Title: Employing Employee-Generated Content Strategies in 2025 for B2B Brands
In recent years, a fresh approach to user-generated content (UGC) has surfaced, known as employee-generated content (EGC). EGC transforms employees from passive brand representatives into active storytellers and content creators. It's no wonder that EGC has become a trendy topic in numerous 2025 social media trend reports. With limited budgets for influencer marketing campaigns and an increased demand for organic-feeling content, it makes perfect sense for marketing teams to bring this activity in-house.
While many trend reports highlight B2C brands on TikTok as examples, this strategy has also gained popularity among B2B brands. In this article, we'll cover the significant advantages of employing EGC for B2B marketing and share tips for maximizing its potential in 2025.
Three Ways B2B Brands Can Utilize Employee-Generated Content
1. Showcase Expertise and Build Trust
By generating educational content, employees can authentically demonstrate their industry expertise and real-world experience. As they establish trust on social media, they contribute to building faith in the company. This strategy is exceptionally valuable in service-based industries where the company's expertise is critical to its credibility and success.
For instance, a cybersecurity firm could encourage its engineers to create short-form video content, explaining complex security concepts. By making technical information accessible and entertaining, the company would reflect positively on its business. The firm can then share these videos on its social media channels and encourage employees to share them on their LinkedIn profiles to build their personal brands.
Subject matter experts should actively participate on social media, particularly LinkedIn. These professionals are a significant asset to the organization, so it's only sensible to leverage their expertise and connections to support marketing efforts. In my opinion, companies neglecting LinkedIn's "golden age" risk falling behind.
Marketers can offer support to SMEs by providing content to share, helping to manage their accounts, and offering to proofread their posts. However, it's essential for your team to remember that the appeal of EGC lies in its authenticity, not in perfect copy.
2. Foster Authentic Connection and Deepen Engagement
The second decisive reason to promote and share EGC is that it's human. Highlighting the human aspect of your organization attracts and engages audiences in a way that corporate content simply cannot. Social media is social, and many people enjoy interacting with other people online rather than dealing with faceless company accounts.
Content can originate from any source, from interns documenting their conference experiences to CEOs celebrating new product launches. The key is to make social media integration an essential part of your company culture.
Behind-the-scenes content is relatable, easy to create, and exemplifies your company culture. This makes it an effective employer branding tactic, helping to attract the right talent to your organization.
3. Maximize Cost-Efficiency and Expand Reach
Marketing teams should consider the cost-efficient nature of EGC. By equipping your team with the necessary skills, you'll reduce external content creation costs and reliance on third parties. Redirect some of the budget for influencer marketing towards other marketing initiatives or technology to streamline employee content creation.
EGC is scalable as well. Start with a select group of "employee influencers," then expand the initiative as interest grows internally. Some organizations have even started putting advertising budgets behind employee content, boosting its impact on social media. This type of content comes across as more authentic and trustworthy than a traditional social media advertisement.
Employee-generated content is expected to flourish in 2025, from executives sharing company updates to subject matter experts creating educational content. Intelligent B2B marketing teams will integrate employees into their social media strategies, empowering them to become content creators, thought leaders, and even influencers.
By investing in your team's content creation abilities, you can build a more authentic and engaging brand narrative that resonates with customers, partners, and potential talent on social media.
Enrichment Data:
Utilizing employee-generated content (EGC) in 2025 can significantly benefit B2B brands in several ways. Here's a closer look at the strategies and benefits:
Benefits of Employee-Generated Content
- Authenticity and Trust
- Authentic voices build trust
- People value authentic voices over corporate jargon, making EGC a powerful tool for fostering trust with customers and employees[1][2].
- Enhanced Brand Reach
- Utilize employee networks
- Employees have vast personal networks, expanding brand visibility without incurring additional expenses[3][4].
- Increased Engagement and Sales
- Boost engagement and sales
- EGC can lead to a 27% boost in engagement and a 19% rise in sales by leveraging the authentic stories and experiences of employees[1].
- Cost-Effective Marketing
- Save money on external content
- EGC is a cost-effective marketing strategy as it reduces reliance on paid media and leverages the existing networks of employees[3][4].
Strategies for Utilizing Employee-Generated Content
- Empower Employee Creativity
- Leverage employee micro-influencers
- Encourage creativity by giving employees the freedom to generate heartfelt and authentic content[4].
- Invite and Enable Employee Participation
- Encourage employee contributions
- Foster a culture of participation by inviting employees to create content without pressure[4].
- Amplify Employee Content
- Boost and provide a platform
- Repost or repurpose employee content on your company's social media channels to increase its reach and exposure[4].
- Encourage Inclusive and Diverse Messaging
- Embrace diverse voices
- Highlight diverse voices and champion inclusivity to resonate with a broader audience[2].
- Measure Success (or Lack Thereof)
- Emphasize long-term impact
- Quantifying the success of EGC can be challenging, but focus on measuring its impact on long-term awareness and business outcomes[4].
Bradley Keenan, a marketing specialist, emphasizes the importance of leveraging LinkedIn in employee-generated content strategies. He suggests that companies should support their subject matter experts by providing content, managing their accounts, and proofreading their posts, while maintaining the authenticity of the content.
Furthermore, in his opinion, companies neglecting LinkedIn's "golden age" risk falling behind, as LinkedIn can be an effective platform for showcasing expert knowledge and building personal brands within the organization.
