Employer Branding Strategy Template: Build a Winning Employer Brand

Why Your Employer Branding Strategy Needs a Template

An employer branding strategy template ensures your approach is:

• Purpose-Driven: It focuses your efforts on meaningful outcomes like improved retention, candidate engagement, and employee satisfaction.

• Efficient: It provides a clear structure to align your team and resources.

• Sustainable: It creates a repeatable, adaptable process for long-term success.

By adopting Universum’s Employer Branding Success Cycle, you’ll have a step-by-step framework that simplifies your efforts while delivering measurable results.Key Steps in Your Employer Branding Strategy Template

Key Phases of the Employer Branding Success Cycle Template

1. Discover: Understand What Talent Wants

The first phase focuses on uncovering critical insights about talent preferences and perceptions. This data-driven approach ensures your employer brand aligns with what employees and candidates truly value.

• Template Actions:

  • Conduct internal surveys and external benchmarking.

  • Identify gaps between your current brand and the desired perception.

  • Uncover the motivators and priorities of your target audience.

Example: Understanding that flexibility ranks highly among talent could inspire you to prioritize hybrid work policies in your messaging.

2. Craft a Compelling Employer Value Proposition (EVP)

Your EVP is the foundation of your strategy, articulating what makes your organization unique and why talent should choose you.

• Template Actions:

  • Craft an EVP that aligns with your organizational mission and values.

  • Address the needs and aspirations of your target talent segments.

  • Ensure your EVP is authentic, consistent, and reflective of your culture.

3. Defining Focus Areas

Identifying focus areas allows you to concentrate your resources on the most impactful aspects of your employer branding strategy. Core values, mission, and objectives are at the heart of this phase.

• Focus Areas to Define:

  • Company Culture: Identify what makes your workplace unique and engaging.

  • Employee Experience: Prioritize elements that improve satisfaction and retention.

  • Mission and Objectives: Use your organizational mission to guide branding efforts.

Example: A company focused on innovation might highlight professional development and growth opportunities as key elements of its employer brand.

4. Build a Creative Brand Story

Once your EVP is defined, turn it into compelling content that speaks directly to your target talent.

• Template Actions:

  • Use data-driven creativity to align your messaging with talent preferences.

  • Develop tailored content for specific audience segments.

  • Maximize reach by leveraging social media and digital platforms.

5. Activate: Bring Your Employer Brand to Life

Once you’ve defined your EVP and focus areas, it’s time to activate your strategy with impactful campaigns and communications. Effective activation ensures your employer brand resonates with your target audience, drives engagement, and converts interest into action.

• Template Actions:

  • Optimized Funnel: Build campaigns that move candidates seamlessly from awareness to preference.

  • Maximized ROI: Leverage precision targeting to connect with lookalike audiences who closely match your ideal candidates.

  • Channel Optimization: Use the most effective platforms to reach talent where they are most active, ensuring higher engagement and conversions.

Pro Tip: Combine creative storytelling with data-driven targeting to ensure your campaigns achieve both awareness and conversion goals.

6. Implementing the Strategy

Implementation is where planning meets action. It involves executing your employer branding strategy while ensuring alignment with company goals and team accountability.

• Steps for Successful Implementation:

  • Strategy Creation: Develop clear plans that outline goals, timelines, and responsibilities.

  • Employer Brand Integration: Ensure your EVP is consistently communicated across touchpoints, from recruitment marketing to employee engagement initiatives.

  • Execution with Teams: Empower HR, marketing, and leadership teams to deliver on the strategy cohesively.

Pro Tip: Use project management tools to track progress and ensure collaboration between teams.

7. Measure and Optimize Your Efforts

A winning employer branding strategy evolves over time. Measuring success and using insights to refine your approach ensures that your efforts remain impactful and aligned with talent expectations.

• Template Actions:

  • Track metrics like application rates, brand engagement, and employee retention to assess the effectiveness of your strategy.

  • Use analytics tools and employee surveys to gain insights into the performance of your campaigns and messaging.

  • Iterate on campaigns that underperform, scaling those that drive measurable success.

  • Regularly revisit your EVP to ensure it reflects your company’s current reality and evolving talent expectations.

Pro Tip: Treat optimization as an ongoing process by incorporating employee feedback and monitoring changing market trends to maintain relevance and authenticity.

Focus on Outcomes

An effective employer branding strategy template should emphasize clear outcomes. The Employer Branding Success Cycle helps you focus on:

• Improving Company Culture: Align your values, policies, and behaviors to create an environment where employees thrive.

• Increasing Employee Satisfaction: Enhance engagement through personalized experiences and development opportunities.

• Engaging Potential Candidates: Use data-driven campaigns to connect with top talent where they are.

Example: A well-executed branding campaign can simultaneously improve employee retention and attract high-quality candidates by showcasing your organization’s unique culture and mission.

Why Use Universum’s Employer Branding Success Cycle?

Universum’s Employer Branding Success Cycle provides a proven framework for building an effective employer brand. By following its structured phases—Discover, Define, Activate, Measure, and Optimize—organizations can create a repeatable process for employer branding success.

The Success Cycle Includes:

• Unparalleled insights powered by the world’s largest talent survey.

• Expert guidance to define an authentic EVP that stands out.

• Data-driven campaigns that attract the right talent and maximize ROI.
  
  

Get Your Employer Branding Strategy Template

Ready to transform your employer branding efforts? Download Universum’s Employer Branding Success Cycle Snapshot, a shareable and actionable resource to guide your strategy. This free download provides step-by-step guidance to help you implement a proven framework for building an exceptional employer brand.

Need Expert Guidance?

Want personalized advice for your employer branding strategy? Book a free consultation with Universum’s employer branding experts. Let us help you define your EVP, tailor your campaigns, and implement a winning strategy.