Forget perfectly curated brand ads – authentic stories attract talent in today’s labour market. Find out how leading companies are embracing employee advocacy to stand out, plus how to know your strategy is paying off.

Key Takeaways

  • In a recent Indeed Leadership Connect meeting, HR and talent attraction leaders shared candid insights about the challenges – and successful strategies – they've experienced with employer branding.
  • As more companies realise the value of authentic, employee-driven storytelling that resonates with job seekers, they're getting more creative in their approaches.
  • Streamlined branding tool kits and clear guidelines help ensure internal and external perceptions seamlessly align.

Today's job seekers want more than polished recruitment ads – they crave authenticity and transparency. Companies that successfully attract top talent are rewriting the rules by crafting employee-driven narratives that reflect genuine workplace experiences.

"As more companies discover the benefits of sharing employee stories, it’s raising the bar for what successful employer branding looks like," said Megan Nichols, Senior Program Manager of Employer Brand and Recruitment Marketing at Indeed, during a recent Indeed Leadership Connect cohort meeting. "Gone are the days of crafting the perfect top-down message – now it’s about empowering employees to share genuine experiences and co-create the narrative that defines their workplace."

During the meeting, HR and talent acquisition leaders from enterprise-level companies shared their candid insights about employer branding, from their challenges to winning tactics. Nichols contributed examples from Indeed’s approach, offering practical strategies for staying ahead in an evolving labour market. 

Here’s an in-depth look at real-world employer branding strategies driving success in today’s evolving workplace landscape.

Engage employees to co-create your employer brand

Authentic storytelling is one of the most powerful tools for a winning employer brand, so tap your employees to tell your brand story. Not only will this result in more compelling content, but it will also help foster a sense of ownership and greater alignment with the brand among members of your workforce. 

  • Centre the narrative on your people. At companies like Indeed, employee stories take centre stage on career websites and social media, reflecting diverse voices across the organisation. "Storytelling is core for us," Nichols said. "Our social networks highlight employee stories, and we’re redesigning our career site to feature testimonials prominently."
  • Enlist employees to help craft your EVP. Start by involving employees in defining your employee value proposition (EVP) to ensure that it genuinely reflects their voices. Host listening sessions or focus groups in which you invite employees to share their experiences and opinions, and solicit feedback through internal employee surveys. 
  • Let your EVP guide your employer branding efforts. Once you’ve shaped a meaningful EVP, use it to inform your employer branding themes and help shape more impactful employee storytelling. 

Finally, consider using video and social tools to empower employees to create and share content quickly and easily. For example, Indeed uses the employee advocacy platform EveryoneSocial to amplify employee voices while elevating the brand.

"We leverage our employee base to amplify our employee branding with a couple of clicks, making it simple and straightforward," said Paul Phillips, Global Head of Talent Acquisition & Onboarding at Avanade.

Build structured employee advocacy programs

Structured ambassador programs can transform employees into enthusiastic promoters of your brand. 

  • Entice employees with branded merch. For instance, Avanade’s Talent Ambassador Program incentivises employees with points redeemable for branded swag. "It’s been a great way to engage employees and amplify our message," Phillips said.
  • Offer simple yet attractive perks. Informal incentives are also effective in encouraging participation. Some organisations reward employees with gift cards or raffles for sharing content and recognise contributions more publicly. These approaches not only boost morale but also encourage consistent advocacy.
  • Lead by example. Whatever your approach to encouraging employee advocacy, leadership involvement is essential. "When senior leaders actively share updates, it sets the tone for everyone else," Nichols said. "Their engagement shows employees that advocacy matters."

Maintain consistent branding across channels

A consistent employer brand ensures that internal messaging aligns with how the world perceives your organisation. Unfortunately, one pitfall of elevating employee voices online to boost your brand can be inconsistent or even rogue communications that can dilute your message. 

  • Invest in branding tool kits. For those facing similar challenges, consider creating branding tool kits and templates that employees can use in their advocacy efforts to maintain branding consistency. These resources can include social media guidelines, ready-made posts and approved hashtags, making it easy for employees to share content aligned with your company's image.
  • Keep a close eye on social content. However, regular monitoring is still essential. "It’s about balancing freedom with consistency," said Brooks Thurston, VP of Global Talent Acquisition Operations at Northern Trust. "Our social media tool kits provide structure while allowing employees to add their personality."

Encourage external employee reviews

As company reviews increasingly become a decisive factor for job seekers, proactively encouraging employees to leave public reviews during onboarding and at key milestones like work anniversaries can also amplify your brand's credibility.

  • Leverage third-party platforms. One talent leader said her company asks new hires to leave reviews on Indeed and Glassdoor during onboarding as an economical way to gather feedback while enhancing its public profile. 
  • Use the data to guide your employer branding. Built-in analytics on these platforms provide insights without additional survey costs, allowing you to segment responses by location, measure engagement and benchmark against competitors. "It’s fascinating to see the themes that emerge from reviews," Nichols said. "We use that data to refine our EVP and align internal and external messaging."
  • Don't stop at onboarding. Revisit these surveys at key milestones to capture a more comprehensive view of the employee experience post hire and encourage positive reviews from current employees.

Measure the ROI of employee advocacy

To demonstrate the value of your employer branding efforts, align ROI metrics with the employee-driven strategies at the heart of your approach. By tracking outcomes like employee advocacy, candidate engagement and external sentiment, you can connect employee storytelling to tangible business results.

To gauge ROI, track metrics that reflect awareness and impact:

  • Traffic and engagement: Metrics like site visits, social media engagement (likes, shares, comments and follower growth) and applicant volume provide a snapshot of brand visibility. For example, Indeed uses a dedicated employer brand hashtag to track employee participation and measure whether shared stories align with brand messaging.
  • Candidate quality:  Success isn’t just about attracting applications but ensuring they are relevant to the role. A steady increase in qualified candidates is a strong indicator of effective branding. "We’re focused on awareness and quality," Thurston said. "Are we seeing more relevant candidates apply? Are we improving candidate flow?"
  • Candidate feedback: Surveys for both successful and unsuccessful applicants offer invaluable insights into the candidate experience. Phillips said this feedback helps refine the hiring process and ensure alignment with branding goals.
  • Referral programs: High referral rates indicate strong trust in the organisation. Employees who advocate for the company through referrals signal a healthy employer brand.

Combining these metrics can provide a comprehensive understanding of the effectiveness of your strategies, identify areas for improvement and demonstrate tangible ROI to leadership. 

Position your workforce as brand advocates

So what does it take to build a robust employer brand that attracts top talent in today’s labour market? Ultimately, it’s a willingness to enlist your workforce to be your strongest advocates while maintaining consistent messaging and measuring outcomes. 

"Empowering employees to share their authentic experiences is the most powerful way to build an employer brand that resonates," Nichols said. "It’s about creating a workplace narrative that truly reflects who you are as an organisation and why you’re worth joining."