Employer branding is not a standalone strategy—it is a principal driver in your organization’s performance. The result of a well-balanced and strategically integrated organization is, undeniably, high performance, with benefits across the board for employees, executives, investors, and customers. To help ensure your company is well positioned to switch into a higher gear, start by having a clear answer to these six questions:
1. Why do you do the work?
It may seem a rather obvious question, but it’s easy for an organization to lose sight of its purpose. A clearly defined purpose can provide direction for a company for decades. Kellogg, for instance, defines their purpose succinctly; “Nourishing families so they can flourish and thrive”. It expresses Kellogg’s desired impact on the lives of its customers, clients, and employees. Without a clear purpose, your organization falls behind in a competitive marketplace.
2. Where are you headed?
Lewis Carroll once said “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.” What he failed to mention is that most of the roads take a left where you need to take a right. In the same way your organization’s purpose sets the destination, your vision acts as the roadmap, the “how to get there”. It’s worth some effort to create a meaningful vision, the result of which should require very little effort to understand, both with your customers and with your employees.
3. Who are you?
A values-based organization makes better hiring decisions, holds its team to a higher standard, and ultimately, works together more effectively towards its overall goals. It’s important not to shoehorn your organization into a value system that’s not a natural fit, so start by determining who should be involved in the process, brainstorm about what is important to you and your team, then consolidate and define into a set of values.
4. How will you do the work?
High-performing organizations have one thing in common. They make clear how things get done in order to achieve stated goals and maintain culture. There’s no grey area. Clearly defined procedures are good for productivity and morale, instilling momentum and a sense of purpose in leaders and employees alike. Creating process that allows for a degree of employee initiative and creativity is the goal.
5. What is your Employee Promise?
Knowing what your employees value and ensuring their experience aligns with those values is a critical component of your overall business strategy. An effective Employee Value Proposition will empower your employees to be their best, which leads to an increase in motivation, productivity, and job satisfaction. The best candidates for a job want to work for an organization that aligns with their vision of an ideal corporate culture while offering the right mix of freedom, teamwork, challenge, and reward.
6. What is your customer promise?
Understanding what your customers value is equally important. Your Customer Value Proposition is the promise you make to them. The best organizations have brands that have earned the trust of their customers, delivering a product or service from them at a high standard, every time. A clearly defined CVP differentiates you from your competitors and defines the goal posts your employees need to shoot for.