Employer Brand Headlines: The "The Whole of the Moon" Edition (#73)
We’re not the biggest and best employer brand newsletter… oh, wait. Yes, we are!
In this edition:
What is an EVP, really?
Marketing and branding predictions for 2021
Speaking which, what about predictive marketing?
Quality of hire?
The Big Idea
There’s long been a misconception about what an EVP actually is. Agencies, consultants, authors, and so-called thought leaders (like me!) have tried to push a narrative that an EVP was like a secret handshake, a handful of magic words and ideas that would make a company appear as a unique employer. It was a medieval idea that being to name a thing gave you control over a thing. A lot of money has been spent on processes and projects to reveal, distill and even seemingly conjure the magic words out of reams of data, interviews, word clouds, workshops, and surveys that would give that company an edge in hiring.
This kind of idea is why many (smart and capable) talent leaders put their hands over their wallets and purses whenever someone starts to pontificate about an employer value proposition. It’s a natural defensive position that comes from hearing how a few specifically-selected words will turn cultures around without ever seeing one change. It’s the same move one takes when approached about buying some magic beans.
Now, before I tell you it’s all a bunch of bunk, it isn’t. Well actually, if you think your EVP is a kind of linguistic divination, then yeah. That’s bunk. Enjoy your beanstalk whenever it shows up.
EVPs can be incredibly powerful, but only if you actually understand what they are.
Read the rest of this in my article on LinkedIn.
On to the Headlines
I’m not saying Google has a magic eight ball or anything, but you have to respect the sheer tonnage of marketing data they have access to. So when they make marketing predictions, I listen.
If I had to guess, I would imagine less than 1% of employer brands think about, let alone leverage, predictive metrics. Here are some ways in which modern marketers are using it every single day to increase reach, support conversion, and make change happen.
Want to make it crystal clear how important your employer brand work is? Maybe bake it into an infographic.
Employer branding is the act of getting everyone at your company who does have to listen to you to change how they think about their employer. Yay! So anything that helps arm you to create change in an org is useful to know.
“The analysis reveals that there is no correlation between the cultural values a company emphasizes in its published statements and how well the company lives up to those values in the eyes of employees. All of the correlations between official and actual values were very weak, and four of the nine — collaboration, customer orientation, execution, and diversity — were negatively correlated.” Ouch.
For my money, despite the fact that it is the only measure of EB value that matters, you can’t really measure quality of hire in a meaningful way. It might take a solid year to see if the person you hire is the right choice, if they are worth giving a raise to or worth promoting (the only meaningful metrics of quality), so people in HR try to find approximations for quality. There’s a lot to quibble with (and you know I do so love a good quibbling), but here’s a solid wrap-up of HR-friendly ways to measure it.
Quick Hits
Data and analytics trends in 2021
2021 predictions on the future of branding
The Process Of Becoming A Values-Driven Company
EB Tip Of The Week
“Recharge Month” concludes.
We’ve talked about being an artist at work, which is why I keep sharing articles and podcasts of artists. Like these two:
BBC/MoMA’s The Way I See It, in which one artist looks at a piece of art from the MoMa’s collection and talks about why it’s interesting. Great stuff.
Jack White (White Stripes et al) is a love him or hate him kind of artist (I love him and Audra hates him). But you can’t argue with how he thinks about building music: embracing constraints, focusing on what matters, doing the same thing in different ways. If you can ignore the gear-head wonkery, this is an amazing interview from someone who has done more with less than anyone I can think of.
And Inside Your Fortune Cookie It Says...
“No new idea in the history of the world has been proven in advance analytically… yet most companies insist on proof before doing something.” - Roger L Martin.
Thanks, everyone!
Two things. First, this is the last issue of the year. I’m taking next week off.
And as always, when you reply to this email I will read your questions and comments. Is there any article I should be commenting on? A book? A podcast? Is there something you what to know? How can I help? Just reply to this email and it comes directly to me.
Cheers and thanks!
-James Ellis (LinkedIn | Twitter | Podcast | Articles)
I tried to write the best book ever written on employer branding. I don’t know if I completely succeeded, but for 99 cents, you can decide for yourself.
By James Ellis, Employer Brand Nerd
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