Key takeaways:
- Prioritize Authenticity: Embrace user-generated content (UGC) and employee-generated content (EGC) as powerful tools for fostering genuine connections with your audience. Focus on sourcing content that resonates authentically with your brand values and encourages real-life experiences to build trust and engagement.
- Empower Employee Advocacy: Establish employee advocacy programs to utilize the storytelling potential within your organization. Encourage employees to become active content creators and brand ambassadors, amplifying your reach and impact across all platforms.
- Strategically Identify Contributors: Take a proactive approach to identify passionate employees who can authentically represent your brand. Leverage existing social presence and internal networks to find individuals who align with your brand values, ensuring that their contributions drive meaningful engagement and growth.
In a recent SocialMedia.org panel on leveling up your social media content strategy, our Board Members discussed best practices for leveraging user generated content (UGC) and employee generated content (EGC) on social media and identifying employees in your organization who are best suited for generating content.
We’ll take a look at how they’re leveraging UGC and EGC to enhance brand engagement and create authentic content for their audiences.
United Airlines’ UGC Strategy for Authentic Social Media Engagement
Lauren Eiden, Social Media Content Manager at United Airlines, shared how despite having a 30-person team, they still find it challenging to keep pace with the demand for constant content on platforms today. The solution? They turned to UGC.
She revealed they source their UGC content through organic native searching and influencer partnerships, thanks to tools like Dash Hudson. They filter keywords and tags across Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok, capturing posts that resonate authentically with their audience.
“We’re really looking for things that feel very authentic and also what we couldn’t create ourselves,” Lauren said. “Are they experiencing something that just wouldn’t feel right coming from the brand?
She added that influencers also play a significant role in their UGC strategy. One of such partnerships is with Corporate Natalie, a comedic influencer who creates content that is specifically designed to make fun of the current state of Corporate America.
“We’re really looking for things that feel very authentic and also what we couldn’t create ourselves.”
— Lauren Eiden, Social Media Content Manager at United Airlines
Hilton Grand Vacations’ Embrace of UGC for Travel Content
Catalina Holzer, Director of Content and Social Media at Hilton Grand Vacations, shared that UGC is also integral to their strategy.
She explained that often, during vacations, people tend to share eye-catching photos, making it easier for brands in the travel sector to request and utilize these visuals.
“We believe it shows the social proof element that the consumer truly loves the product, and therefore other people might want to actually come and try it out,” Catalina said. “So we think it speaks volumes and it’s pivotal to a part of our strategy.”
“We believe it shows the social proof element that the consumer truly loves the product, and therefore other people might want to actually come and try it out.”
— Catalina Holzer, Director of Content and Social Media at Hilton Grand Vacations
How Nationwide Leverages UGC Within the Insurance Industry
Contrasting the travel sector, Dace de la Foret, Director of Social Media at Nationwide, expressed a different perspective on UGC. Because customers go through difficult times when dealing with insurance, most UGC that comes to their company is about the helpful side of their service.
“When someone is a member or a customer of ours, their experience with us is not always the best,” Dace said. “They’re going through something. It’s usually some sort of bad experience and we’re there to help, which is a story we love to tell when those opportunities come.”
He explained that they focus on highlighting their brand attributes within their UGC strategy.
“They’re going through something. It’s usually some sort of bad experience and we’re there to help, which is a story we love to tell when those opportunities come.”
— Dace de la Foret, Director of Social Media at Nationwide
For example, being a recognizable brand, Dace mentioned that as soon as people notice someone from Nationwide, they start singing the branded jingle.
“We see fun and engaging versions of people, their kids, and their pets singing our jingle,” Dace said. “So we try to embrace it from a brand awareness standpoint.”
Implementing EGC Strategies Through Employee Advocacy Programs
In a recent confidential, members-only leadership discussion, SocialMedia.org members went in-depth on the topic of integrating UGC and EGC into broader social media strategies.
One Board Member shared insights into their brand’s approach, highlighting how they established a social media ambassador program driven by employees’ content contributions.
That member explained a process where they regularly review employee-generated content and that they collaborate with employees to ensure effective execution of their ideas.
Another member emphasized the significance of EGC within their strategy, particularly through platforms like Slack.
They outlined efforts to engage with employee resource groups and groups of employees in specific locations to curate content and plan activities, focusing on employee representation during heritage months.
SocialMedia.org members reported how they plan on addressing employee advocacy in 2024 in our guide on Strategic Planning on Key Social Media Operations.
This member also detailed the recent launch of an employee influencer program, helping to identify a community of active content creators on social media and encouraging their contributions for content capture opportunities.
Another member underscored the role of internal social platforms in fostering employee engagement, noting their successful summer campaign centered around weekly prompts aligned with the company’s purpose and values.
Because of this success, they revealed plans for upcoming EGC campaigns focused on themes of caring and action, aimed at encouraging employees to share stories highlighting impactful projects they are involved in.
Identifying Employees to Support Your EGC Strategy
In the panel on leveling up your social media content strategy, Lauren at United Airlines emphasized the importance of selecting the right contributors for your EGC strategy. She stressed that while it may seem overwhelming, this process is integral and highly rewarding.
According to Lauren, the key is to identify passionate employees who can bring authenticity to EGC. She highlighted the significance of manual search efforts and building genuine connections within the organization to achieve this goal.
For companies with larger employee bases, Lauren reassured that the task becomes more manageable by focusing on individuals with an existing social presence who promote your brand organically.
“We are lucky enough that there are a ton of folks in the aviation industry who are eager to become influencers,” Lauren said. “They benefit from being part of this community because we provide them resources and we give them access to special events for interviews with leadership or educational content.”
She suggested leveraging tools like Dash Hudson and Creator IQ to identify employees already creating content related to the brand. Lauren also advised a proactive approach on social platforms and recommended social teams to seek out employees on platforms like TikTok showcasing their daily work experiences.
“We are lucky enough that there are a ton of folks in the aviation industry who are eager to become influencers.”
— Lauren Eiden, Social Media Content Manager at United Airlines
For example, flight attendants sharing layover experiences or ramp agents offering sneak peeks of aircrafts can provide authentic content opportunities.
Networking strategies within the company were also highlighted, and Lauren cited their internal network called “Flying Together” as a valuable resource for keeping frontline workers updated and identifying passionate employees.
However, she emphasized the importance of authenticity and cautioned against pressuring employees into content creation.
“We’re not trying to chase down people and make them create something that doesn’t feel authentic to them,” Lauren said. “We really hope that they see it as an opportunity to grow themselves.”
Learn More UGC and EGC Best Practices with Your Peers in SocialMedia.org
Implementing successful UGC and EGC strategies within social media is not an easy task. However, you don’t have to do it alone.
SocialMedia.org members meet weekly in our confidential, vendor-free community to benchmark their strategies and gain actionable insights from their peers — all social media leaders at the world’s largest brands.
Learn how a membership can help you gain insights on how to successfully use UGC and EGC to grow your brand awareness and generate authentic content.
