Reimagining user-generated content for an internal audience

Sometimes the best content doesn’t come in the form of a slick, outward-facing social media campaign — it starts internally with user-generated content to build community.

At Ragan’s Social Media Conference earlier this year, Allyson Forstrom, director of social media and community at Life is Good, told the audience that community is just as important as any measurement metric comms pros will find in their analytics programs.

“Community is not just a social media metric or a marketing buzzword, it’s real human connection,” Forstrom said. “The kind that creates belonging, fosters loyalty, and actually drives impact.”

She added that any company aiming to form communities around its brand globally needs to initiate the process within its own organization.

“If we take a step back from our KPIs and ask ourselves what we’re really working toward — it’s not content, not product, not reach,” Forstrom said. “It’s people. It’s helping them feel connected, seen and part of something they care about. And that starts inside the walls of our organization.”