Hello, moots. Have you heard about EGC yet? You're probably familiar with UGC, which is user generated content. EGC is [00:01:00] employee generated content and it's coming in hot for 2024. EGC refers to authentic content created by employees, offering a unique insider's perspective on a brand's culture, their values and their day to day operations. This form of content is getting significant traction as it really leans into transparency and fosters a genuine connection between the brand and their audience. This rise in EGC marks a shift towards more organic and relatable corporate storytelling, which I think we will all agree is long overdue. It Empowers employees to be brand ambassadors and to share their experiences and insights [00:02:00] in a way that's intended to resonate deeply with consumers and stakeholders.

It is marking a potential shift away from other forms of traditional brand advertising too. So where's the opportunity for you as an influencer or content creator with EGC? It's there. Let's get you set up to be ahead of the curve on tapping into this emerging content trend by starting off by understanding EGC.

Unlike traditional advertising, UGC or influencer content, EGC is created by the people within the organisation and it gives it an air of authenticity and personal touch that's hard to replicate. So let's contrast that with UGC, user generated content. We know that UGC is created by external consumers or fans of a brand and influencer generated content.

In contrast, EGC provides this insider's view, blending authenticity with intimate knowledge of the company. Everyone loves a BTS and this is where EGC is so powerful as a marketing tool. Getting that little peek behind the curtain and it's thrilling. We really like it. We like to see what happens behind the scenes.

And when we look back on the previous episodes and discussions around trust and authenticity, we know that authenticity fosters a deeper connection with the audience. This makes EGC a valuable asset in the company's content strategy. How about a [00:06:00] couple of examples of EGC in the market? A great example of EGC done right is Starbucks.

They've used EGC to showcase the experiences of their baristas and staff. And they're using this EGC through social media posts, blogs and videos, where the employees share their personal stories, their coffee making processes and different customer interactions. Using this approach has humanized the brand and also given a platform for employees to express their passion for their work and working with Starbucks, effectively turning every employee into a brand ambassador.

The creator had Already built a big audience on TikTok and from there he was in the prime spot to be appointed to EGC creator for the brand. I'm going to talk. on how you can leverage similar opportunities for yourself shortly in this episode. First of all, I want you to consider how the impact of these EGC campaigns on brand image and audience engagement is big.

By showing real faces and stories behind the brand, companies create a more relatable and approachable image. Which can then significantly enhance customer loyalty and brand affinity. Think about how many brands that you've connected with on your platforms, because you see the founder talking about their product, giving you the behind the scenes, look at how it's made, how it ships.

We know so far that brands are EGC As a marketing strategy for 2024 and beyond, we understand about the demand for authenticity in brand communications and the EGC offers this genuine and relatable perspective that traditional. Marketing methods often lack. EGC is also [00:10:00] cost effective as it leverages the existing workforce as content creators and we now know from research that EGC has a high level of effectiveness. A study by the Marketing Advisory Network suggests that brand messages reach 561 percent further when shared by employees compared to the same messages shared by official brand social channels. That's mind boggling. And EGC has shown to boost engagement. Content shared by employees receives eight times more engagement than content shared through brand channels. So this increase in engagement. amplifies brand reach, but also enhances the overall brand image.

Because it was. If you're catching up on UGC creators, head back to episode 16 to learn about what is a UGC creator. I'm going to link that in the show notes. And there's another really good episode with Sienna in the sun who left her job and is now a full time UGC creator. These are useful because what we're about to talk about now, If you're an influencer or UGC creator, there's real opportunity in this space to pivot or extend your offering into EGC.

I have seen four Ads for EGC creators this week in Facebook groups alone. That is without even looking, without even trying. I just hang out in these groups and I've literally seen four ads for full time EGC creators. Get your LinkedIn profile up to date, look at the Facebook groups and job websites. Update your media kit and understand the [00:13:00] Big selling points to brands on EGC. We've spoken about them here in today's episode. Highlight your relevant skills around storytelling, communication, proficiency in content creation, and all the tools and platforms that go along with that, like video production, editing, and social media management.

That's what you can do if you're already a full time content creator. But what if you're an employee and being an influencer or a creator is your side hustle? Gold. You already have an employer you can approach about a discussion to moving your role into EGC. Love this for you. Love it. Love it.

Think about how you can put forward a compelling offer to your employer. And if it's simply a no go where your current employment is, follow the steps that I've spoken about just before for full time creators about looking at job ads, updating your LinkedIn profile, updating your media kit and so on.

So working within a company, a business to create and manage EGC. Perhaps, if you work in a bigger business, there could be a role for an employee advocacy program manager, so perhaps overseeing programs that encourage and facilitate employee content creation so that the content is created within brand guidelines and usable for the business, not off brand or off topic. Potentially you could be a training and development specialist. So providing training to employees on content creation and personal branding. So perhaps you won't be doing the EGC yourself, but you're sharing your knowledge and skills so that other employees within the business have those same skills to be EGC creators. It [00:16:00] may be a social media manager with an EGC focus. So managing the brand's social media presence with a focus on integrating EGC. We know that brands develop their content, their marketing plan with different strategies and tactics in mind.

And it may be that EGC becomes such a big part of a brand's marketing strategy that they will have specialists that just focus on the EGC component. So social media management in this field is a strong contender for potential career paths. You have a golden opportunity to transition from. external brand promoters to internal brand storytellers.