To learn more about how to solicit for UGC and encourage users or customers to share often, read all the way through this guide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is User-Generated Content?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
If you have ever posted a picture of a product you bought on Instagram or left a positive review on a site like G2, then you have shared user-generated content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
UGC, aka customer-generated content, refers to photos, videos, or text featuring a brand\u2019s product or service created and shared by people who use it. These people could either be loyal customers of the brand, in-house employees, or paid digital creators who offer to produce customer-like content in exchange for an agreed compensation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
UGC is ubiquitous on social media platforms like Instagram, X (Twitter), YouTube, and TikTok. It showcases how products and services work in real-world situations and can affirm a prospective customer\u2019s decision to choose your products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
UGC shared on Instagram, YouTube, X (Twitter), and TikTok<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Since UGC is essentially a genuine and positive review by someone who enjoys using your product and is happy with the experience, it is an incredibly effective way to boost credibility and persuade prospective customers to trust your brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By showcasing the product in the hands of everyday people, UGC offers an honest and diverse perspective that a brand\u2019s regular advertising cannot deliver. It creates a positive association with the brand and acts as a powerful endorsement when consumers are ready to buy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Source: Stackla <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Let’s explore these benefits:<\/p>\n\n\n\n You already know that cultivating user-generated content can be beneficial for building brand credibility, driving sales, and reaching a wider audience on social media. But, getting customers to create and share content that will be used to market your brand comes with challenges. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes, the quality of content that customers share might not meet your standards. Other times, you have to deal with copyright issues. There\u2019s also the possibility that customers are not even motivated to share content or you cannot effectively manage and moderate the content shared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s how to overcome these challenges and develop an effective user-generated content strategy<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The easiest way to legitimately gather user-generated content is to ask for it. You can send an outreach email<\/a> to existing customers asking them to share their experience with your product, how it has helped them, and why they like using it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s one example of an email from a DTC brand, Bushbalm, requesting content a few days after the product was delivered. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can also create an online catalog to showcase projects made by users and encourage them to tag you for a chance to be featured. Take a look at Squarespace\u2019s Instagram Guide showcasing websites made by customers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The prompt was simple: \u201cTag #MadeWithSquarespace or @Squarespace on content you create and we will share our favorites here on our page!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n As a reward for sharing, you can offer discounts, send free gifts, repost their content, and tag them. Showing appreciation to customers who contribute will encourage them to share more and you will gradually build a consistent stream of user-generated content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The reason why marketing experts talk a lot about Apple\u2019s #shotoniphone campaign is that it set a legendary track record for accruing outstanding user-generated content. It employed elements that resembled gamification concepts<\/a>, such as competition and recognition. This harnessed the intrinsic motivations of users to amplify its success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want to run a hashtag campaign, here are our recommendations for successfully planning and executing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s an example of how Notion launched a successful branded hashtag campaign:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Notion team wanted to showcase projects built with their software. The main goal was to spark inspiration by creating a gallery to showcase how people use Notion Projects to turn ideas into reality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Notice how they applied the same tips we just mentioned? Well, now it\u2019s your turn!<\/p>\n\n\n\n This approach is pretty straightforward. Simply organize online events, then invite your power users to share their tips and tricks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, identify your most enthusiastic users and set up an ambassador program to establish a level of commitment from them. Start running webinars<\/a>, user meetups, or workshops, and make sure each event is recorded. <\/p>\n\n\n\n During the events, encourage users to share their experiences in the form of presentations, videos, or interactive demos. You can also encourage attendees to post content on social media using a specific hashtag. Utilize this content to fuel your video marketing strategy<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Employees are people, just like your users and customers. So yes, the content they create can be classified as UGC. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Make sure they are aligned with the company\u2019s vision and feel like active participants in reaching milestones. This will naturally inspire them to talk about the product\u2014it also sets a positive tone for employee advocacy across your company. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Offer workshops on social media best practices<\/a> and personal branding to equip them with both skills and the confidence to effectively promote your products. Then empower them to share their authentic stories. Lastly, create a platform where they can share tutorials, tips, and tricks related to the product. This showcases their expertise, your product benefits, and provides value to customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are just starting out and don\u2019t have a lot of real users yet, you can leverage agencies that specialize in connecting brands with content creators. These platforms help you find and access a network of creators<\/a> with various levels of expertise in different niches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can define your brand requirements, such as the type of content you are looking for, the target audience, and the budget. The platform then matches you with creators who align with your criteria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once the UGC creators are onboard and compensation is agreed upon, create a detailed guideline to ensure that the content aligns with your tone, values, and objectives. Work with moderation tools to manage content and encourage creators to share their honest experiences while using the product. This authenticity will resonate well with audiences and build trust. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To cultivate user-generated content organically, create a brand your customers are excited to tell other people about. This includes having a great product, beautiful packaging, and a brand story that deeply resonates with your target audience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Unboxing videos, for example, are one of the best-performing content on social media because they offer an immersive experience built around a product that the customer is excited about. Coach Tok is an account run by Brandon Nguyen, a retail employee at the luxury fashion house. It has amassed over 64,000 followers and 3.7m likes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Nguyen, aka @branbran1997, dedicates all of his posts to reviewing and comparing all the luxury bags that the brand sells. Besides increasing the visibility of the brand\u2019s range of products, this content goes in-depth on what makes each product stand out from the perspective of a luxury expert. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A lot of people searching for software solutions turn to relevant subreddits for honest answers to their most pressing questions. As a result, discussion threads in these niche communities tend to organically promote products that the users consider to be effective. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For this user-generated feedback, a professional graphic designer shared his newfound love for Canva, particularly for creating social content. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Although he later added that he would stick to Adobe<\/a> for all print designs and specific branding elements, other users in the thread emphasized that Canva works best for digital content creators and small business owners who just want to get their designs done without learning software as complex as Adobe. This clearly echoed the benefits Canva offers its target audience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Spotify knows how to deeply resonate with audiences and inspire users to share their stories across multiple channels. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Source: The Quint<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n To mark the end of the year, Spotify users take to Instagram Stories to share the top songs and artists they listened to during the year. In 2022, the campaign engaged more than 100 million people using the #spotifywrapped tag and was one of the most remarkable user-generated campaigns of all time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Without a shred of doubt, UGC marketing delivers incredible results and is currently more impactful than influencer marketing, especially when executed properly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To reap the full benefits, you need to avoid some of the common mistakes that other brands make when executing their user-generated content strategy. These are the major ones and what to do instead:<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019re in an age of authenticity and UGC offers a real and relatable view of products through everyday people. It showcases genuine interactions with your brand and speaks directly to the audience. As an emerging or established brand, UGC can help build trust with potential customers while keeping existing customers engaged and loyal.<\/p>\n\n\n\nUGC Value: How Does User-Generated Content Benefit Brands?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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How To: 6 Ways To Cultivate User-Generated Content Online<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Leveraging User-Generated Content: Examples Across Social Media<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Coach Employee UGC on TikTok<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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UGC for Canva on Reddit<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Spotify Wrapped dominates on Instagram Stories<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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User-Generated Content Risks: How To Avoid Blowback<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/li>\n\n\n\nBuild Brand Visibility Beyond Traditional Advertising<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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