05/15/2021

Leading the EVP journey – 5 ways to set yourself up for success

Congrats! I know that even just securing approval to kick-off an EVP project is no small feat, so I hope you’ve celebrated that win.

Now the real fun begins!

Of course, every EVP project is different, and full of surprises, but after leading the delivery of more than 20 EVPs from both the agency and client sides, I’ve learnt (sometimes the hard way) these 5 actions you can take to get it done on time, within budget, and have the tangible ROI to show for it.

 

1. Be clear who you’re building an EVP for. Especially if you are a group of brands.

A single, all-encompassing, all-brands applicable, geographically flexible Group EVP is a romantic idea but in reality, only offers good ROI in a handful of businesses.

Too many times I’ve seen a lot of money be invested into building a Group EVP the business never actually uses. Externally, their attraction need at a global group level, is for a very small number of very senior people; and internally, their Group Purpose, Vision and/or Values does the heavy lifting.

Chances are, you’ve probably secured endorsement and budget to build just one EVP, so I advise you to choose wisely. Depending on the context and strategic priorities of your business, you might find you get far more bang-for-buck focusing on a single business unit, geography or brand.

On that note…

 

2. Decide how you’re going to measure (and market) success

What are the hard measures you’re going to attach to this? Before you do anything, define these, and record your baseline measures.

• The project – demonstrating efficient, effective delivery and capability built in the team
• The launch – demonstrating awareness and understanding
• Sustained success – demonstrating contribution to business strategy

It’s going to help you sense-check your decisions throughout (wait, what is it we’re really trying to move the dial on again?). It will indicate where to focus efforts, and you might even find it highlights some things that aren’t currently being measured but ought to be.

Most importantly, it’s going to help demonstrate the commercial value of the work which, in my opinion, isn’t marketed internally near as much as it should be to better position HR teams for the next investment conversation.

 

3. Stop calling it an EVP

Not everyone knows what an EVP is. Referring to ‘the EVP project’ will make your life harder engaging stakeholders along the way, and more broadly when you launch it.

Instead, try and give it a name which speaks to what it will be for your people. @KFC have a People Promise, @Cover-More have The Deal.

 

4. Join forces with Marketing

Remember candidates and employees are customers or potential customers too. The employee experience you’re offering, needs to align (not match) with the customer experience Marketing are promising.

The best EVPs are delivered as a HR and Marketing joint-lead project. As much as you can, link arms.

 

5. Work with what you’ve got

Don’t spend so much of your money developing your EVP that you don’t have enough left to launch it. Whether you choose to go big-bang, or badge something which is already in the calendar, you’re going to need some budget.

Bear in mind, you might not need to pay an agency to do absolutely everything. Especially if Marketing is co-leading the project with you, they might have the capability you need for a fraction of the cost (be prepared to wait in the queue though).

A good agency partner will be able to help you navigate which parts of the project you could flex scope or deliver internally, versus where you really need to engage an external specialist to deliver for you.

It’s an exciting time for you. An EVP project doesn’t come around very often in one business so make sure you make the most of it, learn and enjoy the ride.

 

Author:

Chloe Morley is Head of Client Experience at Noble Agency.
chloe@nobleagency.com.au