Small Business Content Strategy: What is Employee Generated Content? And how to use EGC as a small business.

The Shift in Social Media Marketing

In today's digital landscape, small businesses face a unique challenge and opportunity in social media marketing. The traditional approach of using polished advertisements or relying solely on influencer partnerships is losing effectiveness. Consumers are increasingly skeptical of paid promotions and seek authentic connections with the brands they support.

This skepticism stems from oversaturation of sponsored content and high-profile cases of influencer misconduct. Consumers now crave transparency and genuineness. They want to see the real people behind the brands, understand company values, and feel a personal connection. This shift in consumer behavior opens the door for a more authentic approach to marketing...

The Power of Behind-the-Scenes (BTS) Content

One of the biggest opportunities for small businesses lies in leveraging behind-the-scenes content. This approach offers several advantages:

Authenticity: BTS content provides an unfiltered look at your business operations, fostering trust with your audience.

Relatability: Showcasing the human side of your business creates emotional connections with customers.

Differentiation: Your unique processes and company culture set you apart from competitors.

Cost-Effectiveness: BTS content often requires minimal production costs compared to traditional advertising.

When employees are posting there is a greater likelihood of increased enagement since the audience implicitly knows that the content is not premeditated and coming from a genuine place of 'just feeling like posting'

We see instances of this often with fast food industry workers sharing their odd food combinations. We can see the impact of such sings through the fact that Mcdonalds offered an apple pie McFlurry after years of individuals orderinf the items together consistently and at times requesting that the workers mix it for them.

This organic, employee-driven content can lead to real changes in product offerings and customer experiences. However, employees aren't the only powerful voices within a small business...

Business Owners as Brand Ambassadors

For small business owners, becoming the voice of your brand is a powerful strategy:

Personal Connection: Customers appreciate seeing the face behind the business, satisfying their desire for authentic connections.

Expert Authority: As the owner, you can speak authoritatively about your products or services, building trust and credibility.

Brand Story: You can share your journey and vision, creating a compelling narrative that resonates with your audience's values.

Flexibility: You can quickly adapt your content strategy based on direct audience feedback, demonstrating responsiveness and customer-centricity.

By putting yourself front and center, you're not just a faceless entity but a relatable individual your customers can connect with. This personal touch is especially powerful in combating the skepticism towards traditional advertising. But to truly engage your audience, you need to think like a content creator...

The Content Creator Approach

To build an engaged audience and create demand at scale, brands must adopt a content creator's mindset:

Inform: Share valuable information related to your industry or products, positioning yourself as a helpful resource.

Educate: Teach your audience something new or explain complex concepts in simple terms, adding value beyond your products or services.

Entertain: Use humor, storytelling, or creative formats to make your content enjoyable and shareable.

Inspire: Showcase success stories, transformations, or aspirational content related to your brand, motivating your audience to engage with your business.

This approach shifts the focus from selling to serving your audience, which in turn builds trust and loyalty. But to truly connect, your content needs to align with your customers' core values...

Aligning with Customer Values and Interests

Your content should resonate with your ideal customer's values, needs, and interests:

Values: Highlight your business's ethical practices, sustainability efforts, or community involvement. This transparency allows customers to support businesses that align with their personal values.

Needs: Address common pain points your customers face and how your products/services solve them. This demonstrates your understanding and empathy towards your customers' challenges.

Interests: Create content that aligns with your target audience's hobbies, lifestyle, or aspirations. This helps your brand become a part of your customers' broader life context, not just a transactional relationship.

By aligning your content with customer values and interests, you create a deeper, more meaningful connection that goes beyond traditional customer-business relationships. This alignment also helps highlight what makes your business unique...

Highlighting Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

Use your content to consistently showcase what makes your business unique:

• Product Features: Demonstrate unique aspects of your products or services that set you apart from competitors.

• Process: Show how your approach differs from competitors, giving customers insight into your unique methods.

• Company Culture: Highlight your team's values and working style, allowing customers to connect with the people behind the brand.

• Customer Experience: Share testimonials or behind-the-scenes of your customer service, demonstrating your commitment to customer satisfaction.

By consistently highlighting your USP across your content, you reinforce what makes your brand special and why customers should choose you over competitors. But creating great content is only half the battle...

Implementing the Strategy

1. Identify Content Creators: Choose yourself as the owner or select employees who are comfortable on camera and align with your brand values.

2. Training: If necessary, provide basic training on content creation, brand messaging, and platform best practices.

3. Content Planning: Develop a content calendar that balances different types of content (informative, educational, entertaining, inspiring).

4. Consistency: Establish a regular posting schedule to keep your audience engaged.

5. Engagement: Actively respond to comments and messages to build community.

6. Measure and Adapt: Regularly review content performance and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Implementing this strategy can seem daunting, but the key is to start small and build gradually. Remember, authenticity is more important than perfection. However, there are challenges to overcome...

The Role of Professional Support

While authenticity is key, professional marketing support can elevate your strategy:

1. Strategy Development: Agencies like Entelos can help craft a comprehensive content strategy aligned with your business goals.

2. Training and Guidance: Provide workshops or one-on-one coaching for business owners and employees on effective content creation.

3. Content Optimization: Offer insights on best practices for each platform and help repurpose content across channels.

4. Performance Analysis: Provide in-depth analytics and recommendations for continuous improvement.

By embracing this approach, small businesses can create a strong, authentic presence on social media that resonates with their audience, builds brand loyalty, and drives business growth. Remember, the goal is not to create traditional advertisements, but to share genuine, valuable content that reflects your brand's unique voice and connects with your ideal customers.

In a world where consumers are increasingly skeptical of traditional advertising, this authentic, value-driven approach to content creation can be your key to standing out and building lasting customer relationships.