Look, we all know traditional marketing can be… exhausting. You spend hours crafting the perfect brand message, fine-tuning ad campaigns, and optimizing every little thing—only for some random person on LinkedIn to get more engagement posting a blurry selfie with the caption, “Love my job!”
That, my friends, is the power of employee-generated content (EGC). And if you’re not leveraging it, you’re leaving a goldmine of authenticity (and free exposure) on the table.
What the Heck Is Employee-Generated Content?
EGC is basically when your employees do your marketing for you—without you paying them extra. It could be a social media post about their work life, a blog about industry trends, a behind-the-scenes video, or even a meme roasting your company’s ridiculous number of Slack channels (let’s be honest, it’s out of control).
The beauty of EGC? It feels real. People trust employees more than they trust your carefully curated corporate content. No offense to your marketing team (okay, maybe a little).
Why Should You Care?
1. People Trust People, Not Logos
Your brand’s official LinkedIn post about “company culture” gets 12 likes. Meanwhile, an employee posts a pic from your holiday party with the caption “Still recovering from this night” and racks up 500 likes, 60 comments, and a few job inquiries. See the difference?
2. It’s Free Marketing (Because Payroll Already Covered It)
Let’s face it—ads are expensive. EGC? Totally free (assuming you don’t start handing out bonuses for Instagram Reels). Your employees are already talking about your company; why not encourage them to do it in a way that benefits your brand?
3. Recruiting Just Got Easier
No one trusts those “Best Place to Work” awards anymore. But when potential hires see actual employees sharing real experiences, it’s way more convincing than whatever fluff HR cooked up for the careers page.
4. More Reach, Less Effort
When employees share content, it reaches their networks—people who may have never heard of your company otherwise. More eyes on your brand, and you didn’t even have to lift a finger (except maybe to like and reshare).
How to Actually Get Employees to Create Content
Okay, so how do you get your team to willingly talk about your company online without bribing them with Starbucks gift cards?
1. Make It Easy
Don’t expect employees to draft a thought leadership article between meetings. Instead, give them templates, hashtag suggestions, or even a Slack channel where they can drop content for the marketing team to polish up and post.
2. Lead by Example
If leadership never posts anything, why would employees? The CEO can’t just lurk on LinkedIn like a corporate ghost. Encourage execs to share insights, team wins, or, you know, anything to show they’re real people.
3. Recognize & Reward (Without Being Cringe)
You don’t need a formal “EGC Program” (ugh), but a little recognition goes a long way. Give shoutouts to employees who post great content, feature their posts in internal newsletters, or even make a fun competition out of it.
4. Don’t Over-Control It
Nothing kills authenticity faster than forcing employees to post corporate-approved nonsense. Give some basic guidelines (e.g., “Maybe don’t spill trade secrets?”), but let employees express themselves in their own way.
But What If Someone Posts Something Negative?
Ah yes, the fear of every HR department. Here’s the thing—if employees are posting bad stuff about your company, the problem isn’t EGC. It’s your company culture. Fix that first.
If an issue does come up, don’t panic. Address concerns openly, and maybe take it as a sign that some things need improving. Transparency wins in the long run.
Final Thoughts: Stop Ignoring Your Best Marketing Asset
Your employees are already out there, sharing their experiences. You can either embrace that and turn it into a massive advantage, or keep wasting time trying to force people to engage with your boring company updates.
Want to make EGC work for your brand? Start by creating an environment where people want to talk about their jobs (in a good way). The rest will follow.
Oh, and if you’re still not convinced, just scroll LinkedIn for five minutes. I guarantee some intern’s off-the-cuff post is outperforming your entire social strategy. Just saying.