This type of EGC highlights a strong company culture, celebrates existing employees, and attracts potential new hires.
2. Have a clear mission statement, brand values, and policies
Embracing EGC means shifting some control of your brand narrative from the marketing team to your employees. While this seems daunting, establishing a clear mission statement, defining brand values, and setting policies can mitigate risks.
By emphasizing these elements from day one, you:
Also, clear policies hold your employees accountable and reduce the risk of potential PR nightmares or brand dilution. It’s the sweet balance of maintaining your brand’s essence with showcasing individual voices.
3. Start small and don’t force participation
When you start a new initiative, it’s natural to feel like you need to go all in. If more contributors mean a wider reach and more content, it makes sense to have all employees participate.
While this sentiment is understandable, resist the urge to go big in the early days. Start with a small group of highly engaged and knowledgeable employees to set the tone for others.
Remember, each employee has unique strengths. Allowing them the freedom to create content that aligns with their interests leads to more authentic and engaging EGC.
4. Create an employee advocacy program
Once your pilot shows promise, use those insights to develop a formal employee advocacy program. Such programs are vital in transforming your workforce into influential brand ambassadors. In fact, nearly 31% of high-growth firms have a formal program, more than double the average for other firms.
To establish your EGC program, follow these steps:
Step 1: Set goals (including KPIs to track results)
Set clear, measurable goals for your program. Are you aiming to increase brand visibility or improve engagement on social platforms? Establish KPIs to track progress and use tools like Sprout Social, Hootsuite Amplify, or EveryoneSocial for monitoring.
Step 2: Identify leaders
Find internal champions who are naturally engaged and can inspire their colleagues. These influencers set the standard for content quality and authenticity.
Step 3: Establish guidelines and provide training
Training is critical. Ensure your employees understand brand representation, the content creation process, and social media best practices.
Step 4: Create resources for employees
Provide accessible resources like style guides, brand personas, and content tools. An internal portal or section on your internal site can host these materials.
Step 5: Reward participating employees
Acknowledge and reward employees who actively contribute. Recognition can be public on social media or tangible, like gift cards.
5. Track the right metrics
To understand the impact of EGC, consider internal and external metrics. Internal metrics assess the impact on employee morale, turnover, and retention. Meanwhile, external metrics measure the influence on SEO, ROI, brand awareness, and lead generation.
Internal metrics
Employee feedback: Use surveys to collect morale and job satisfaction data.
Revenue per employee: Calculate using Total Revenue / Number of Employees
Employee turnover and retention: Analyze rates to measure advocacy program effectiveness. Turnover Rate = Employees leaving ÷ Average total number of employees. Retention Rate = 100% — Turnover Rate.
Engaged employees stick around longer and are more productive. Deloitte says they’re 57% more productive and 87% less likely to leave. In contrast, disengaged employees cost American companies $300 billion a year in lost production