Employer branding is important for any company’s reputation because it promotes why the company is a great workplace. It helps your recruitment process by attracting top talent and showcasing the company’s values, culture, and employee experience. Every company should strengthen their employer branding strategy to improve employee retention, reduce hiring costs, enhance a company’s credibility, and increase job satisfaction.
In this article, we’ll explain everything you need to know about employer branding — and share great employer branding examples of companies doing it right. So, stay tuned to learn more about what employer branding content works best to attract talent through your website or social media channels!
11 examples of employer branding campaigns to inspire you
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 for social media platforms such as Instagram or LinkedIn, you can easily take inspiration from these 11 examples.
1. Hubspot
Industry: Sportswear and Apparel
Length: 36 seconds
This employer branding example does a great job of communicating Nike’s brand identity — creative, ambitious, and authentic.
Why it works:
- The video series itself features different voices at the company, giving candidates a holistic approach to what life at Nike is like for different employees.
- It clearly outlines the history of the iconic brand.
- The employee featured is really down to earth and honest. This doesn’t feel too scripted or fake.
3. Sephora
Industry: Video Gaming
Length: 2 minutes 28 seconds
Electronic Arts is all about diversity and inclusivity. On their dedicated employer YouTube channel, they’ve shared multiple clips celebrating their female, Latinx, and Asian employees.
In this clip, real EA employees talk about what women’s history month means to them.
Why it works:
- It mentions a holiday that many viewers resonate with.
- It features employees of various ethnic backgrounds, reflecting their messaging around diversity and all women feeling included at the company.
- The music is uplifting and positive, which is what the video is meant to feel like.
5. Chipotle
Industry: Fast-casual Dining
Length: 1 minute
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.
Why it works:
- It shows first-hand experiences with Chipotle and how the company positively impacted an employee’s life.
- It humanizes the company by featuring touching stories.
- It included photos and videos of the employee at work, but also as a child and with her family, making the video feel even more authentic and real.
6. Netflix
Industry: Entertainment
Length: 2 minutes 27 seconds
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. This makes Netflix’s hiring process worthy of candidates’ time.
Why it works:
- It features company leadership, giving viewers a glimpse of who is in charge and how they communicate to their own community.
- It builds on company values such as openness, transparency, and a positive work environment.
- The music is groovy and satisfying to listen to. Lo-fi resonates well with general audiences, and the simple set of the scene itself is an artistic choice and gives Netflix personality.
7. Starbucks
Industry: Food and Beverage
Length: 1 minute 41 seconds
Starbucks knows the power of an employer brand — their tuition reimbursement program made headlines when it was introduced in 2014.
This short branding example tells one Starbucks employee’s story in a personal way, which helps humanize the global corporation.
Why it works:
- It is short and concise, making it easy for viewers to retain key information.
- It uses fun animations to keep things entertaining and in line with the Starbucks brand.
- It tells a unique story that actually starts with the employee saying they didn’t think they’d be at the company this long. Starting with a surprise is a great way to get folks to watch longer and figure out this story.
8. Salesforce
Industry: CRM
Length: 3 minutes 49 seconds
Salesforce is clear about their employer brand — they want to help employees learn, grow, and achieve their dreams by embracing each one’s talent. This example shows many different employees and their diverse, inspiring stories.
Why it works:
- It shows candidates during the recruitment process that Salesforce employees are all pioneers, innovators, and lifelong learners.
- It highlights Salesforce’s employee diversity, showing people from different Salesfore office locations.
- The shots are high-quality, professional, and very aesthetic. It feels a bit like a short film with the combination of clever b-roll shots and the pensive music.
9. Apple
Industry: Technology
Length: 1 minute
Apple doesn’t discuss any specific policies or perks, nor does it show us any actual employees.
Instead, we see 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. Any potential candidate will view this video and want to apply to the company!
Why it works:
- It delivers creative branding through rather beautiful artistic animation.
- The voiceover is powerful and well-delivered (and written!). The sound also matches the momentum of the animations taking place.
- It keeps you focused on the Apple logo, a great way to let their branding sink into your mind as you enjoy the various animations.
10. L’Oréal
Industry: Technology
Length: 2 minutes
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 Master's 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. This message embellishes their hiring process and lets candidates know their truest company value.
