Employee-generated content is a new trend that took off recently. I have never seen so many office and work-related messages on my social channels, as I have in recent months.
We feel tired of our work and our employers in this coronavirus time, when most people still work from home. However, always remember that:
The employees of your company are your business card, a direct reflection of your company.
This presents opportunities for companies to work on their brand awareness. How great would it be if we make more use of employee-generated content?
Who has not seen it on social media? The presents we received from our employer as a token of appreciation.
What struck me is how much everyone enjoyed sharing what they had received at work. It’s a kind of pride: someone had simply thought about them at work and rewarded them. That pride of your own employees is, of course, worth gold to your business.
Especially if they share it on their social media profiles and add proper tags.
So, for all of you marketers out there, get started with employee-generated content, and use these three benefits for the benefit of your business.
1 – Increase the confidence of your (potential) customers
The use of social media is cynical and suspicious. We see examples of fraud and fake news in the media every week. So it can take a lot of effort to convince consumers that you are a genuine, authentic, and reliable business.
Let your employees tell their own sincere story.
We still want to see and read what your company does and what you sell. But we don’t want to see a censored, perfected, and filtered version.
Show the face behind the company.
People like to do business with people, and employee-generated content increases the confidence of (potential) customers.
For example, Adobe shares global stories under the hashtag #adobelife. This way, employees show what a great and reliable employer Adobe is.
And here you are, catching yourself thinking, isn’t it wonderful working at Adobe..?
2 – Allows more interaction and a wider distribution of content
You often see that companies and businesses prefer to create their own content that their employees can share.
Authentic and independent content created by employees quickly outperforms anything the marketing department shares through official channels.
If your colleagues write their own posts and then start a discussion about that content in their network, that message will soon have a lot more interaction and get noticed.
So why would you only share content through your business channels? As a company, you will increase your reach because your message is shared across a new network of employees.
This ensures that you reach people who you cannot reach through your own channels – unless you advertise.
3 – Employee generated content boosts your conversions!
According to research by Elon, consumers are more likely to rely on recommendations from people than brands. Content created by employees themselves, therefore, works well for social selling.
Authenticity and trust are a must for social selling.
As consumers, we want to see proof that your business is legit. We find this proof oftentimes in customer reviews and testimonials.
Basically, by letting your employees create their own content, they create that trust.
Employees often have the most information about a product or service and appreciate the opportunity to share their knowledge. They can usually tell the story of your company better than anyone else.
And yes, people read reviews from other customers.
But proud, satisfied employees work (almost) just as well when it comes to trust in a business. And that trust often results in more sales on your website.
Starbucks, for example, does this trick very well! Starbucks employees are proud to work at Starbucks and are happy to share their favorite coffee, coffee flavor, or other products. You can follow all content and stories via the hashtag #tobeapartner.
I don’t know about you, but I spontaneously feel like getting a coffee from Starbucks today.
And another examples…
Trust Through Employee Generated Content
How good will it feel it be if your employer would give you the confidence to talk freely about the business or the product?
It is always delightful when your opinion is asked and listened to.
Employee generated content can give your employees a voice and a way to show that they care about their work. It can be a stage where they can share their knowledge and experience with your brand or product. It’s a powerful tool you should definitely look into if you are looking to increase or build trust.
Last Updated on April 2, 2024
