"With social media now well into its teen years, there’s no excuse for brands to approach with a passive attitude or get news ‘out on the socials’ as an afterthought."

There's probably nothing I like more than someone who is being willfully contradictory, to zig when it seems the world says to zag. To wit, Emily Firth's article on why employee-generated content will NOT save your employer brand. She makes solid points (its over-used because it seems like an "easy" way to create content, but since there's rarely a solid plan with what to do with said content, or even how to nurture it, it rarely yields anything useful), but I see this as someone waving us away from the extreme end of an idea. Employee-generated content (when done right, where there's a "care and feeding plan" in place to nurture it, etc), can be useful. It just isn't a silver bullet.

Yes, you should actively be sharing your stories right now. Right now! Lauryn Sargent, who knows a thing or two about employee stories, makes a solid case for telling more stories now, not less. Whether the news is good or bad, telling stories turns anything into a more human experience, one that gets more eyeballs and sticks in the brain longer.

This is how you can get your customers to do your job for you.

Usually when we think about employee-generated content, we assume employees should talk about work. As much as I love work, theres more to live and what your company supports than just "work." Take some cues from these companies who are asking their customers to tell stories during lockdown, and how it can dramatically extend your reach and humanize the brand.

Do companies still balk at letting employees build content? I know for a long time it felt like there were companies who just couldn't let their staffs have that kind of freedom to talk (as if they need permission). If that's you and you need some ammo to make their case? Here are some stats on the power of leveraging user-generated content.