Building brand awareness with employee-generated content for SaaS

At UX studio, we're always on the lookout for fresh perspectives—each of us bringing unique insights from their own domain. As a social media marketer working on one of the studio’s in-house SaaS products, Copyfolio, I’m always on the hunt for new ways to connect with our audience. So let me walk you through a new marketing gem, EGC, and why I chose to build our brand awareness with it. 

A new era of brand awareness

Us marketers are used to navigating a world where everything changes – algorithms, updates, and trends shape what we do from day to day. We are gardeners planting seeds of our brand in our users’ heads, and nurturing them until they become our customers. 

And while the concept of the traditional marketing funnel is here to stay for now, we are always challenged to find new ways to make a first impression. So, let’s talk awareness! 

Build recognition without your product – yes, you’ve read that right

Let’s face it: the era of overly-polished, super-curated ads, branded materials, and constant product showcases is over. Even if you build the best and most helpful software, a simple graphic with your logo on it won't do much in making that big of an impression. 

As a marketer, sometimes it’s hard to put aside your “marketing brain” and think outside of your own brand’s POV. But let’s take a step further and suppose that you can build quite a hype around your product without even mentioning it. 

People are built to remember people

Some brands are turning their social media into a meme page, while others can’t escape corporate regulations of putting their logo on every post. But let’s not forget about something that always has and always will work: human connections. 

Yes, you want to get the word out about your fancy new feature. But if it’s the first time that I’m meeting your brand, I’m much more likely to remember a vlog about the release day from your customer support team than a static creative with a screenshot of the UI. With people, you can tell stories of your brand that cut through the noise and drive emotional connection. These will be the cornerstones of long-term brand impressions. 

What is EGC?

EGC stands for employee-generated content: any piece of marketing material that the employees of the brand have somehow contributed to – a video, a story, a LinkedIn post, a vlog. In fact, this very blog post is EGC, too. 

The power of EGC

So what’s the secret sauce of EGC? It gives the kind of access to information about the company and brand that traditional marketing methods can’t. It humanizes your image and helps put a face to your brand. It’s extremely important for SaaS products where there’s not much point of contact anyway. 

Employee-generated content typically appears on the brand’s platforms, but when shared through an employee’s personal account, it can feel even more relatable and trustworthy. 

Even though EGC only offers a small glimpse into your team’s world and doesn’t showcase the product itself, it can still leave a lasting impression. When people eventually need a solution like yours, they’ll remember you—and isn’t that the ultimate goal of awareness?

EGC at Copyfolio

On Copyfolio’s TikTok channel, we’ve been playing around with day-in-the-life videos, recaps from our team-building events, and other pieces of content that show our audience how we work as a team. One of my recent favorites was a video where we shared how everyone on the team takes part in support and why we chose to work that way. This comment we got truly made our day: 

Some favorite EGC moments 

A recent post from Spotify highlights their London-based product marketing manager, Katarina’s day in the life of working at the company. I mean, who hasn't ever wondered what it’s like to work on products we use every day? 

Personal stories don’t just offer a deeper look into products you already know and love — they also let you witness a product’s journey from day one. Rella’s founder, Natalie Barbu started out as a YouTube content creator before launching her product for social media managers. 

She shares insights on building their product every day on her personal profile. And while her huge following definitely supported the quick growth of the product, she built a strong and dedicated community of SMMs just by sharing realistic snapshots of the work she does. 

Another favorite EGC example of mine is Buffer’s employee activity on LinkedIn – their employees from all over the world and different domains often share their experiences of Buffer’s unique working culture. The buzz around it is so real! 

What’s in it for the employee? 

When employees hear about EGC, the first things that come to their mind are those memes where the social media girl chases them in the office with a ringlight in one hand and a camera in the other. But EGC is more than that, and it can actually benefit the employee, too. 

Your moment to shine

By participating in EGC, and regularly posting about your professional life, you're building your own visibility while being backed by the credibility of your company. Creating EGC content gives you a platform to highlight what you’re working on and what you’re good at. It turns everyday tasks into powerful personal branding moments, so why would you miss out on it? 

How it looks for me as a SMM at UX studio 

One of the biggest perks of working in a small team and company is the freedom that I get when it comes to marketing: no endless rounds of cross-team approvals, or waiting weeks to hear back from legal just for the trend to be already over.

I have an idea, I onboard the team in the morning, film some clips, and the video is out by the end of the day. I also get support in props and equipment for the videos. That’s how we’ve built quite a big set of tech tools and a monthly coffee budget, in case we need a change of scenery for the EGC videos (and a little caffeine kick, too). 

What about the others in the team, you may ask – well, who would have any objections to put their work aside for a moment and go on a midday side quest to a nearby coffee shop with me? 

If this sounds like the kind of creative freedom you’d thrive in, check out our careers page—we’re usually on the hunt for fresh talent (and no, we won’t make you dance for TikTok in the name of EGC).

‍