Why it works:
- It emphasizes Cisco’s values and how they care about their employees’ personal and professional development.
- It features a company employee, which builds message authenticity and credibility.
- The employee who was chosen was a great choice! He’s charming, funny, and very bright as he shares about his experience.
What is employer branding?
Employer branding is a form of marketing that communicates the value of a product. But, you’re attracting and retaining employees, not customers, and the product is the employment experience for building strong careers.
Why should someone choose to work with you? What kind of workplace experience can they expect to boost their careers?
To do that, you’ll share your culture and values with potential employees, so they can understand if your company is where they want to continue their careers. But you also need to get specific about the career perks, policies, and benefits that make your organization a great place to work.
Are you driven by innovation, with plenty of opportunities for advancement in your career? Do you prioritize trust and flexibility, allowing people control over their own schedules? Do you offer exceptional career benefits like tuition reimbursement, retirement fund matching, or health insurance? Talk about it!
Why is employer branding important?
A good employer branding strategy helps you attract top talent and the best candidates. But it also helps you connect with candidates who share your values and will naturally thrive at your company.
But to do that, you need to be clear about the value you’re offering — and communicate it well.
“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 during your recruitment process 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 recruitment or even the first day at their new jobs.
How to create an effective employer branding video?
Here are the 4 best practices:
1. Highlight your company culture
Potential candidates are especially curious about your workplace environment and want to view some office scenes! In order to show them what makes your company stand out from the rest, you’ll need to film real moments that reflect your company culture. Whether it’s a casual office tour, team collaborations, or following an employee on their typical workday, you should aim to prioritize authenticity.
The goal of this step is to present a company workplace that feels relatable. You can create compelling content by featuring behind-the-scenes clips and footage of employee interactions. Show different career paths at your company, and how your teams work together to make your company sound unique.
2. Feature employee testimonials
The best way to showcase your company culture is through your employees. Potential candidates will be happy to hear from your team members and see why they enjoy working at your company! Personal career stories from people at the company will also humanize your brand — something that scripted content simply can’t replicate.
Including employees from different company departments, roles, and backgrounds will help you create a sense of inclusivity and connection. Keep your engagement up and your content relatable by creating short, focused brand videos where team members share their career experiences, career growth, or favorite parts about working for the company.
3. Keep it concise
Short, concise brand content performs best for any audience! Aim to create content under 2 minutes for your employer branding on social media platforms such as Instagram, LinkedIn, or Facebook. This will ensure your brand content is captivating. Instead of going into detail, focus on the most compelling aspects of your company culture and its messages.
You can increase engagement by starting with a hook that captures attention in the first few seconds. Next, share your key message to properly communicate with your audience. If you’re producing longer content, you can break it down into a series of shorter videos tailored to different themes and communication channels.
4. Balance quality with authenticity
Modern audiences value authenticity over polished aesthetics. Sometimes, simple films shot on smartphones are the way to go. They can be just as impactful as high-budget productions. Make sure you’re prioritizing the storytelling aspect of your content by featuring genuine employee experiences.
After all, people will also be interested in the actual jobs themselves. So, treat these videos as a complement to your job postings and open roles.
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 on social media platforms — let them imagine their lives as part of your team.
That’s why employer branding videos are such a powerful tool. It’s the most direct, authentic way to show candidates what life is actually like at your company.
You can test different employer branding video formats on your social media platforms such as:
- Employee testimonials
- Company events
- ‘Come to work with me’ vlogs
- Discussions and interviews with industry experts
- Creative brand identity clips
- Explainers breaking down company perks, benefits, and policies
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.
Create meaningful employer branding videos with PlayPlay
Employer branding is all about helping candidates get to know you and adding value to your hiring process. It’s about sharing who you are, openly and honestly to attract top talent and the best candidates for your organization.
Adding video to your employer branding strategy might sound like a big job. But making beautiful, professional content doesn’t need to be a complicated job — even for in-house marketing, HR, and recruiting teams who’ve never worked with video before.
With online video makers like PlayPlay, the creation process turns into a fun, quick, and accessible job. You can also save time on creating professional content, so that you can spend more time on marketing efforts that require more attention.
