How To Create an Effective Employer Branding Strategy To Attract and Retain Top Talent

Are you struggling to find and keep top talent? Maybe it’s time to assess your employer branding.

In this article, we will guide you through the ins and outs of creating an effective employer branding strategy that will help you stand out in a competitive job market, improve employee satisfaction, and contribute to your company’s success.

The Importance of Employer Branding

In a competitive job market, a strong employer brand is key to attracting and retaining top talent, better employee satisfaction, and enhancing your company’s reputation. Research shows that 75% of job seekers consider an employer’s brand before applying, and 50% wouldn’t work for a company with a bad reputation, even if it meant a pay increase. 

A successful employer branding strategy is composed of various components, such as policies, programs, rewards, benefits, and perks for both prospective candidates and current employees. 

For instance, job descriptions can be used to strengthen employer branding by highlighting distinctive features of the company, depicting a typical day of an employee, and outlining projects associated with the role. Additionally, showcasing your company values, diversity and inclusion efforts, and more through employer branding content helps attract and retain top talent.

In the rest of this article, we will cover the eight steps you should take to enhance your employer branding.  

Step 1. Assess Your Current Employer Brand

Prior to making any changes, it’s important to evaluate your existing employer brand, recognizing your organization’s strengths and areas needing improvement.

Conducting an employer brand audit is a great way to assess your organization’s current standing. There are several ways to do this, such as:

• Conduct anonymous internal surveys of existing employees
• Use social listening tools to analyze frequent mentions, grievances, and queries
• Utilize social media to observe brand reputation, attitude, and frequent keywords
• Monitor reviews on career sites
• Hire a firm with expertise in reputation management

By implementing these strategies, you can gain a better understanding of your employer brand and identify areas that most need improvement.

Step 2. Define Your Employee Value Proposition (EVP)

Employee value proposition (EVP) refers to the unique set of benefits and rewards offered to employees in exchange for their skills, experience, and commitment. A compelling EVP is key to formulating a robust employer brand, and it plays a significant role in attracting and retaining talent. Moreover, a robust EVP can aid in focusing company objectives and agendas, reinvigorating an enthusiastic workforce, and decreasing recruitment expenses.

Notable examples of employee value propositions include Sky’s EVP, which can be summarized as “A job you love to talk about,” and SoulCycle, which offers two paid business days off per year for employees to volunteer at a charity of their choice, as well as free classes at any time. These examples illustrate the impact of a well-crafted EVP on an organization’s employer brand.

Key components of a strong employee value proposition

An effective EVP is an employee-centered approach to recruiting as it encompasses the elements that draw in new team members to your company. To build a strong EVP, it should include components such as:

Competitive remuneration: The competitive salary and financial benefits you offer—make sure not only to include base pay but also bonuses, profit-sharing, stock options, and other forms of compensation.

Career development prospects: This includes opportunities for professional growth and advancement within the company. This could be in the form of training programs, mentorship, or clear career progression paths.

Work-life balance: Specify your company’s efforts to ensure employees have a balance between their work commitments and personal lives. This could be through flexible working hours, remote work options, or generous leave policies.

Favorable work atmosphere: Clarify what your overall work environment is like, including factors like the physical workspace, the company culture, and the relationships between colleagues.

Dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion: State your company’s commitment to promoting diversity and ensuring equal opportunities for all employees, regardless of their race, gender, age, religion, or other personal characteristics. This should be reflected in your hiring practices, company policies, and workplace culture.

Total rewards: A comprehensive package that encompasses all the tangible and intangible rewards an employee receives, including recognition, praise, and opportunities for advancement.

By focusing on these components and more, companies can create a compelling EVP that resonates with prospective employees and contributes to a successful talent acquisition and retention strategy for both new hires and existing employees.

Step 3. Optimize Your Employer Branding Channels

Recognizing and enhancing your employer branding channels is pivotal for connecting with your target audience and amplifying the effect of your messaging. 

To ensure your messaging is tailored to your audience, it is essential to identify the most effective platforms for reaching them and adjust the messaging accordingly. Social media and career sites are effective tools.

Developing high-quality content is vital for advocating your employer brand and ensuring an accurate representation of the brand. To achieve this, you can:

• Work closely with your marketing department to create a content calendar that highlights company culture, values, and employee experiences across various platforms, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and X.
• Leverage these platforms to engage with both active and passive candidates.
• Establish genuine trust and commitment with your target audience.

Incorporating the basics of owned, earned, and paid media is also vital in optimizing your employer branding channels. By strategically utilizing these media types, you can create a comprehensive and cohesive employer branding content strategy that effectively reaches your target audience and helps attract top talent.

Step 4. Engage Employees as Brand Ambassadors

Employees are instrumental in shaping the desired image and attracting the right talent to the organization. Engaging employees as brand ambassadors can be beneficial in building credibility and trust in your employer brand, as they can provide genuine experiences and insights to potential candidates. Research shows that people are three times more likely to trust information from an employee rather than from a CEO, making employee advocacy an effective way to build trust.

To engage employees as brand ambassadors, you can encourage them to share their experiences and stories through:

• Social media posts
• Stories
• Live sessions
• Career sites
• YouTube videos
• Local media publishers
• Events

Additionally, effective workplace communications and leadership buy-in are crucial elements for any successful employee advocacy program. Studies show that 75% of US respondents perceive companies with active C-Suite executives on social media to be more trustworthy.

