Looking to supercharge your employer branding without waiting six months to see results? You’re in luck. This isn’t another long-winded theory or fluff-filled lecture. It’s a practical, 30-day employer branding action plan designed to help you make fast progress. Whether you’re starting from scratch or refreshing an outdated strategy, these easy-to-follow employer branding guide and fillable checklist belong in your back pocket. Let’s roll up our sleeves and dive in.
Why You Need an Employer Branding Makeover
Your employer branding isn’t just about looking cool on LinkedIn or having a careers page with smiling employees. It’s your reputation as a workplace. Think of it as the magnet that attracts (or repels) top talent. If that magnet’s dusty or misaligned, great candidates will pass you by.
So, if:
- Your career site’s bounce rate is through the roof
- You’re constantly ghosted by quality job applicants
- Glassdoor reviews make you cringe
- Your employees don’t refer their friends
…it’s makeover time.
Step 1: Get Clear on Where You Stand
Before you change anything, figure out what needs changing.
Day 1-2: Employer Branding Audit
You can’t fix what you can’t see. Review your current employer branding assets:
- Career site: Is it mobile-optimized? Does it show your culture, values, and opportunities?
- Glassdoor/Indeed reviews: What do former and current employees think?
- Social media presence: Are your platforms just job posts or do they reflect real stories?
- Job descriptions: Are they exciting or do they read like Swedish furniture instructions?
Day 3-4: Talk to Your People
Your employees are the best branding resource you haven’t fully tapped into yet.
Ask them:
- Why did you join our company?
- Why do you stay?
- What would you tell a friend who’s applying here?
Gather insights from multiple departments, tenure levels, and backgrounds. You’ll start seeing patterns and those are golden.
Day 5-7: Define Your EVP (Employer Value Proposition)
Your EVP is your promise to current and future employees.
Base it on what makes your company uniquely compelling beyond salary and perks. Maybe it’s work-life balance, mission-driven projects, or real career growth. Craft 2–3 key messaging pillars you’ll use in job ads, career sites, and branding campaigns.
Step 2: Build the Foundation for Your New Brand
Now that you know what makes your company tick (and what needs fixing), it’s time to create the assets that show it off.
Day 8-10: Refresh Your Messaging
Using your EVP, create a tone of voice guideline for recruitment marketing. This includes:
- Headline structure for job ads
- Boilerplate ‘About Us’ text
- Social bios and career site intro lines
Your tone should match your culture. Are you playful? Buttoned-up? Cutting-edge? Make sure every word sounds like “you.”
Day 11-12: Reinvent Your Job Ads
No more cookie-cutter job descriptions.
Use real language, and focus on what applicants care about: team, projects, challenges, learning, flexibility. Add visual elements if possible, like employee photos, embedded videos, or infographics.
Day 13-14: Create Your Employee Story Framework
Want authentic content? Just let your people do the talking.
Outline a simple structure for collecting employee stories. For example:
- Name, role, and how long they’ve been with you
- Their journey so far
- Why they’re proud to work here
Capture this in video, text, or photos. Use it everywhere: from social to brochures to onboarding packs.
Step 3: Activate, Amplify, and Share
With the foundation nailed down, it’s time to get your refreshed employer brand out into the wild.
Day 15-17: Update Your Career Site
This is ground zero for your employer brand.
Add:
- Fresh messaging based on your revamped EVP
- Photos and videos that show real people, not stock models
- Employee stories and testimonials
Make the application process user-friendly. No one wants to create an account just to upload a resume.
Day 18-20: Bring It to Social
Post weekly on your chosen platforms (LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok… wherever your audience hangs out).
Ideas include:
- Behind-the-scenes from team events
- Spotlights on employees and their roles
- Company values in action
- Bloopers and casual moments (yes, authenticity wins!)
Don’t forget to engage. Reply to comments, reshare content, and build two-way conversations.
Day 21: Activate Employee Advocacy
Invite employees to share your posts, add branded banners to LinkedIn, and even create their own content.
Tip: Recognize their help publicly or with perks like gift cards or shoutouts.
Step 4: Measure and Optimize
Now that your makeover is live, keep refining it.
Day 22-25: Track the Right Metrics
Monitor KPIs like:
- Career site time-on-page and drop-off rates
- Social media engagement (likes, shares, comments)
- Application rates per role
- Quality of hire (retention, time to ramp, referrals)
Set a monthly review rhythm. You don’t have to fix everything at once, but never let the brand go stale.
Day 26-28: Collect Feedback Again
Ask recent hires about their candidate experience. Where did they first discover you? What stood out? What made them say yes?
Then, use that to fine-tune your funnel.
Day 29-30: Plan Your Next Campaign
Employer branding isn’t a “set it and forget it” deal. It’s organic, like your culture. Plan your next campaign around:
- Seasonal hiring goals
- Diversity & inclusion spotlights
- Highlighting remote work culture
- Employee milestones or benefits
Put it in your calendar. Create a content queue. Keep the momentum going.
You’re Done (But Just Starting)
In just 30 days, you’ve laid the groundwork for a stronger, louder, more irresistible employer brand. You’ve aligned your message, empowered your people, and amplified your voice in a noisy job market.
And the best part? You didn’t need an agency, six-figure budget, or five-year roadmap to do it.
Now it’s up to you to keep evolving. Employer branding isn’t a one-time project, it’s a mindset. Make it part of your team’s rhythm, and quality talent will start gravitating to you without being chased.
Ready to keep leveling up?
Bookmark this guide, share it with your team, and check out our Templates and Tools section of our Resources hub for employer branding worksheets, EVP templates, and more.
