EVP vs. Employer Brand: What’s the Difference?

One of the ongoing hot topics in recruitment marketing and talent acquisition is EVP and employer branding. A strong EVP and employer brand can reap numerous benefits, both internally and externally. From passive talent attraction to employee engagement and longevity, a successful recruitment marketing strategy cannot function properly without these two elements at its core.

But what exactly are the differences, if any, between an EVP and employer brand? The terms are often times used interchangeably, but there is a distinct difference between the two.

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EVP, or employee value proposition, serves as the defining statement of how a company identifies as an employer, and communicates the mutual offers made by both employer and employee; namely, the value employees can expect to receive from the organization, as well as the value they are expected to contribute.

Employer brand relates to the external reputation and image of the company as an employer specifically. Through messaging, marketing, and advertising, the employer brand establishes the positioning of the company not only to existing employees, but publicly to active and passive candidates and other key stakeholders within talent attraction.

While the EVP and employer brand are separate entities, they are intrinsically connected to one another. Think of it as the difference between your company’s mission statement and corporate brand. Your mission statement speaks to who you are as a company, the core tenets and principles your company aims to embody, and your pledge to live up to those self-instilled values. It is aspirational, but always attainable, and provides a guiding point for your company through growth and evolution. By contrast, your corporate brand refers to the public perception and identity of your company, via messaging and advertising. With a successful corporate brand, it provides that link in consumers’ minds to your company and its reputation with a unique or positive value. A strong corporate brand should always speak to the company’s mission statement, taking those values and principles outlined and turning them into an external-facing message.

The relationship between EVP and employer brands operates similarly. The EVP should lead the employer brand, by communicating the benefits, opportunities, and rewards that your company offers in an employee-centered approach. In return, the employer brand takes that statement and builds it into the overall reputation and messaging of the company as an employer, through marketing and advertising efforts. Your EVP speaks to who you are as an employer through your employees, and your employer brand translates that message out to your external talent market.

This alignment between EVP and employer brand is essential to the delivery of your employment promises, providing a through-line between values, messaging, behavior, and action. In short, how you bring your EVP to life via your employer brand, and how you then turn your employer brand reputation into authentic employee experience.

Looking for more information on how to get started? Visit our blog posts on how to craft a strong EVP and how to build an employer brand to attract the right talent.

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