Employee Generated Content (EGC) is a hot topic for those interested in promoting their employer brand using an authentic and relatable approach. So what are the pros and cons of using employee generated content to promote your company's employer brand?
PROS
1. EGC supports authenticity & credibility
The last years have shown a growing interest in authentic brands which describe themselves through the experience of their employees and users. People trust other people and the message feels more personal and trustworthy when it comes from a real person rather than from a brand page.
2. EGC is cheaper
Your employees can continue to share content in the same way they used to using their phones and creativity. In this case, the message is more important than its form and it is actually recommended to make it simple, rather than using professional equipment & editing tools which might make it look better, but it also chips away from its authenticity.
3. EGC brings better results
Content that comes from a real person usually spreads faster, to more people and gets higher engagement.
Remember that most social media platforms have algorithms which prioritise the display of content posted by humans and not by brands. You also increase the chance to attract candidates which share similar values to your current employees, and therefore are a better cultural fit for your company.
CONS
1. You cannot fully control Employee Generated Content and nor should you, but you need to take into account that there is some risk associated with EGC, especially for those employees who aren't really trained in the use of social media. However, this risk exists regardless of your intention to develop an EGC program.
2. EGC can be time consuming - Ideally, the employees involved in this will share their insights using methods which are most comfortable for themselves: video, photos, articles, text posts. Generating relevant content is not something you can do on fast forward and it will need a little bit of training and patience at the beginning.
3. You might be tempted to "overedit" EGC in a way that respects your company's communication standards. If you overdo this, just remember that the result won't be EGC, but rather a PR compliant message. All I'm saying is don't be surprised if you walk this path and it doesn't work.
Hope these pros and cons helped you in having a clear understanding on how to use EGC for employer branding and I invite to join us on cv30.co - the only people centric platform designed for sharing employee generated content in a fun and visual way, which can also be moderated by your HR or Communication team.
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