Are employees the new influencers?

6 hours ago

3 min read

The rise of employee generated content, and whether it's right for your brand.

Some of the most inspiring voices on social media already work for the brand they're talking about.

Check out social media sensation Kathryn Turner, Director of Product Development at M&S Food. Her product picks and behind the scenes clips have made her a genuine social media phenomenon. It doesn't feel like marketing. It feels like a colleague letting you in on something.

That's employee generated content or EGC as it is known.

Here's our take on what it does well, where it falls short, and how to decide if it's right for your brand.

What’s to love?

Proximity. Employees know the product, the customer and the insider details that never make it into a brief. "Here's our latest product" becomes "I helped make this, and here's why I actually like it."
It feels current. Younger teams create the way they actually communicate: trends, sounds, office jokes, product reactions. It's content that wouldn't survive a three-week sign-off process, which is exactly why it lands.
It cuts through the polish. Audiences can spot a scripted partnership a mile off. And as AI-generated content gets more convincing, a real person talking about something they genuinely know stands out.
It energises the business. We've seen it in our own office at SHC: "Have you seen Kathryn's latest?" "We should do something like that." When staff talk about the brand, the brand feels like it has a pulse.

Where it falls short?

Not all people like to be in front of the camera. If you force people who don't want to be there, well it’s seriously painful to watch, and it feels disingenuous. People will not fall for it!
It needs a real story. Kathryn works because she has decades of experience and something worth saying. "We need an employee video this week" isn't a strategy.
Not every brand suits it. Some businesses simply don't have the culture, products or customer relationship for this to feel natural, so do not try to make it happen.
Reality can let it down. Social sets an expectation. If the feed is fun and spontaneous but the store is the same old retail experience, people notice. Does the space feel like the brand they just watched? Is there a reason to come back?

So, should you find your own Kathryn?

It’s easy to jump on the band wagon especially when that's all people can talk about, but ask yourself

Why would people want to hear from our employees and who inside our business could genuinely tell those brand stories?

If you answered yes and have someone who fits the bill, get going!

What does all this mean for your social media marketing

EGC won't replace influencers or social teams. But it does change how the marketing mix fits together.

Your brand voice is now a group chat. One account talking AT everyone is starting to feel a bit... corporate and staid. The new brand voice sounds more like a group chat: bringing together product experts, in store teams, senior leaders and employees on the tills who know every regular's order, all chipping in.
Ditch the tailored brief. The best EGC can't be scripted, and nobody ever went viral after round six of approvals. Set guidelines, but then allow for content to be built within those.
Your next hit ad might already be on your feed. That employee video racking up shares for free? It's probably your strongest paid creative too. Treat EGC as an opportunity to test and learn.
Follow people from app to shop. Views and shares are only half the story. If a video gets someone into a shop, or onto a website what happens next counts too. That experience (and how you track it) is also a part of your campaign.