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As easy as it may be to boast about your company’s products or services, the promotional material that you create may not be the most important tool in your arsenal. What you really need is for someone else to advocate for you—in fact, 82% of consumers look for referrals from their peers before making a purchasing decision. This means that while readers might find out about your company because of your website content and social media platforms, they likely won’t decide to spend money unless a third-party vouches for you. You may be familiar with user-generated content—it’s a big buzzword and is critical to your marketing strategy. But there’s another type of earned media that your company shouldn’t ignore: employee generated content.
Employee-generated content offers irreplaceable value for your business. It humanizes your company, creates employee advocacy, and encourages your employees to engage with the content—because they created it!
Follow these strategies to get your employees involved in creating authentic content that speaks to the truth of your brand.
How to involve your employees in content creation
The good news about social media is that most people are already on board, so you won’t have to do too much convincing. There’s a good chance that your employees are already familiar with social media platforms and different types of content. All you have to do is show them the ropes about how to create and share company content.
Here’s how to get started.
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Gauge interest
If you’re already following some of your team members on social media, scroll through your feeds and see who posts frequently, or even shares about your company already.
Once you’ve identified those individuals, test the waters by asking if they’d be interested in an employee advocacy program.
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Hold training sessions
Once you have a few takers, set up some training sessions, but ensure that they are open to your entire company. Encourage the people already interested to ask if anyone in their department wants to join.
In the training session, have the voice and tone outlined so that people understand what is and isn’t appropriate to post. Answer all questions and be sure to provide resources, such as handouts, that people can refer to later when creating content.
The goal is for employees to leave the meeting feeling confident enough to create and share content on their own.
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Provide different channels to share content
Not everyone will feel comfortable sharing content on their personal social media pages, but they may be open to providing information for your company to share in general.
One option is to open up a corporate email account so people can send pictures, videos, or blog posts to you directly. Then, you can post that content using a branded hashtag like “#fromouremployees” or “#companyculture” so that your readers know it was created internally.
The more options you have for social sharing, the more likely you are to get employees involved.
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Use employee advocacy software
People are already busy, and being asked to create employee-generated content may feel like just another task on their to-do list. Simplify the process for them by using employee advocacy software.
Tools like one-click email sharing let you send pre-approved company content straight to your employees’ email inboxes. Then, they can choose what they want to post from that selection and share it on their personal social pages in just a few clicks.
Ways to use employee generated content
When your employees create content, you can share it to your corporate social pages to give a boost to your marketing strategy. Here’s how (and why) you should do so.
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Convey authenticity to your target audience
Authenticity matters to your audience. A staggering 88% of consumers say that authenticity is a factor in which brands they follow and support. This fact might motivate you, but how do you create that authenticity?
One way to achieve an authentic brand is to do more showing than telling—and employee-generated content can help with this. If an employee shares ten reasons why they enjoy their job or why they’re excited about a new line of product features, it feels more authentic than a company sharing the same information.
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Show the perks of working at your company to potential recruits
Over 60% of recruiters say there’s a talent shortage, and that’s the biggest problem with staffing positions. Stand out from other workplaces with content generated by your employees.
Whether it’s TikTok videos of employees having fun at work, blog posts that set them apart as thought leaders on LinkedIn, or even coworker appreciation posts on Facebook, employee-generated content can help draw talent to your job postings by showcasing the value your workplace provides to their careers.
Create a variety of content
Some people may need a bit of help getting started with content creation. Offer them a few different content types to choose from so they can find something they’re excited about and comfortable with.
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Give your writers the opportunity to write blogs
If someone doesn’t like social media, encouraging them to write blog posts is a great way to get them involved in employee advocacy—especially if they have a strong writing background they want to put to use.
Whether it’s an extensive analysis or a short-and-sweet blog post about an area of expertise or tips they’ve learned in their career, blog posts authored by employees can be incredibly valuable. Brainstorm ideas with them if needed, but be sure to also give them the leeway to come up with topics they’re excited about.
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Encourage your public speakers to create videos
Video is king on social media, and there are different types of videos employees can create to get involved, particularly if they have a strong performance background or enjoy public speaking.
If someone has a great sense of humor, they can create light-hearted Facebook or Instagram reels about common workplace interactions. If someone would rather stay on a more serious topic, they could create LinkedIn video tutorials of a product or service or something industry-related. What’s most important is that people play to their strengths and create video content that interests them.
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Have employees interview each other or industry leaders
If someone’s interested in video creation but doesn’t feel comfortable talking straight to the camera (or creating a video alone), have them interview a fellow employee or a contractor you work with regularly.
Interviewees can provide insight into what it’s like to work at your company and help you gain better talent. Plus, doing interviews can help people become more confident in front of the camera so they can consider creating solo videos in the future.And more videos means more content and more exposure for your brand.
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Open the floor to let employees come up with their content
At the end of the day, people need to feel like they have ownership of—and are comfortable with—the content they create. Make sure your employees feel empowered by letting them come up with their own types of content and share them on the social channels that matter to them.
You may be surprised at the quality of content you get when you allow for creative freedom.
What to avoid when seeking employee generated content
Remember that employee-generated content is not effective when you start forcing people to do something they don’t want to as part of their job.
Never do these things when you’re starting your employee advocacy program:
- Don’t force participation: if people aren’t interested, don’t keep asking them. Forcing them to join is a great way to get half-hearted—or even negative—content about your company.
- Don’t favor those who opt in: if you’re allowing it to be optional, be sure to follow through with your actions. Treat everyone the same whether they participate or not.
- Don’t micro-manage their content: the best way to ensure authentic content is to truly allow it to come from your employees. You already trust your employees to do their jobs—why not trust them to generate content?
Make the most of your employee generated content with Clearview Social
Clearview Social’s employee advocacy software offers critical tools to help you secure engagement and streamline sharing time. Our PeakTime AI feature shares pre-planned content at times when your target audience is online, so you can secure the most views on the content your employees worked so hard to create.
Plus, our customizable analytics dashboard allows you to track your company’s KPIs and understand which posts are successful for your firm. Share successful results with your employees to encourage them to keep creating great content.
Level up your employee advocacy program and Get A Free Demo with Clearview Social today.