The Rise Of Employee Generated Content

If you too have fallen victim to a doom scroll recently, you’ve probably noticed a subtle shift away from the user-generated content that used to clog your feed. Instead, when it comes to branded content you’re probably seeing a tonne of familiar faces popping up on your FYP - AKA the brand’s employees. 

So today, we’re taking a deep dive into the new social phenomenon that is employee generated content (EGC) to figure out what everyone’s fixation with it is, and why it’s becoming the core focus for more and more ecommerce businesses.

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‍What is Employee Generated Content? ‍

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I know what you’re thinking, great! Another marketing acronym to wrap my head around. But trust us, by the end of this article it’ll be sneaking its way into every team WIP. 

Before we get stuck into the details, let’s make sure we’ve covered the basics. For those who aren’t familiar, employee generated content is a modern day practice incorporating team member involvement in a brand’s overall marketing strategy. 

So, rather than showcasing your ideal customer through marketing efforts - often referred to as user-generated content - EGC shows the real people working behind the scenes, day-to-day on the brand. 

The scope of EGC is truly endless, from participating in timely, one-off trends (interpretive dancing) to repetitive content series that feature on the feed (e.g. what café the team tried this week). 

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Why Is Employee Generated So Effective? 

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Now that we’ve covered what Employee Generated Content is you might be wondering, how on earth a team fit check, or asking the team what they brought for lunch leads to sales?

The reality is that most branded EGC doesn’t integrate the product at all. This is because the point of EGC is to build trust and brand authenticity. In today’s world, it’s never been more important for a brand to foster a community with potential and existing customers. 

By showing the real people behind the brand, you’re effectively nurturing your B2C relationship, allowing your customers to get to know the employees on a deeper level. Think of it like having a favourite character on a tv show! In most cases, customers are looking to see if they resonate with the people behind the brand. If they do, they’re far more likely to purchase. 

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Employee Generated Content Case Study: 

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One brand who is absolutely dominating the EGC space at present is Queensland-based jewellery brand, Jas Handmade. Fostering a community of 154.6K TikTok followers and counting, the brand’s TikTok showcases the day- to-day work lives of 4 female employees - Jas, Katie, Charlie and Jade (NOTE: The fact I can name all 4 is proof enough that this brand has done an insane job at fostering a loyal community).

Participating in viral trends and posting regular segments that are both related to the business or the girl’s personal lives, this team is one to look to for all things EGC inspo. 

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The Wrap Up

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So the moral of the story? UGC is out and EGC is in. However, the question still remains - will it last? Or, will it eventually die off due to over saturation? Your guess is as good as ours. But if you want our 2 cents, it would be to jump on the trend while it’s working, and cross that bridge if and when it comes to it.