The Rise of the In-House Influencer

The Rise of the In-House Influencer
Your Team Might be Producing Great Content

We talk to a lot of companies and organizations that struggle with producing social media content and coming up with fresh ideas. However, they often discover their own employees are producing quality material already. And that’s content they can share under their brand. 

It’s called “Employee-Generated Content” — or EGC. 

Is the CEO creating thought leadership posts on LinkedIn? Maybe another employee is producing video content about their work and sharing it on TikTok. Or perhaps, someone else highlighted a project “behind the scenes” on Instagram. 

And maybe that’s something the company could simply share.

Employees often have more followers than their employers. They’re experts in what they do. And generally, they’ll come across as more authentic than a brand. 

In other words — why hire influencers when you might have already hired influencers?

Why is EGC important?

It builds trust by highlighting the people behind the brand. It creates a human connection. According to THG, 88 percent of consumers say authenticity is a top factor when it comes to deciding which brands or companies to support. 

By sharing a post, a video or another type of content on LinkedIn, Instagram or TikTok, the company is minimizing costs and streamlining creation. It’s cost-effective. 

EGC can improve a brand’s reputation and help attract new talent. This content, essentially, acts as testimonials.

And sharing content encourages more creation. Employees become more engaged, and they become ambassadors. EGC amplifies diverse perspectives both within the organization and to your audiences. 

Furthermore, with AI rising quickly as an effective marketing tool, the human voice becomes a fundamental marketing strategy, too.  

EGC is still an investment

Sure — EGC still requires a time investment. Someone must review and approve the content to make sure it aligns with the brand, and employees are investing their own time by producing the content. Companies should be careful to not expect too much from those folks.

Keep in mind, not everyone on the team will feel comfortable taking the time to produce brand content. We know from experience — many people prefer to not be on camera. 

Still, we believe it’s worthwhile to assess what your teams are doing. Are they already producing content you can share on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat? If so, you might reward that work with a share. And you might encourage your employees to keep it going.

Participation can lead to satisfaction — while increasing reach, engagement and brand visibility. That can become lead generation. We see a ton of untapped potential for EGC in the B2B spaces right now, and businesses have an opportunity to increase EGC on those platforms. Those that start taking advantage now will differentiate themselves from their competitors.

So, what are the best practices?

If you’re ready to encourage EGC, try to set some guidelines and expectations. Make sure your teams understand what you are looking for and what fits your brand. 

Make sure your marketing and communications people understand that, too, when considering what to share and what not to share. 

But give your employees some space. Allow the creative freedom and flexibility that makes EGC great in the first place! 

After all — the best influencers don’t make you feel like you’re being influenced. They’re authentic.