Launching a Brand New EVP Externally

For an employer brand to make an impact, it has to be credible, relevant, differentiating and aspirational. It derives from exhaustive research, covering internal and external voices, benchmarking competitors, and other relevant employer brands. All that work needs to be extensively tested and validated with talent internally, externally, marketing leaders, and different target audiences.

A winning employer brand aligns internal and external branding to support the Employee Value Proposition (EVP) that will resonate with the kinds of people the organization wants to attract. The ideal is an EVP that highlights what makes the enterprise attractive to the current and future workforce of diverse and creative talent.

Culture is key and the organization has to live the values and qualities that make for an attractive employer and promote these to stakeholders and applicants alike.

Internal and external

Once you have established an authentic EVP that articulates who you are as an organization and what you offer as an employer it’s best to launch your shiny new EVP internally. Ensuring that existing employees understand and support the EVP messaging will ensure that they help you carry the messaging forward and outwards. Employees are the best possible ambassadors for your brand.

Going internal first has a the benefit of consistency. There has to be a connection between the internal and external messaging of EVP. What you see on a manager’s LinkedIn profile should match up with any materials posted up on office walls. What an employer talks about on social media should be backed up by actions and behaviors on the inside. Consider an EVP pillar around the strong team spirit; if the discerning applicant or employee does web searches for this, they ought to find content supporting the pillar.

Employee advocacy does much more than marketing because it is associated with employee pride and belief in what the organization does. It is organic, in terms of the fact that employees build this pride and belief naturally, which in turn makes their advocacy authentic. It adds depth and breadth to campaign messaging to drive sales and website traffic or to provide better visibility and a positive perception of the brand.

Effective engagement

In articulating an EVP that differentiates the organization it pays to promote this advocacy because in the modern workplace, hiring relies more on social media and employee referral than it does on recruitment sites and professional networks. Bear in mind that selling your EVP externally is aspirational and it important that the organization is able to live up the image that it sells.

Towers Watson research found that organizations that use their EVP effectively are five times more likely to report their employees are highly engaged and twice as likely to report achieving financial performance significantly above their peers when compared to companies that use their EVP less effectively.

As well as appealing to external job candidates, a robust EVP creates and reinforces the organization’s public image in terms of vision, culture, working practices, leadership style, and prospective growth. It should paint a picture of employees who are motivated, loyal and willing to put in discretionary effort happy to work for the company.

Don’t rest on your laurels, use the metrics you collate in regular reviews of the EVP; things change as organizations and markets evolve, and you need to ensure your EVP remains consistent and relevant to the changing employee experience.