of candidates applying for your job openings.
2. Employee Referrals: Track the number of referrals from your existing employees, which indicates their satisfaction and willingness to recommend your organization.
3. Employee Engagement: Conduct regular employee surveys to measure engagement levels and gather feedback on your employer brand.
4. Retention Rates: Monitor the rate at which employees voluntarily leave the organization. A low turnover rate signifies strong employer branding.

➡️ Takeaways:Employer branding is a strategic investment that pays off in terms of attracting and retaining top talent. By defining your EVP, aligning internally, promoting externally, and continuously evaluating, you can create a compelling employer brand that sets your organization apart. Remember, an engaged and motivated workforce is key to long-term success.

Best of luck with your employer branding journey!

Do you want to know more about employee recognition? Check this article by Finder Seekers on How to Budget Your Employer Branding? – Download the FREE Finders Seekers EB budgeting template.

Ready to enhance your employer branding through employee recognition?

By following these guidelines and leveraging the right tools, you can take your employer branding to new heights, positioning your organization as an employer of choice in the market, with a single step.

Employee Recognition!

Why? Internal recognition serves to motivate and inspire, it's equally important to amplify these moments externally. By sharing stories of recognition beyond team meetings, organizations can build a strong employer brand and enhance their Employee Value Proposition.

Want to start today?

Check out what Evergreen, can help you with to create a greater team culture and enhance employer brand.

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