In the current job market, there is no getting away from promoting your organization as an attractive employer to potential employees. Employer branding is an essential basis for using recruitment marketing to fill specific vacancies and to retain employees for the long term.
The creation and execution of an employer branding campaign consists of several strategic phases. This blog describes the 9 steps you will use to create a successful employer branding campaign.
1. Define your objectives
Identify your goals
Determine what you want to achieve with your employer branding campaign. Common goals include attracting top talent, increasing employee retention, improving the company’s reputation and increasing employee engagement.
Make it measurable
Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure success. These can include application rates, employee turnover, social media engagement and employee satisfaction scores.
2. Visualize your target audience
Employee profiles
Develop detailed profiles of your ideal candidates and current employees. Consider demographics, career goals, values and interests.
Employee feedback
Gather insights from current employees through surveys, focus groups or interviews to understand their perceptions and experiences. This information is essential and forms the basis for formulating authentic usp’s that will be reflected in the emloyer branding. Potential candidates who become employees through the campaign will have confirmation that the usp’s they came in on actually exist in the workplace.
3. Develop your Employer Value Proposition (EVP).
USPs
Identify what makes your company unique as an employer. This may include culture, career opportunities, fringe benefits and work-life balance.
Consistency
Make sure your EVP is consistent with your company’s overall brand and values.
4. Set up your campaign
Core message
Create a clear, compelling message that conveys your EVP.
Campaign corporate identity
Develop a clear Employer branding campaign house style with its own tone of voice. This is clearly a different tone of voice than the communication style you use to customers or stakeholders.
Content Strategy
Plan a mix of content types (videos, blog posts, testimonials, updates on social media) that highlight different aspects of your EVP.
Storytelling: employee stories
Use authentic stories and testimonials from current employees to illustrate your company culture and values.
Reading tip: How to make a good employer brand video.
An employer brand video answers common questions about company culture, work environment and company vision early on, positioning your brand as an attractive employer. ✨ But how do you make a good employer brand video?
5. Choose the right channels
Work at page
Optimize your careers page with engaging content, clear job descriptions and an easy application process. Pack this clearly into the employer branding house style based on the above elements.
Social media
Use platforms such as LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and X to share content and connect with potential candidates.
Vacancy and assessment sites
Establish a presence on job boards and respond to reviews to manage your reputation. Fill your company pages with the expressions you’ve had developed within your employer branding campaign.
Events
Participate in or organize career fairs, webinars and industry events to increase your visibility. Don’t forget to use expressions of your employer branding corporate identity there as well.
6. Engage your employees ♂️
Internal communication
Keep employees informed and involved through newsletters, meetings and intranet updates. Keeping the employee base up to date with talented colleagues is in everyone’s best interest.
Ambassador programs
Encourage employees to become ambassadors. Provide them with the tools and training to share their experiences on social media and at events. You can also consider a referral program where employees receive financial rewards when they bring in a new colleague.
7. Run the campaign
Content Calendar
Develop a content calendar to post regularly and consistently on all chosen channels.
Monitor & respond
Actively monitor social media channels, review sites and other platforms to connect with your audience and respond to feedback.
Create promising target groups
Set up a marketing funnel that allows you to target groups of potential candidates and map them. To do this, use the See, Think, Do, Care model.
8. Measure & optimize
Track performance
Use analytics tools to track your campaign’s performance against previously established KPIs.
Optimize
Use the learnings to adjust your campaigns and continually optimize results.
Collect feedback
Collect continuous feedback from candidates and employees to identify areas for improvement.
9. Maintenance & evaluation ⚙️
Track performance
Use analytics tools to track your campaign’s performance against previously established KPIs.
Continuous effort
Employer branding is an ongoing process and labor market conditions are constantly changing. Regularly update your content and strategies to stay relevant.
Stay current
Keep up with industry trends and best practices to ensure your employer brand remains competitive.
Conclusion
An effective employer branding campaign requires a thoughtful strategy and consistent effort. By defining clear objectives, understanding your target audience, developing a strong Employer Value Proposition (EVP), and using the right channels and content, you can build an attractive and authentic employer brand. Involve your employees as ambassadors, monitor progress closely and continue to optimize your approach based on feedback and data. With these steps, you can not only attract top talent, but also foster a positive and engaged work culture and retain valuable staff.
Need help professionalizing your employer branding?
Sander has 25 years of experience conceiving and executing branding & marketing campaigns, including employer branding. Are you looking for support and want to know how he can help you? Then get in touch.
