User-Generated content (also known as Employee-Generated content) is content that focuses on employees in the company and is created by them in order to communicate the employer brand to the outside world. In the form of blog articles, videos, photos and employee quotes, UGC is published on various channels. In addition to the careers site, it is primarily social networks, but also newsletters or automated emails in which this content is pushed out to potential applicants. Integrating UGC into the talent acquisition strategy brings several advantages for the company and for recruiting. We have summarized the six most important ones for you here:
1. UGC is credible and authentic
Because UGC is produced by employees, the content conveys an authentic and credible view of the work and company culture. For this reason, UGC is described as authentic 2.4 times more often than content produced by the actual company.[2] UGC in recruiting offers potential applicants a glimpse into the reality of working with a company, proving that the company’s promises are honest. In doing so, employee testimonials create trust with the target audience and build credibility. If you also want to provide authentic insights into the company culture, short videos that accompany employees for a day at work are a good idea. These can then be published on Instagram, Facebook or the career page.
2. UGC improves your Employer Brand
Integrating UGC into the recruiting strategy also strengthens employer branding initiatives. By involving employees in content creation, recruiting and employer branding becomes personal. This applies not only to potential applicants, but also for participating employees. With the right motivation, they are happy to share their expertise and experience with others and therefore later also share the finished content with their personal network online. This increases the reach of the employer brand and encourages potential candidates to apply for open positions. Apart from that, User-Generated content in recruiting also meets the expectations and desires of talent, 56% of whom would like to see more photos and videos of a company’s employees.[2] So how about sharing photos of the latest team event or similar with the online community?
3. UGC increases your reach online
User-Generated content is versatile for use in recruiting. In addition to your own career site, you can also distribute the content via social media or integrate it into the application portal. In doing so, UGC not only helps communicate the right message but also improves key metrics at the same time. 45% of marketers are confident that UGC increases the company’s overall social media statistics such as reach, engagement, and follower count.[3] These social media numbers are important in that 76% of users discover brands, as well as the employer brand, through this channel.[4] By increasing the reach of your social media posts, your company’s message will also be communicated to a wider audience, increasing the chance of finding the right talent for open positions.
4. UGC saves production costs
The creation of UGC in recruiting usually does not require a high financial investment. Since the company’s own employees produce the content, it does not require support from external agencies or freelancers, which makes production more cost-effective. The necessary technical equipment is also relatively easy to finance. While employees can write blog articles on any computer available to the company, all that is needed to create photos and videos for social networks is a smartphone and inexpensive editing software or app. With UGC, companies can reduce their production costs for employer branding content and still attract the right talent.
5. UGC generates high-quality applications
With the higher authenticity of User-Generated content in recruiting, applicants gain realistic insights into the company and the work culture right from the start of their candidate journey. As a result, potential candidates know what working at the company entails and can therefore better assess whether the work there matches their own values and whether they are suitable employees for the open positions. This increases the quality of applications because applicants have a higher cultural fit. As a result, new employees do not encounter any unpleasant surprises on the first day in their new position, which increases employee loyalty and reduces the fluctuation rate shortly after hire.
6. UGC strengthens employee retention
It’s not just new employees who feel loyal to the company after being hired due to open communication in the application process. The use of User-Generated content in recruiting also increases employee loyalty among existing employees. While they are in front of the camera, writing articles and sharing their experiences and stories, they experience appreciation from the company. This feeling increases employee loyalty, wherefore they will stay with the company longer.
This is how Primark uses a UGC strategy to attract the best talent
The fashion company Primark has been implementing User-Generated content in their recruiting strategy on Instagram for some time now in order to give the target group of young talents authentic insights into the company in new markets. In doing so, the company highlights the work of various areas of activity and presents departments that are little known outside the organization. With this strategy, Primark has already achieved great success on Instagram since the start of the campaign:
- 115% increase in the number of followers on Instagram
- 98% increase in interaction rate
- 52% increase in click-through rate
Since the first step is always difficult, we have summarized how Primark implemented this strategy in our white paper “Creating a More Engaging Employee Brand With User-Generated Content”. In addition, we give you a step-by-step guide on how you can start your UGC strategy today. Download the white paper now for free.
Sources
1: TINT. 2022. Guide to Employee-Generated Content: What Is It, Why You Need It, and How To Do It. Accessed on July 31 2023 from https://www.tintup.com/blog/employee-generated-content/
2: Stackla. 2019. “Bridging the Gap: Consumer & Marketing Perspectives on Content in the Digital Age”. Accessed on July 31 2023 from https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190220005302/en/Stackla-Survey-Reveals-Disconnect-Content-Consumers-Marketers
3: TINT. 2017. 9 Things We Learned From Our User Generated Content Study. Accessed on July 31 2023 from https://www.tintup.com/blog/9-things-learned-2018-user-generated-content-report/
4: TINT. 2023. The State of Social & User-Generated Content 2023. Accessed on July 31 2023 from https://www.tintup.com/state-of-social-user-generated-content/