By engaging employees as brand ambassadors, you can:

• Amplify your existing employer brand
• Demonstrate your commitment to employee satisfaction and fostering an engaged workforce
• Positively impact your talent acquisition and retention strategies.

Step 5. Implement Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Initiatives

Embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives is imperative for attracting a variety of talent and fostering a positive work environment, in turn strengthening your employer brand. Research indicates that 70% of candidates highly regard a commitment to a diverse workforce when evaluating companies and job offers.

By showcasing your company’s commitment to DEI initiatives in your employer branding content, you can:

• Attract diverse talent
• Reinforce your organization’s values
• Strengthen your employer’s brand
• Contribute to a more inclusive and successful work environment

Step 6. Leverage Social Media Platforms for Employer Branding

The benefits of leveraging social media platforms for employer branding are significant. Platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and X serve as effective tools for highlighting your company culture, values, and employee experiences. By leveraging these platforms for employer branding, you can:

• Engage with potential candidates
• Establish genuine trust and commitment with your target audience
• Interact with and appeal to both active and passive candidates across their career trajectory
• Promote the organization and available roles through employee profiles

Strategies on social media platforms can include sharing articles, photos, and videos on a LinkedIn Showcase Page and utilizing “Work with Us” ads on LinkedIn.

Transparency and diversity in employer branding are also essential for building trust and loyalty with the audience, as well as demonstrating corporate and social responsibility.

By leveraging social media platforms for employer branding, you can effectively showcase your company’s unique offerings and attract top-quality candidates.

Step 7. Monitor and Measure Your Employer Branding Success

Regular evaluation and tracking of your employer branding success is key to facilitating the ongoing enhancement of your employer brand. To do this, you need to track key performance indicators (KPIs), analyze data, and adjust your strategy based on insights. Evaluating these initiatives enables you to optimize them for the greatest possible return on investment.

Tools such as your ATS (applicant tracking software) and Google Analytics (to monitor your careers page) can help you measure the success of your employer branding. They can provide valuable insights to track progress. 

Some key KPIs you can monitor include:

• Employee turnover rates
• Cost per hire
• Social media engagement rates
• Application rates

By staying on top of your KPIs and making data-driven decisions, you can continuously refine your employer branding strategy and achieve better results.

Regularly assessing the success of your employer branding initiatives, adjusting your strategy accordingly, and staying committed to continuous improvement will ensure that your employer brand remains strong and appeals to both current and potential employees.

Step 8. Address Negative Feedback and Improve Your Employer Brand

Responding to negative feedback and implementing needed improvements to your employer brand is crucial, showcasing your dedication to employee satisfaction and fostering trust among both current and prospective employees. To effectively address negative feedback, follow these steps:

1. Remain composed
2. Express appreciation for the feedback
3. Demonstrate empathy
4. Gather more information
5. Clarify the feedback
6. Accept accountability where appropriate
7. Suggest a solution or ask for advice
8. Avoid any defensive reactions

By following these steps, you can effectively address negative feedback and work toward improving your employer brand.

When addressing feedback using facts, it is advisable to provide data to support your response. For instance, if an employee is dissatisfied with their salary, providing data on the average salary for comparable positions in the industry can be beneficial. Offering additional resources or training to employees who are dissatisfied with their workload can also help them manage their tasks more effectively and improve their overall job satisfaction.

By addressing negative feedback and making any necessary changes, you showcase your dedication to employee satisfaction, fostering trust with both current and prospective employees. This, in turn, contributes to a stronger employer brand and a more successful talent acquisition strategy.

Final Thoughts

Creating an effective employer branding strategy is crucial for attracting and retaining top talent, improving employee satisfaction, and building a strong company reputation. 

By implementing all the steps in this article, you can build a powerful employer brand that will contribute to your company’s overall success. Remember, though, that maintaining an attractive employer brand is an ongoing process that requires commitment and continual refinement to stay ahead in a competitive job market.

Interested in learning more about effective employee retention strategies and how to attract top talent? Visit our resources page to read other insightful articles about attracting, hiring, and retaining high-quality talent.

Particularly, check out our article on how making a strong job offer increases your chances of securing your first-choice candidates or our article on 7 great retention strategies for remote employees.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some common mistakes to avoid when developing an employer branding strategy?

You need to avoid not aligning your employer brand with your overall company brand, failing to involve employees in the process, not regularly reviewing and updating your strategy, and not measuring the effectiveness of your strategy.

How can we effectively communicate our employer brand to potential candidates?

You can effectively communicate your employer brand through channels, such as your social media, company website, and job descriptions—also, don’t forget to share it during interviews, both in how you interact with the candidate and by explicitly discussing things like your EVP. It’s important to consistently showcase your company culture, values, and benefits across all platforms.

How does a strong employer branding strategy impact employee retention?

It can significantly impact employee retention by creating a positive work environment that employees are proud to be a part of. It helps to foster a sense of belonging and loyalty among employees, which can reduce turnover rates.

How often should we review and update our employer branding strategy?

You should review and update your employer branding strategy at least once a year. However, it’s also important to make adjustments as necessary, such as when there are significant changes within the company or in response to feedback from employees and candidates.