executive brief | employer branding

Activating the Employer Brand

11414 west park place, suite 202

milwaukee, wisconsin 53224

414.410.0500 fax 414.410.0520

milwaukee | new york

www.versantsolutions.com
 Activating the Employer Brand

Employer Branding Defined A highly-leveraged employer brand can

An employer brand is the sum of all the
characteristics and distinguishable features
that prospective candidates and current
employees perceive about an organization’s
employment experience. The employment
experience serves as the foundation of the
employer brand and includes tangibles such
as salary, rewards and benefits, but also
extends to intangibles such as an organ-
ization’s culture, values, management style
and opportunities for employee learning,
development and recognition.
Just as a well-managed consumer brand
aims to differentiate a product’s identity, tell
a product’s story and reflect a product’s
value, a well-managed employer brand aims
to differentiate an employer’s identity, tell an
employer’s story and reflect an employer’s
value proposition to employees.
Once identified, an employer brand can be
leveraged as a tool in marketing the
employment experience to current and
potential employees. Through strategic and
ongoing employer brand management, an
organization can accelerate the attraction of
best-fit candidates, increase the retention of
high-performing employees and drive
employee engagement toward business
objectives.
transform an organization into a place where
top talent wants to work – an employer of
choice. When successfully implemented,
employees believe in and embody the brand,
carrying it through the entire employment
experience. In contrast, an organization with
a poorly managed or undefined employer
brand could find itself investing in employees
not aligned with key business objectives and
hiring candidates that do not fit the
organization’s culture.
Brand Activation Process
VersantWorks leverages a proven process to
activate an employer brand. The process
consists of four distinct steps that result in
the gradual alignment of an organization with
the desired state of its employer brand.
1. Discovery
2. Road Map
3. Activate
4. Measure
These four steps ensure an organization’s
employer brand is comprehensive, relevant
and positioned to drive results. Each step in
the brand activation process forms the
foundation for the next, and the continuous
nature of the process ensures the employer
brand remains connected to the employment
experience over time.

four-step process for activating the brand

Discovery Road Map Activate Measure

• Objective • Strategy & • Targeted • Impact
Analysis Tactics Communications

• Market Analysis • Brand Positioning • Apply Brand • Check Progress

Statement to Communications Against Goals
• Customer Analysis
• Brand Promise & Voice • Communicate Brand • Examine Impact
• Communications to Target Audiences of Industry & Market
Analysis • Logo & Tagline
• Adjust Strategy &
• Associate Analysis • Brand Guidelines Tactics as needed

