Share This Article
Employee-generated content: what you need to know for promotion
Employee-generated content (EGC) is an integral part of a branding strategy. EGC performs several important tasks that are essential for a company’s success in a competitive market.
Experts identify three key reasons for incorporating EGC into a marketing strategy:
- Expanding promotion opportunities. Companies can involve a team of employees in content creation to achieve more authentic promotion.
- Increasing employee engagement. Involving the team in content creation strengthens their team spirit. This way, the team feels a sense of belonging to common goals and recognizes their importance to the business.
- Attracting qualified personnel. EGC allows potential employees to see the company culture and understand how well it aligns with their values, even at the stage of considering vacancies. This allows specialists to decide if a job is right for them.
A good example of EGC use is the case of the Sephora perfume and cosmetics store chain. The company’s team regularly shares interesting videos, discusses favorite products, and talks about life hacks.
Features of creation
There are certain rules for creating the format. The key is the “three P’s” structure:
- planning;
- producing;
- promoting.
Planning is the foundation of successful content. With planning, EGC can fulfill its functions and align with the brand and its strategic goals. This stage involves developing video topics. These videos should reflect the personalities of the employees and address company culture. Examples include videos about the team’s daily activities and employee stories.
After planning, the process moves on to producing content. This stage requires more than just a smartphone. It is important to consider the rules of shooting and editing for social media. The best solution would be to train colleagues in the basics of camerawork and angle selection. At the same time, the videos should not look professional. Otherwise, users will feel that the video is staged.
The final step is promoting the finished videos. Videos posted on the company’s official channels are more effective than videos posted on employees’ accounts. This approach enables you to control the content representing the brand and conveying its message.
Don’t expect EGC to generate significant reach immediately. To quickly generate a return on investment, experts recommend promoting content through advertising. Even modest investments will significantly increase visibility. This, in turn, encourages employees to create new content.