Have you been conducting a social media campaign for a while now? If you have, you know that constantly trying to come up with ideas for posts to fill up your editorial calendar can be difficult. Fortunately, you have followers (aka ‘users’) by now who can help you not only shoulder some of the burden of content, but also help you yield solid results with your campaign! It’s time to put your loyal social media fans to work creating UGC. User Generated Content (UGC) are posts created by followers that highlight or brag on your products and services!
How does it work?
Posts can be images, your brand logo, videos of them using your product, or even positive reviews on Google. For example, if you have a massage business and one of your customers posts a picture luxuriously lounging on the beach completely relaxed with compliments to your healing powers, you want to utilize that glowing endorsement. That is basically what UGC’s are; they are testimonials by your customers that help to grow your brand and your business.
Why use it? UGC…
builds trust amongst your current and future customers. If followers are posting about your products and customers are boasting about your services, then you need to repost that content, and let it work for you.
builds relationships with your current customers. By paying attention to their posts, feedback and engagement, and then sharing them, you continue to foster customer engagement.
demonstrates brand loyalty to future customers. The UGC’s of customers shows that you have consumers who are loyal to your brand and what you stand for. Likely, your biggest fans are the ones posting pictures and stories about your products and services. Other social media users can see that what you have to offer is desirable, and therefore, they will want it for themselves.
increases sales! And, according to Hootsuite, “Nearly 80 percent of people say UGC has a high impact on their purchasing decisions.”
How do you acquire it?
Just be on the lookout for it. Many social media users will post pictures of themselves and their favorite products and services, and when they do, catch them and ask to use their content! They will be flattered, and you will be grateful!
Ask for it! When you have built relationships with your audience and customers, there is nothing wrong with asking them to post a picture, a thought, a video utilizing the products and services they love. They will likely be overjoyed in being able to help promote your business because they love it! Even keep it simple by taking some great feedback, plug the quote into a free social media image maker like Typic or Canva and use their kind words as UGC.
Host a contest! Encourage followers to share their favorite pictures and videos using your products or showing your logo by hosting a contest. Enter each person who posts and give them a free service or product.
Give an incentive of a discounted service or product for sharing their favorite thoughts, images, and videos that include your brand!
Your customers can be your very best marketers not only by spreading things via word of mouth, but also in sharing your products and services to their followers. User Generated Content is a win/win/win. It allows you to generate some authentic and genuine content that you don’t have to come up with yourself! It helps you to continue to build lasting relationships with your customers. And, ultimately, it helps you to build your brand, grow your sales and nurture your business.