The ultimate guide to crafting your employer branding and EVP
Your employer branding strategy and Employee Value Proposition (EVP) are pretty key when it comes to attracting and retaining key talent, and as well as earning the trust of your customers and potential investors. These two components are different. But the good news is that they go hand in hand.
In a recent study by Glassdoor, 77% of adults said they would consider an employer’s culture before deciding to work there. So communicating your company culture should clearly be a priority. With a successful EVP and branding, you’ll be able to amplify your company culture and make a stronger impression on the industry’s talent.
So without further ado, let’s get to branding!
What is employer branding?
Employer branding is the way you communicate your values, mission and offerings to the rest of the world. Branding isn’t so much about what you have to offer (that’s the EVP’s job), but more about how you showcase it.
Why is it important?
Your employer branding is important because without it, nobody would know what your company’s mission is, what you have to offer, and why they should buy from you.
Without strong branding, your team will fail to row in the same direction, customers and investors won’t have confidence in your brand, and the best talent will head straight for your competitors instead.
If you’re going to grow and thrive, your branding needs to bring everyone onto the same page.
What makes a strong employer brand?
With employer branding, it’s not just about the colours you choose (although that is part of it). There are several components to consider!
- Values
- Mission
- Colours
- Logo and slogan
- Branding guidelines, tone of voice, language, messages etc
- Storytelling
- Uniformity
1. Values
Your values are a way to communicate your mission and culture to the outside world, and to nurture your ideal work culture. Your values should show your personality, and instil people with confidence in your brand. Reflect on what’s most important to you and your team, and the qualities that are going to drive you into your next phase of growth.
2. Mission
Your mission should inspire and excite both your employees (new and old) and your target audience. What’s the vision behind the business? What changes do you hope to bring to the world? This all comes down to the purpose of your business.
3. Colours and logo
Part of your branding is your colour scheme and logo! This allows people to recognise your brand easily, and helps you to stay etched in their memory. Try to choose colours that embody your culture. If design isn’t your thing, it may be necessary to work with a branding expert to gain some ideas.
4. Slogans
Your company slogan is a great way to encompass your most important message in a concise and catchy way. If you could only communicate one thing about your business in one sentence, your slogan should do just that.
Catchy slogan examples
- Tesco: every little helps
- Nike: just do it
- Air BnB: belong anywhere
- L’Oreal: because you’re worth it
5. Brand guidelines
Your brand guidelines are essentially the rules and manual of your branding and can be shared with any designers or writers you work with. Your brand guidelines would include things like your colour hex codes, tone of voice, and any messaging you want to convey. Instead of having to explain your ethos to each individual person, you have one set of rules that can be easily shared.
6. Storytelling
People don’t buy things, they buy stories. The most effective branding uses storytelling to convey its message. Through storytelling, you create an emotional bond with your audience, or evoke some sort of feeling within them. You might choose to share stories of your employees’ success, or perhaps the story of how the company was founded.
7. Uniformity
Great branding needs to be consistent, not confusing. Make sure you’re constantly reiterating the same message. Your brand guidelines will help you to achieve uniformity!
What is an Employee Value Proposition (EVP)?
An EVP is the combination of monetary and non-monetary rewards, offerings and benefits an employer provides its employees. It can be defined as what gives your company the WOW factor, and should provide a strong basis for why someone would want to work for you.
Why is it important?
Having a strong and well-defined EVP plays a vital role in attracting and retaining top talent. Without a standout EVP, you run the risk of losing out on talent to those of your competitors who do have an attractive EVP in place.
What makes a strong EVP?
Each EVP is specific to each individual company… or at least it should be! The idea is to find the unique reasons why people would want to work for you. And that will likely consist of several points.
- Financial rewards
- Career development
- Company mission
- Culture
- Benefits
Financial rewards
Does your company offer a competitive salary or bonus scheme? If so, this is definitely something worth shouting about in your EVP.
Career development
What career opportunities can you offer your employees? Do you have a track record for promoting internally, or are you able to fund employees to complete certain qualifications? Career development is an attractive prospect for the career-driven!
Company mission
Is your company working towards something exciting? Perhaps you’re releasing a product that’s going to disrupt the market, or your cause provides a solution to a global issue. Either way, your EVP doesn’t just have to center around tangible benefits like bonuses - company missions can make just as strong a statement.
