Optimizing Employer Branding with a Candidate Touchpoint Map

Adapting Marty Neumeier’s Touchpoint Method to Employer Branding

The best brands don’t just exist; they are felt, experienced, and trusted. As Marty Neumeier explains in The Brand Flip, brands come to life through their touchpoints, shaping customer experiences from first exposure to long-term loyalty. In the world of employer branding, this principle is just as crucial.

A strong employer brand isn’t just about a well-crafted job ad or a flashy careers page. It’s about every interaction a candidate has with your company—before, during, and after the hiring process. These touchpoints define how your company is perceived and whether talent decides to engage with you or move on.

As a consultant, I’ve used Neumeier’s touchpoint methodology to help organizations identify, prioritize, and refine their employer branding strategy. Below, I’ve adapted his Touchpoint Menu approach to the candidate journey—so companies can improve how they attract and retain top talent.

How to Choose the Right Candidate Touchpoints

Neumeier advises brands to focus on two key criteria:

1. Select the most impactful touchpoints – Choose those that create meaningful candidate experiences and set you apart.
2. Minimize complexity – More touchpoints mean more cost and effort. Keep the ones that truly enhance the candidate journey.

Step 1: Identify & Categorize Candidate Touchpoints

A Candidate Touchpoint Map is a visual representation of every moment a candidate interacts with your brand—from discovering your company to onboarding (or even becoming an advocate). There are four types of touchpoints:

• Shallow & General – Broad messages that create awareness (e.g., job ads, social media posts).
• Shallow & Personal – First impressions and interactions (e.g., recruiter outreach, application forms).
• Deep & General – Long-term reputation and company culture (e.g., leadership talks, DEI initiatives).
• Deep & Personal – Highly impactful, personal experiences (e.g., interviews, mentorship programs).

Step 2: Evaluate the Experience at Each Touchpoint

Not every touchpoint has the same impact. Some are just basic necessities, while others truly shape a candidate’s decision. That’s why we score each one from 1 to 5:

• 1 = Low impact, expensive, or not very useful
• 5 = High impact, transformative, and a unique strength

Here’s how employer branding touchpoints stack up:

Step 3: Plan Your Next Actions

Now that you’ve identified and ranked your touchpoints, it’s time to make changes:

• Prioritize what matters most – Focus on your top 5-7 touchpoints that will have the biggest impact.
• Keep your messaging clear and consistent – Make sure candidates get the same message and feeling at every stage.
• Eliminate weak or unnecessary touchpoints – If something isn’t working, cut it or improve it.
• Measure and improve – Track feedback and adjust your approach over time.

Why This Matters: Candidates Are Like Consumers

Candidates don’t just apply for jobs—they research, compare, and gather info like a shopper looking for the best product. Candidate journey is FAQ journey. They want to know:

• What’s leadership like?
• What’s the hiring process like?
• What’s the company culture really about?
• What do employees and candidates say about the company?

If you’re not providing clear answers through strong touchpoints, candidates will go somewhere else.

Final Thoughts: Make Every Interaction Count

A great employer brand isn’t built on one viral job post. It’s built on consistent, meaningful touchpoints.

By using Marty Neumeier’s method, you can design a candidate experience that attracts, engages, and keeps top talent. In today’s world, employer branding isn’t just marketing—it’s about creating real, human experiences that build trust and reputation.

Credit: This article is adapted from Touchpoint Menu by Marty Neumeier, The Brand Flip (2016), and applied to Employer Branding & Talent Attraction Strategy.