Above all else, great workplaces become so because of the people that work there. So it is incumbent on your team to involve your most loyal brand advocates and to tell their stories with a communications campaign. While social media is a great way to communicate your EVP, it is is only as effective as the messaging you’ve developed. In order to tell stories that the right people will notice and appreciate, you need to spend time formulating a cohesive campaign that leverages your people. The good news is that if you do it right, this process can be easy and enjoyable for everyone involved.
Why?
In simple terms, a good communications platform is one of the best ways for your organization to authenticate its EVP, while creating an ongoing narrative for both your current and prospective employees. The key to telling the right story is to involve authentic brand ambassadors — your most engaged staff — as most people will relate more to communications from a person than a corporation.
When?
The best time to develop a communications strategy is prior to launching your EVP. You can tell the difference between initiatives that merely backtrack existing practices instead of proactively creating new ones from scratch. A good EVP communications strategy is like a piece of art; it is best developed with time, focus and effort. Rushing the process will produce results that lack authenticity.
How?
Begin developing your campaign by gathering employee insight. As with art, a campaign that lacks true insight will be forgettable, but one deeply rooted in the truth in a fresh and unexpected way will make an impact. This is also a good time to feature participant employees in the communications program, as knowing your voice is being heard and put to good use will be greatly appreciated. When your employees feel valued, they are happier and more productive.
The Outcome?
By engaging staff you get authentic proof points that further validate your EVP. Incorporating your employees and putting a face on the campaign will drive validity, adoption, and support, both internally and externally. You’ll have a wealth of creative content and assets for future use on websites, social media, and recruitment advertising, which will save you both time and money in the long run. The talent you acquire will be a better fit as improved brand awareness and preference will exist in the marketplace and like-minded people will actually seek to work for you. A solid EVP communications platform provides continued engagement and emotional connection for employees, stakeholders, and clients that go well beyond the workday.
Best Practices
Don’t be exclusive: provide all of your employees with the opportunity to share stories. Recognize individuals with the most unique and relevant stories by featuring them in future communications, and you will build loyalty. Most importantly, have fun, be creative, and align the campaign with your EVP pillars. Employer branding involves a lot of tire kicking and the rolling up of sleeves, but if you involve the right people, this is a project that can be very rewarding for you and your organization.
About Blu Ivy Group
Blu Ivy Group is a leading employer branding and employee engagement consultancy that aligns your organization with contemporary workplace paradigms. Our mission is to help client’s build award-winning people practices, inspire extraordinary employee engagement, and cultivate unique and desirable workplaces. We provide integrated solutions in employer brand and engagement research, strategic consulting, employer brand integration, creative and talent communications.
Blu Ivy Group is a trusted partner to many of North America’s most respected employer brands. For more information, visit us online at bluivygroup.com or contact us at info@bluivygroup.com.