Employer Branding Tools: A Step-by-Step Guide to Building Your Brand

As a global leader in employer branding with over 30 years of experience, Universum helps organizations worldwide shape their brand through data-driven insights, strategic expertise, and creative solutions. This six-step guide provides actionable tips and proven tools to help you build an employer brand that resonates with the people you want to attract. Each step offers practical insights and demonstrates how Universum’s expertise supports you in strengthening your brand at every stage of the process. 

Step 1: Understand Your Talent’s Needs and Preferences 

Building a strong employer brand begins with understanding your target audience—the employees you want to attract and retain. Knowing their values, expectations, and priorities allows you to align your brand with what matters most to them. This approach makes your brand more appealing to the right candidates and boosts employee engagement. 

Employer Branding Tools to Understand Your Talent Better: 

• Surveys and Interviews: Surveys, focus groups, and one-on-one interviews with both current employees and target candidates provide essential insights. Use this feedback to identify what your ideal candidates value most in a workplace. Topics such as work-life balance, flexibility, opportunities for advancement, and secure employment are common drivers, but each audience segment is unique. 

• Competitor Analysis: Examining how similar organizations position themselves helps you see what’s working in your industry and identify gaps you can fill. Understanding the benefits and experiences competitors offer gives you a baseline, helping you highlight what makes your organization distinct. 

• Workforce Trends Research: The workforce’s needs evolve over time, and staying in tune with trends is crucial. For instance, the increasing demand for remote work, diversity and inclusion programs, and mental health support shows that candidates value flexible, supportive work environments. Adapting to these trends makes your brand feel relevant and attractive. 

How Universum Can Help 

Universum’s Employer Brand & Talent Insights provide detailed, data-driven information on what different talent segments value most in an employer. These insights allow you to align your employer branding message with what matters to your audience. Universum’s data also includes competitive benchmarking, letting you compare your brand to key talent competitors​. This helps you see where your brand stands out and where it could improve. Discover more about Universum’s insights here. 

Pro Tip: Review your talent insights annually. Workforce preferences can shift with social, economic, and generational changes, so refreshing these insights each year helps ensure your brand stays aligned with what matters most to top talent.

Step 2: Develop a Clear and Compelling Employee Value Proposition (EVP)

Once you understand what your audience values, the next step is to create an Employee Value Proposition that clearly communicates what employees gain from working with you. The Employee Value Proposition is a core part of the Employer Value Proposition (EVP). Your EVP represents the unique benefits, culture, and values that set your organization apart from other competitors​.

A well-crafted EVP is more than just a tool for recruitment communications. It provides the backbone of your employer brand and serves as the core message you should consistently convey across all recruitment materials and channels. By clearly defining what sets your organization apart, a strong EVP attracts and engages candidates who align with your values and vision.

Key Components of an Effective EVP:

• Culture and Values: Define the values, mission, and unique work environment your organization offers. This could include a strong commitment to innovation, a collaborative team environment, or a focus on social responsibility.

• Career Growth Opportunities: Demonstrate that your organization is committed to employee development. Highlight mentoring, learning programs, and growth opportunities to show candidates that they can advance their careers with you.

• Benefits and Rewards: Be clear about both tangible and intangible rewards, such as healthcare benefits, wellness programs, work-from-home policies, and performance recognition initiatives. Candidates today value holistic rewards that contribute to their overall quality of life.

Developing a strong EVP involves gathering input from leadership and employees to ensure it reflects the actual culture of your organization. An authentic EVP will attract talent that genuinely aligns with your values.

How Universum Can Support Your EVP Development

Universum has over 30 years of experience helping companies like SAS, Siemens, and Mondelēz International develop EVPs that connect deeply with their target audiences. Our experts help you create an EVP that speaks to your audience’s values, creating a foundation for a stronger brand.
Learn more about Universum’s EVP development services here.

Pro Tip: Once you’ve created your EVP, make sure it’s visible on all candidate-facing platforms—your website, job postings, and social media channels. Consistency builds brand trust.

Step 3: Build a Career Website That Reflects Your Brand

Your career website is one of the most important tools for showcasing your employer brand. It offers a unique opportunity to demonstrate your culture, EVP, and the core values that define your organization. A user-friendly, visually engaging, and informative career site can have a powerful impact on candidates’ perceptions, making it essential to curate every detail carefully.

Essentials for an Effective Career Website:

• Highlight Employee Stories: Use real testimonials and success stories from employees to give candidates a genuine glimpse into your workplace. Employee voices bring credibility and authenticity, helping candidates relate to your brand.

• Organize Job Listings and Make It Easy to Apply: Ensure that job postings are easy to find, well-organized, and mobile-friendly. The application process should be straightforward and simple.

• Showcase Visuals and Stories: Photos, employer branding videos, and stories that give a behind-the-scenes look at life at your company help bring your brand to life. Show your employees in action, whether they’re celebrating milestones, working together on a project, or participating in team events.

A well-designed career website offers a cohesive brand experience and is an essential tool for reaching and engaging your ideal candidates.

