Tips for building an employer brand budget
By Judy Wright, Employera
Plan ahead for success in 2023 with a fully-funded employer brand budget.
To properly fund employer branding based on business needs, desired results and financial reality, employer brand leaders must do two things really well:
Think holistically, thoughtfully and cross-functionally in your approach to budget planning and development.
Engage in discovery, partnering and influencing efforts proactively and continuously throughout the budgeting process.
Budget Planning and Development
Think holistically and cross-functionally in your approach to planning, development, oversight and management of the centralized employer brand budget in support of Talent Acquisition, HR, DEI and the organization’s attraction, engagement, diversity and retention strategies.
Using this mindset and approach helps to ensure funds are considered and hopefully allocated for all the key elements of a properly-funded employer brand budget including:
Employee value proposition and employer brand research and development to tell the authentic, differentiating and inspiring story about why diverse, exceptional talent should work for your company.
Employee and candidate communications and stories to support bringing the employer brand to life and infusing it from inside the organization through employee referrals, internal mobility, career development and total rewards programs. (Don’t forget to include a budget for employee photo and video shoots or stock photography library assets needed for various projects.)
Candidate and employee experience design to deliver on the employee value proposition brand promise.
Technology, data analytics, reporting tools and integrations including ATS and CRM branding and communications templates, email campaigns, sourcing scripts etc.
Recruitment marketing channels and digital media procurement including career website design, social media, career events, job posting and company review sites. Be sure to budget for various creative assets, page content, banner ads, collateral and other graphic files needed to support the channels and media purchased.
Team and vendor resources such as headcount, interns, contractors, vendors or consultants. This is critical because internal and external resources are needed to execute on the budget.
Discovery, Partnering & Influencing Efforts
Do a deep dive into data discovery to have the right facts and relevant insights when having conversations with business leaders, partners and vendors. Data that hopefully measures the impact the employer brand has on the organization's business results and closely aligns with strategic goals.
Start conversations early with various internal and external partners to find out things like:
Projected hiring numbers for 2023
Diversity, equity and inclusion efforts
Resources and vendor partnerships that can be shared
Upcoming brand, technology, total rewards, employee experience and other changes that have a downstream impact on employer branding and need to be budgeted for
Submit budget recommendations to Talent Acquisition and HR leaders including the HR Finance leader to help influence and advocate for the right budget to support the company’s retention and hiring goals as well as desired candidate and employee experience.
Determining the budget using this approach helps set both the employer brand function and the business up for success. Good luck securing the right budget to support your employer brand program in 2023!
Want a fresh perspective on your employer branding program or to exchange ideas about the candidate and employee experience or talent communications? Get in touch at hello@employera.com.
Judy Wright is a senior consultant at Employera, a consulting firm and agency that helps large employers attract, inspire and retain great talent through employer branding, experience design, recruitment marketing and internal communications.
About Employera
The Employera team is made up of experienced consultants, analysts, strategists and creators who build modern employer brands, design compelling experiences, and deliver strong, clear communications to help companies, employees and cultures thrive. Our assessments, collaborative processes and project management frameworks are designed for large company environments, and each member of our team has managed what we do as senior players at large, well-known employers. We’re here to help you succeed, and we love our work