EVP – The Marketing And HR Relationship

This article follows my discussion on EVP EVP – Broken Promises.  I had referenced in this article the need to link the EVP to a content strategy.  This will bring your HR and marketing teams together and working towards common goals.  The EVP helps the marketing team to understand what the HR key messages are. By understanding this, they can use their expertise to bring those messages to life and reinforce them through the communication mix – collateral, social media, websites and so on; reinforcing your EVP across all your communication channels.

So, Where Do You Start?

 
Let’s consider, the HR team have defined an EVP statement and the marketing team understand what it is and are keen to get some real content to bring the EVP to life. So, where to from here?
The best stories come from the business where the real EVP unfolds.  HR people need to have their ear to the ground for the best content because they are often in the business, partnering with the managers, and are more likely to hear what is going on.  I would suggest that part of the HR role is to be the investigative journalist, for want of a more apt role description.   For example, if your EVP promises a commitment to employee development then it would be relevant to share a story on an employee that has been with the organisation for a while and has progressed from graduate to manager, it’s a story worth telling.  Testimonials are a great way to give a very personal account of a company’s EVP.

Bring Recruitment Stories To Life

 
If your EVP promises that you will be working on exciting projects, take the opportunity to not just announce the project but also to promote the faces of employees on the project team. This might follow with stories such as “a day in the life”, “what I have learned on the project” etc.  I’m sure you see where I am going with this.
Your marketing team are experts in how to bring stories to life.  The challenge is that they do not always get access to the best content by virtue of the way organisations are structured.  Often the best stories will come from those closest to the action.  This is why the marketing and HR relationship is of vital importance to bringing the EVP to life.

The HR and Marketing Team Relationship Matters

 
It’s the link between these two functions that enables information to flow and evolve into content that is shared with the whole organisation, rather than just a team or project.  The reach is much wider and by virtue of this, can influence the hearts and minds of people.
So if you are worried that you might not have enough content, then I’d be asking you if your EVP statement is accurate and will point you back to the drawing board.  The reality is that if you developed a genuine EVP, then the content exists because it’s naturally occurring.  It’s what makes your organisation great, that’s why you have employees there in first place.
You may experience that some of your EVP is naturally occurring and that some other aspects require you to work harder to find examples.  What does that tell you?  You only got the EVP partly correct.  I’d suggest it needs to be looked at again.
An organisation is constantly evolving so an EVP needs to be reviewed on a regular basis.  If you link your EVP to a content strategy, then the nature of the content will be an indicator of whether each component of the EVP is relevant.
It truly shouldn’t be hard. Establishing a link between marketing and HR is paramount.  If the teams are not working off a single song sheet, then there is little chance of bringing an EVP to life.  On the flipside, if there is alignment, it’s music to your ears.