In a recent webinar, employer value proposition (EVP) and digital advertising experts discussed strategies for bringing your EVP to life, using precision digital media to ensure your message reaches and resonates with the right audiences. Read on for key takeaways to activate and amplify your EVP.
Understanding the EVP and its role in employer branding
At its core, an EVP represents why someone should choose to work for a specific organization over any other option, including not working at all. It encapsulates the key attributes an employer wants to be known for and aligns with what candidates and employees value most. The EVP is the foundation of an employer brand — people's perceptions about an organization when it’s not in the room. However, to make an impact, an EVP needs activation.
Think of EVP activation as bringing a script to life. While the EVP provides the structured framework, activations transform it into tangible experiences that shape candidate and employee perceptions.
Effective EVP activation ensures that target audiences remember the organization for the right reasons, reinforcing key brand attributes and increasing talent attraction and retention.
Three key elements of EVP activation
1. Activations are everywhere
EVP activation isn’t confined to recruitment campaigns — it exists in every interaction candidates and employees have with an organization. From career sites and job postings to internal communications and leadership messaging, every touchpoint should reinforce EVP themes. Successful activation ensures alignment across internal and external experiences, ensuring employees become brand advocates and communicate a consistent message.
2. Let research guide the strategy
A strong EVP is built on research, and the same data should drive activation strategies. Research helps organizations prioritize where to allocate resources, ensuring the best return on investment. Not every channel requires a budget — internal advocacy and organic messaging cost little but have a high impact. Understanding the biggest talent challenges and audience preferences for paid activations helps refine messaging and targeting for maximum effectiveness.
3. Continuously test and optimize
While research informs EVP messaging, real-world testing refines it. Digital advertising provides a dynamic way to assess messaging effectiveness in real time. A/B testing can reveal whether candidates respond more to themes of autonomy or well-being, for example, allowing for continuous improvement. The best activation strategies evolve based on performance data, ensuring ongoing relevance.
Case study: How to strategically activate your employer brand via media
For many healthcare organizations, filling night shift positions remains a persistent challenge. One of our large Midwest-based healthcare clients faced this exact issue. Their employer brand was well known, and their recruitment efforts performed well overall. However, night shift roles remained difficult to fill.
During a quarterly business review, Symphony Talent identified this hiring gap and immediately pivoted our strategy. The issue wasn’t brand awareness but ensuring the right message reached the right audience. To address this, we refined our approach:
- Refocused messaging: Developed creative assets tailored specifically for night shift candidates, ensuring all banners, Google AdWords, and campaign messaging aligned with this audience’s motivations.
- Precision targeting: A geofencing campaign was launched to reach competitors’ employees, leveraging insights like shift differentials as a key differentiator.
- Optimized media plan: Activated Brand Amplifier to expand awareness and engagement, ensuring the client’s EVP resonated with the right talent.
The two-month pilot delivered 802 applications, 2M+ impressions, and 11 immediate hires, with more expected post-campaign. This success demonstrates how EVP activation, precise targeting, and data-driven insights translate into real hiring results, helping organizations attract and hire the right talent more effectively.
Want to learn more about powerful EVP activation?
EVP activation is more than employer branding. It’s about ensuring the right message reaches the right audience at the right time. By embedding EVP themes across all candidate and employee interactions, leveraging research-driven strategies, and continuously optimizing through digital advertising, organizations can create meaningful, memorable talent experiences that drive hiring success.
