Imagine that you were looking for a job, and you had two offers on the table. Both were offering you the exact same salary, for a similar role.
One company sent you a long PDF of information on their benefits and pay structure. It looked boring, but you resigned yourself to reading it anyway, so you could make an informed choice.
But the other company sent you a link to their YouTube channel. You watched interviews with real staffers, took a virtual tour of the office, and watched a 5-minute explainer video about their health insurance program.
Which position would you be more excited about?
You’d probably be more interested in the second company. That’s because they actually made an effort to share their workplace experience with you in an engaging, effective way!
That’s employer branding at its best. It’s not enough to just make an offer. You need to actively sell potential employees on why they should choose you.
Today, we’ll explain everything you need to know about employer branding — and share 12 great employer branding examples of companies doing it right.
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Employer branding isn’t so different from regular branding.
In typical marketing, you’re communicating the value of your product. Why should buyers choose you over the competition? What value do you offer that others don’t?
Employer branding has the same goal. But you’re attracting (and retaining) employees, not customers, and the product is the employment experience.
Why should someone choose to work with you? What kind of workplace experience can they expect?
To do that, you’ll share your culture and values with potential employees, so they can understand if they’re a good fit. But you also need to get specific about the perks, policies, and benefits that make you a great place to work.
Are you driven by innovation, with plenty of opportunities for advancement? Do you prioritize trust and flexibility, allowing people control over their own schedules?
Do you offer exceptional benefits like tuition reimbursement, retirement fund matching, or health insurance?
Why is Employer Branding Important?
“If you choose to work with us, this is how we will improve your life.”
That’s the message shared by great employer branding in recruitment. Choosing an employer is a major life decision, and thanks to the remote work revolution, talented workers have more options than ever before.
Applicants are busy. They don’t want to play a guessing game about whether or not they’ll fit in at a new organization; they want to know exactly what they’re getting into, before their first day.
A good employer branding strategy helps you attract top talent. But it also helps you connect with people who share your values, and will naturally thrive at your organization.
But to do that, you need to be clear about the value you’re offering — and communicate it well.
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What are the Different Types of Content for Employer Branding?
Like all good marketing, employer branding is about storytelling. Don’t just throw information at people — let them imagine their lives as part of your team.
Don’t just describe your tuition reimbursement program. Tell the story of a real employee, and how that program changed her life.
Don’t just say “we’re inclusive.” Show your diverse workforce relaxing, working hard, and feeling comfortable at work together.
That’s why employer branding videos are such a powerful tool. It’s the most direct, authentic way to show people what life is actually like at your organization.
Try employer branding videos like:
- Employee testimonials
- Company event videos
- ‘Come to work with me’ vlogs
- Discussions and interviews with industry experts
- Creative brand identity videos
- Explainer videos breaking down company perks, benefits, and policies
12 Examples of Employer Branding Campaigns
From Hubspot to Sephora to Nike, today’s top companies are taking employer branding seriously.
If you’re looking for inspiration as you craft your own employer branding campaign, take inspiration from these 12 exceptional videos.
Electronic Arts
Video game design studio Electronic Arts is all about diversity and inclusivity. On their dedicated employer YouTube channel, they’ve shared multiple videos celebrating their female, Latinx, and Asian employees.
In this video, real EA employees talk about what women’s history month means to them.
Chipotle
Cultivate Education
Chipotle is a master of using short form, social media video to show us why they’re a great place to work.
In this video, an employee shares her experience with Chipotle’s tuition reimbursement program, and how it impacted her life.
Google
In the tech industry, remote work is a hot topic. Some firms are bringing people back to the office, while others are embracing a remote-first culture.
In this video, one of the world’s hottest tech companies dives into this sometimes touchy topic head first. They interview real Google employees, all over campus, on their feelings about returning to in-person work.
It’s just part of their Ask a Googler series, offering us a real, honest look into their work experience and culture.
Netflix
Reed Hastings’ Top 5 Lessons Learned Being CEO of Netflix
This interview with CEO Reed Hastings gives would-be employees a clear, honest look into Netflix’s culture.
Hastings talks about the company’s values, what a great work culture means to him, and even mistakes he’s made in his own role. Viewers can see that Netflix strives for an open, transparent culture and trusts its people to do the right thing.
Starbucks
Starbucks knows the power of an employer brand — their tuition reimbursement program made headlines when it was introduced in 2014.
This short branding video tells one employee’s story in a personal way, while using fun animations to keep things entertaining and on-brand.
Salesforce
Salesforce is clear about their employer brand — they want to help employees learn, grow, and achieve their dreams. This video shows many different employees and their diverse, inspiring stories.
To Salesforce, they’re all pioneers, innovators, and lifelong learners.
Hubspot
With this video, Hubspot wants to give you a real, unfiltered look into what it’s like to work at their company.
They let a real Hubspot Account Executive show us what his day-to-day is really like. And it’s all accomplished with a simple screen-share!
Nike
Life at Nike
This employer branding video does a great job of communicating Nike’s brand identity — creative, ambitious, and authentic.
This artfully produced video doesn’t just tell their employees’ stories, it gives us a look into the history of the iconic brand itself.
Apple
Join us. Be you.
Unlike others on this list, this video Apple doesn’t discuss any specific policies or perks, nor does it show us any actual employees.
Instead, it’s a masterpiece of creative branding. With artistic animation and poetic narration, it paints a picture of Apple as a bold and visionary place to work.
L’oreal
L'Oréal Beauty Tech
This video builds on L’Oreal’s legacy and shares an exciting mission — to revolutionize beauty with science and technology.
It’s inspiring, bold, and makes you want to join L’Oreal in reinventing their industry.
Cisco
Jamar Jenkins — Get To Know Us
In this interview, Cisco employee Jamar Jenkins talks about his journey with the company, and how working at Cisco inspired him to get a second Masters degree, in Science and Business Analytics.
But we also see him laughing, joking, and acting very comfortable on camera. The message? Cisco won’t just support your career — it’s a place where you can be comfortable as your true self.
Sephora
Day in the Life of a Beauty Advisor
In this Instagram Reel, Beauty Advisor Chiyako gives us a personal, genuine look into what it’s like to work for Sephora.
In addition to showing us her experience at work, the video talks about Chiyako’s personal story, and how beauty helped her feel more comfortable in her skin growing up as a person of color in a predominantly white area. It also mentions her other interests, like musical theater.
The video shows us that Sephora is supportive and welcoming of its employees’ individuality.
The Power of Video for Employer Branding
Employer branding is all about helping potential employees get to know you. It’s about sharing who you are, openly and honestly.
Attract candidates. Retain talent. Maximize ROI.
Get our guide for successful Employer Branding in 2023 — packed with latest trends, insights and examples to help you skyrocket your brand and revenue.
Download the guide Video is the most direct way to do that!
Don’t ask top talent to read boring onboarding packages or comb through the ‘About’ page of your website.
Instead, share videos that are inspiring as they are informative. With video, you can go beyond the basic facts of what you offer, and give people a sense of what working with you might actually feel like.
Adding video to your employer branding strategy might sound like a big job. But making beautiful, professional videos doesn’t need to be complicated — even for in-house marketing, HR, and recruiting teams who’ve never worked with video before.
With online video makers like PlayPlay, video creation is fun, quick, and accessible. Try PlayPlay for free today, and start telling talent what makes you special.
Louise Antonas
Head of Recrutment
With 12 years' experience in recruitment for major French groups. At PlayPlay, Louise is responsible for a team of 5 people, covering an international scope to recruit from our offices in Paris, New York and Berlin.