How Universum Can Help Improve Your Website Messaging

Universum enhances your career website by aligning it with a professional, authentic representation of your employer brand. Using tools like the Brandbook, we help you create a cohesive visual identity that reflects your EVP and values across all digital platforms. For example, we collaborated with SEB to develop an employer Brandbook, providing clear guidance for talent acquisition and HR teams on visually and strategically communicating the EVP to target audiences.

Learn more about our work with SEB here.

Pro Tip: Keep your career website fresh and relevant by regularly updating it with new employee stories, current content, and recent improvements in your EVP. A dynamic site signals to candidates that you’re a forward-thinking and active employer.

Step 4: Maximize Your Brand’s Impact on Social Media

Social media platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook are essential tools in your employer branding toolkit, enabling you to reach today’s talent where they are. Sharing consistent, authentic content on these channels builds a relatable, visible brand that resonates with prospective candidates and keeps your message front and center.

Strategies to Boost Your Brand on Social Media:

• Post Behind-the-Scenes Content: Share glimpses of daily life at your company. Photos of team activities, celebrations, and daily routines add a human touch to your brand.

• Celebrate Employee Achievements: Recognize milestones, promotions, and personal achievements. Highlighting your team’s success not only builds pride within your organization but also attracts like-minded talent.

• Use a Consistent Brand Voice: Align your social media content with your EVP and brand values to create a recognizable, credible presence.

An active social media presence lets you connect directly with potential candidates, giving them an authentic glimpse into your brand's personality.

For more tips, benefits, and real-world success examples, check out our guide: Employer Branding on Social Media - Tips, Benefits, and Real-World Examples for Success.

How Universum Enhances Your Social Media Strategy

We create campaigns that connect with top talent and bring your brand’s story to life on social media. See how our creative ideas and campaign strategies can strengthen your employer brand and make you stand out from the competition—download our product overview to learn more.

Pro Tip: Encourage employees to engage with your social media content by sharing posts and using branded hashtags. Employee participation adds credibility and widens your reach.

Step 5: Actively Manage Your Brand’s Reputation on Review Sites

Review sites like Glassdoor and Indeed serve as valuable tools for understanding how current and past employees perceive your company. By monitoring and responding to reviews, you show candidates that you value feedback and are dedicated to continuous improvement.

Best Practices for Managing Reviews:

• Respond to Reviews: Engage with both positive and constructive feedback professionally. This shows candidates that you’re attentive to feedback and willing to grow.

• Highlight Your Growth Efforts: If reviews reveal common issues, be transparent about how you’re working to improve. Addressing negative feedback and making changes shows candidates that you’re committed to creating a better work environment.

• Encourage Honest Feedback: Invite current employees to share their experiences to give a balanced, realistic view of your organization.

Engaging with review sites demonstrates that your organization values transparency and listens to employee voices, which builds trust with potential candidates.

How Universum Supports Your Brand Reputation

While review sites provide immediate feedback, Universum’s Employer Brand Insights offer a deeper view. These insights help you focus on the brand attributes that matter most to your target audience. We analyze your strengths, giving you the information needed to refine your brand messaging and boost your recruitment efforts. Discover more about Universum’s Employer Brand Insights.

Pro Tip: Periodically highlight changes you’ve made in response to feedback on your website and social media. Showing improvement builds confidence and trust in your organization.

Step 6: Engage Employees as Brand Ambassadors

Your current employees are powerful advocates for your brand. Their positive stories and experiences add authenticity to your brand, giving potential candidates a relatable view of your workplace.

Building a Strong Employee Advocacy Program:

• Encourage Social Sharing: Motivate employees to share their work experiences on social media. When they tag your company, it helps your brand reach a wider network.

• Develop a Brand Ambassador Program: Identify enthusiastic employees who can represent your brand online and at events. Give them tools and content to share regularly.

• Recognize and Reward Advocacy: Celebrate employees who actively participate in brand advocacy. Rewards and recognition encourage more employees to join in, amplifying your message.

An effective employee advocacy program provides candidates with real insights into your culture, building trust and authenticity in your brand.

How Universum Helps with Employee Advocacy

Universum supports employee advocacy by helping companies create engaging, consistent content that employees feel proud to share, enhancing the brand’s reach and credibility. Our solutions ensure that employees have the resources and guidance to represent the brand accurately, fostering a culture where employees act as authentic ambassadors. This approach strengthens the brand’s appeal and attracts talent aligned with company values.

Pro Tip: Hold regular ambassador meetings to share updates and new brand messaging. Keeping your advocates informed strengthens their commitment and consistency.

Final Thoughts: Strengthen Your Employer Brand with Universum

Building a strong employer brand isn’t just about one-time messaging; it’s about creating a consistent, authentic experience that resonates with today’s workforce. With a strategic approach and the right tools, you can attract top talent and foster loyalty among your current employees. By following these steps and leveraging Universum’s expertise, you’ll be able to build a brand that stands out.

Start building your employer brand with Universum today, and discover how our insights and strategies can help you create a workplace that appeals to the talent you want to attract.