Consumers are discerning. Traditional marketing seems to have less impact than it used to. Customers no longer fall for your marketing tricks. They expect authenticity—not the polished stories you post on your company account, but real, raw stories from insiders. That’s where Employee-Generated Content (EGC) comes into play.

What is Employee-Generated Content (EGC)?

Employee-Generated Content is content created and shared by employees. Think of experiences, expertise, or insights. This can range from posts about daily work or team outings to in-depth blogs and videos. The idea behind this is that employees, as insiders, can paint an authentic and credible picture of the organization.

Sound familiar…?

EGC might sound familiar to you. We’re already familiar with the concept from the B2C market as User-Generated Content (UGC). In this context, consumers share their experiences online—think product reviews and social media posts. Consumers are more likely to trust the opinions of other consumers than brand messages. This same principle applies to the B2B market.

So what’s the point of EGC?

Authenticity

People trust people. Content shared by employees is voluntary. It therefore comes across as more sincere than corporate communications.
Wider Reach

Employees have their own networks on these platforms. As a result, the message will reach a wider audience than the company’s corporate channels.
Thought leadership and expertise

By sharing knowledge and insights, employees not only build their personal brand but also strengthen your company’s brand.
Engagement

Employees feel more engaged with the company when they can make their voices heard.
Employer branding

This gives people a good look behind the scenes. Potential new employees get a realistic picture of the company culture and work environment. That can help attract talent.

EGC Starter Kit

If your company wants to benefit from EGC, it’s important to have a strategy. Here are some tips:

Encourage your employees: Give them the freedom to speak in their own voice. It doesn’t have to be perfectly in line with your brand book.
Offer support and guidelines: It can sometimes feel a bit awkward. Not everyone feels comfortable creating content. Provide tips and guidelines. Or hold a Q&A session—that’s what we do.
Create a content hub: Collect engaging content and best practices that employees can use as examples.
Show appreciation: Put active employees in the spotlight or offer small incentives. Gamification, like LinkedIn Bingo, can work too!
Make it easy: AI tools can help you with writing. It doesn’t have to take a lot of time.

So, EGC in, marketing team out?

EGC is a great way to boost your brand’s visibility, credibility, and appeal. However, it’s obviously not a replacement for your marketing. So, apologies to the marketing team: we didn’t mean to offend you. You’re incredibly valuable. It’s just that, through your employees, you reach a slightly different group of people and sometimes come across as a bit more credible. That’s why the combination of both is ideal.