Culture
Workplace culture can be a really strong selling point. Whether it’s the team socials, inclusive culture, or a cool office space (we’ve all seen images from inside the Google offices!), your culture can really boost your company further up the popularity scale.
Benefits
What workplace benefits do you have on offer? Healthcare, remote working, flexi working, dress down, half days, discounts and prize draws are all great ways to show you value your employees.
How to create a winning EVP in 7 steps
- Assess what you currently offer
- Get your employees’ feedback
- Research your competition’s EVPs
- Write your EVP
- Gain feedback
- Publish and market
- Revise
1. Assess what you currently offer
The first stage of the process is to make a list of what you believe you have to offer, or what you can start to offer. This can be done as a solo task or as a discussion between management.
2. Speak to your employees
The most insightful feedback you can gain is from your employees. Find out what initially attracted them to the company and what keeps them there.
Questions to ask your employees:
- What attracted you to our company?
- What’s the best thing about working here?
- What keeps you here?
- If you could describe the company in 3 words, what would you say?
- What do you wish you could see more of in the company?
- Are there any areas that are lacking?
3. Research your competitors
An important part of the process is digging into your competition. What are your competitors offering to their employees? Our advice is to work with your recruiter to understand your competition as they’ll likely have a good overview of what the market offers.
4. Write your EVP
Are you able to incorporate any new offerings based on your feedback and research? When writing your EVP, use your brand guidelines to make sure the language resonates with your brand, values and culture. Don’t feel as though you need to keep it corporate. If your brand has a playful edge, use playful language!
5. Gain feedback
Whoa there, why so hasty on the ‘Publish’ button? Present your EVP to your employees and management team to gain feedback. Their insights are invaluable, so it’s crucial you don’t miss this step!
6. Publish and market
Congratulations - it’s time for you to get your EVP out into the world. Use every opportunity to share your EVP. It should be included on your website, in any job adverts, on social media, in posters around the office, and on any onboarding documents too.
7. Revise
Don’t just write your EVP and assume that it’s complete forever. Successful businesses are constantly evolving so it’s only right that your EVP evolves too. Review your EVP at least once a year to make improvements… and don’t forget that all important employee feedback!
Examples of Employee Value Propositions
EVP example 1: Apple
“An open invitation to open minds.
Come to Apple, where thousands of individual imaginations gather together to pave the way to innovation. Here, you’ll do more than join something — you’ll add something.”
Apple are clearly big on innovation, and their EVP is perfectly poised to attract just that! With a strong emphasis on imagination and paving the way, it’s a dream for any forward-thinker.
EVP example 2: Waitrose
“Waitrose & Partners is all about enriched experiences and that goes for our people – our Partners – as much as our customers. We want you to enjoy your work and share your passion for food with our customers. So we’ll train you, treat you respectfully and then reward you by giving you a share in the profits, for pulling it all together and being part of our success.”
Waitrose’s EVP centers around Partnership, incentivising applicants by offering a share of the profits. This shows Waitrose is an employee-centric brand and values its people!
EVP example 3: ASOS
“As the fastest growing online retailer, we’re constantly striving to push boundaries and drive our business even further forward.
We thrive in a culture of restlessness and innovation, which is why we are always on the lookout for passionate and talented people to join the team – people who share our vision, who can make a difference and who want to be part of something big (and fancy picking up a few cheeky samples on the way too).”
For anyone that works in fashion, ASOS certainly comes across as THE place to be, being the fastest growing online retailer. The main incentive is to be a part of something huge, and the clothing samples are a nice added touch!
EVP example 4: BMW
“Whether you are an experienced expert looking for an exciting new challenge, a brand new graduate who wants to put your skills and talents to the test, a student who can’t wait to get your first taste of work experience, or a school leaver who wants to train for your dream career: we offer a world of opportunities.”
BMW creates a very attractive EVP calling out to people from all different backgrounds and experience levels. Their interest clearly isn’t in only finding the most experienced workers, but in finding people with the right potential and passion.
Conclusion
Hopefully by now you know exactly how to craft an amazing EVP and employer branding. It’s a combination of knowing your culture, your mission, and creating an offering to help you attract the right talent to achieve that mission.
Need help with your EVP? Here at The People Pod, we use our industry expertise to advise our clients on how to attract top talent. Get in touch today to discuss the future of your business on 01204 589 555.