Once you have defined your primary and secondary external and internal target groups, understand them thoroughly. Organizations should use research to understand what these groups find appealing. Employers should also understand target groups’ current perceptions of the organization and where they are in the decision-making process. The deeper the understanding of target groups, the more effective the communication will be.
An employer value proposition should be the basis for all external and internal communications with talent. Optimizing the EVP means ensuring that it includes attributes and communication themes that are compelling, credible, sustainable and enable long-term differentiation.
5Select KPIs and set goals.
Once organizations know what is important to the business, understand the target groups and optimize the EVP, they need to find ways to measure impact and set goals. Once the right KPIs have been selected that measure, for example, a company’s attractiveness and brand association, it is time to set annual goals. When these goals are met, the employer will know that the brand is moving in a direction that is fully aligned with the business needs.
6Define an ideal communication mix.
Research indicates where target groups are in the linkedin data decision-making process, and this information will allow organizations to determine where the main focus should be: awareness, consideration or desire. This fundamental knowledge will allow companies to optimize the selection of communication channels and lead to the best possible ROI.
7Create an annual plan.
Many of the components of an annual employer branding plan—the business needs, target group definition and insights, the EVP, the communications mix, objectives, key strategies, and KPIs—are now in place, so the plan begins to solidify. The only remaining component is the activity plan—what activities a company should implement and when.
8Develop a tactical communication action plan.
Based on the EVP and the selected communication channels, organizations now need to develop communication ideas that will have the greatest possible impact on target groups and set the company apart from the competition. These communication ideas and concepts should be tested with smaller groups (sectors with an early adopter profile) before being fully implemented.
9Run and follow up.
Once you have your plan and communication ideas in place, execute and monitor them continuously. By using the right KPIs and regularly updating them according to your goals, you can correct and optimize as needed to meet your company’s business needs.