What does it take to build a successful employer brand? Chatter Communications account director, Alex Blow, believes it is about consistent small pushes and contributions, steadily building momentum over time.

The theory is simple: great companies treat their work as a flywheel - 1000 or more little pushes, with the odd big shove, consistently, over a long period of time. This results in game-changing, sometimes unstoppable, momentum. Not-so-great companies find themselves in a ‘doom loop’, lurching from one big thing to the next with no real vision to tie it all together. 

It is probably no surprise that some of the most often referred to, and admired, employer brands (John Lewis Partnership, Netflix, Sky Betting, Gaming, etc) have spent years diligently understanding their audience, finding out why people join, why people stay and making subtle changes to their employee value proposition (EVP): communicating well through their paid-for, owned and earned channels. Do they always get it right? Of course not. But they test and correct repeatedly over time.  

So, what are a few things you can do to help push the flywheel consistently, over time, to gain that momentum?

• Understand your candidate journey: on average, candidates consume over 100 pieces of content from the time they start looking for a role to their first day. Consistent, up-to-date content across your careers site, job boards, social media and review sites. Not to forget that your ATS communications is a vital part of engaging with passive audiences.
• Embed your EVP (not just your talent brand): all too often we see beautiful, robust employer brands be reduced to functional talent brands because there isn't the continued effort to embed them throughout your entire employee life cycle. Think about how and where your EVP shows up as a lived experience for your people. 
• Create advocates and reward advocacy: this is the epitome of a flywheel concept in employer branding. Every TA team we have ever worked with has loved the idea of an engaged cohort of colleagues who actively and organically create, and share, content in line with the employer brand. Growing their own network and in turn filling roles - bliss, right? This is a slow burner, unless of course you can afford to pay through the nose for referrals. It takes time to build a team of advocates and the onus should be on TA to provide both the tools and the permission your colleagues need to give an authentic peek into your organisation.
• Check the pulse of your EVP: things change, and right now they're changing constantly. From wellbeing and flexible working policies to ED&I initiatives and even how organisations are contributing to, or combatting, the cost of living crisis.
• Be bold: your EVP and employer brand is every bit as important as your customer brand and the two work hand in hand. It can be tough to have to make the case for investment and commitment time and time again, but it’s a game changer and just one more push to move from good to great.