• Brand Launch
& Marketing
Communication Plans

2

Step One: Discovery
The Discovery step is an independent assess-
ment of an organization's current work envi-
ronment in terms of values, culture and
employee satisfaction. During Discovery, key
themes are identified, as well as gaps in per-
ception between an organization’s leader-
ship and employees. The multilayered
research effort often includes focus groups,
interviews and online surveys. Existing data
such as current employee demographic
information, retention data, employee satisfac-
tion surveys and exit interviews, is also used.
Discovery information is compiled, analyzed
and then presented to the organization's
employer brand stakeholder/leadership
team. The resulting knowledge and insight
about the employment experience serve as
the foundation for developing an employer
brand identity during Road Map.
Step Two: Road Map
During Road Map, the identity of the
employer brand is developed. Key elements
include the development of an employer
brand promise and employer brand voice.
An employer brand promise is a statement
to employees that describes the rational and
emotional benefit employment will bring to
employees’ lives. To be valuable, it should:
•B
 e viewed as a constant ideal by all
stakeholders
•C
 ommunicate the essence of the
employment experience while revealing
the principles of the organization's
leadership
•C
 apture employees' imagination and
inspire them to deliver on the organization's
promise to its customers
An employer brand voice is a set of verbal
descriptors that provides the tonality, attitude
and behavior targets for all stakeholders. To
be valuable, it should:
•P
 rovide criteria to measure the relevance
of internal communications
•E
 ncourage a consistent style of
communication with employees
•H
 elp to understand the essence of the
organization
Activating the Employer Brand
•P
 rovide a context in which virtually any
desirable attribute or service can be
discussed
All areas affecting the employment experi-
ence are then examined to determine where
the organization is not in complete align-
ment with the employer brand. From this, a
Road Map that documents recommended
strategies and tactics is created to guide the
alignment of the organization and its employ-
er brand, which may include:
•C
 hanges to align internal programs,
policies and procedures with the employer
brand
•E
 xecutive learning to align management
behavior with the employer brand
•R
 ecommendations to align internal
communications with the employer brand
and retain high-performing employees
•R
 ecommended to align recruitment
marketing with the employer brand and
attract best-fit candidates
The Road Map is presented to the organiza-
tion's employer brand stakeholder/leader-
ship team. To get the process underway,
VersantWorks then facilitates a management
implementation planning session based on
the Road Map recommendations.
Step Three: Activate
The goals of the Activate step are to create
an understanding of the employer brand
promise across target audiences and foster
acceptance of the employer brand identity
as an active, guiding force throughout the
organization. The Activate step involves an
integrated communications approach that is
unique and determined by each organiza-
tion's target audiences. Tactics may include:
•T
 emplates, video, print, Web and other
materials for use at all-employee and/or
staff meetings to assist managers in
introducing the employer brand
•D
 evelopment of a communication calendar
for continually reinforcing the employer
brand, using different media and messaging
to keep the employer brand vibrant and an
active part of the culture
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 Activating the Employer Brand

• L eadership learning workshops focusing 3. Lead by creating a learning organization

on the techniques and behaviors needed
to manage workgroups in alignment with
the employer brand promise
•C
 onsultation and recommendations on
internally marketing HR programs in
alignment with the employer brand
• Career Web site enhancements
•O
 rientation materials for new hires,
integrated with messaging from the
recruitment process, to assure seamless
onboarding
• Internal signage and other visual reminders
to further reinforce the employer brand
Step Four: Measure
The Measure step involves additional
research to re-assess employee perceptions
and evaluate the success of employer
branding efforts in achieving retention,
engagement and recruitment goals set by
the organization. Armed with this information,
adjustments to communication strategies
and tactics are identified to ensure continued
employer brand alignment.
Staying Relevant Over Time
Just like consumer branding, the process of
employer branding is never finished. The
business environment is constantly changing,
and with it the relationship between
organizations and their employees will
continue to change. That's not to say
businesses should adopt entirely new
employer brands every few years, but rather
that the employer brand activation process
should be used over time to remain relevant
as the employment experience and talent
market evolves.
4. A
 lign key talent management and HR
programs focused on recruitment,
engagement and retention with your
employer brand
5. S
 eek independent and continual feedback
from outside sources
About VersantWorks
VersantWorks is a specialty practice within
Versant, a full-service marketing firm. We
leverage our creative, interactive, media and
consulting expertise to provide employers
with focused communication solutions that:
•C
 apture the mission, values and spirit of
the employment experience
•A
 lign employees with the organization’s
strategy and vision
• Attract best-fit talent
• Increase employee retention and workforce
engagement
Within VersantWorks, we’ve categorized our
capabilities into two areas: talent manage-
ment and organizational change. Our talent
management solutions cover recruitment
marketing, employee communications, work-
force engagement and employer branding.
Our organizational change solutions cover
change communications and merger &
acquisition communications.

VersantWorks recommends that organiza-

tions incorporate the following best practices
to stay relevant and be successful in their
employer branding efforts:
1. D
 evelop a clear, appropriate and
deliverable employer brand and market it
to employees and candidates as a brand
2. A
 dopt demographic and generational
marketing, learning and teaching
practices

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11414 west park place, suite 202

milwaukee, wisconsin 53224

414.410.0500 fax 414.410.0520

milwaukee | new york

www.versantsolutions.com