Employer Brand, EVP, Employer Branding? What the…?

Are you confused about the terms employer brand, employer branding, EVP. Are they interchangeable? When should you use which?

If this is you, then stay tuned for a quick video today around brand definitions that will help you talk about this subject like a pro!

Your Employer Brand is a noun. It’s your reputation and image as an Employer. It’s the way you’re positioned in the minds of your employees and prospective candidates.

You should think about your Employer Brand as a living and breathing thing. It’s not static, it will evolve along with your organisation, and it is impacted by external factors such the market for talent and industry dynamics.

Most importantly, your employer brand is not just a slogan or tagline.

Your Employee Value Proposition describes the characteristics, benefits and appeal of working for your organisation. It tells your unique story of who you are so you can attract, engage and retain the right people for your business.

It is the messaging that underpins and inspires your Employer Brand, and as such it evolves alongside your brand. This is the reason why you should never think about your EVP as a set and forget project. It’s good to revisit it your EVP on a regular basis to ensure that you that it is still relevant and portrays the right image of your organisation that you want your employees and external to have.

Employer Branding is the expression of your EVP.  It’s the way you articulate your EVP – Think of employer branding as being active – a verb. The act of employer branding includes your marketing creative, activities and channels that you use to take your value proposition to market.  So it happens after you create your EVP.

One of the keys to successful employer branding is having a clear and differentiated EVP and communicating about it consistently both inside and outside of your organisation.

And if it’s done well, it should help you do one of these 3 things.

  1. Reinforce any positive perceptions of the brand that your people and candidates actually care about
  2. Build awareness of your brand externally so that you’re top of my amongst your ideal candidates
  3. Addressing misconceptions or knowledge gaps about your organisation that may prevent your ideal candidates from considering you as an employer