Get More UGC for Your Company with These 5 Key Strategies

One of the most powerful marketing tools is user-generated content (UGC). You can use this tool for many purposes — UGC can amplify voices in a social movement, capture authentic feelings or emotions that a brand wants to convey, or validate the benefits of an everyday product.

UGC refers to any content that is generated directly by consumers about a particular product, service, or movement. In other words, it is marketing content that does not come directly from the brand itself. For that reason, UGC is viewed as inherently more trustworthy. When a person goes out of the way to create content about a product, just because they like it, this speaks much more loudly to the product’s quality.

Platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and even TikTok have made it easier than ever for brands to get UGC from their fans that can then be used in marketing and advertising. However, how do you encourage your followers and customers to create UGC? How do you find it? Some strategies organizations can use to gather more UGC include:

1. Hashtags

A great way of getting people to generate UGC is through a hashtag campaign. Brands can challenge customers and followers to show how their products or services integrate into their everyday lives. With a unique, catchy hashtag, it’s simple to follow the content that people are creating. It’s also a great way to learn more about how existing customers interact with products and perhaps discover some gems that can be used for marketing purposes in the future. Along with promoting the hashtag on your social media channels, you can also include it in email communications, website advertisements, receipts, price tags, and more to spread the word.

2. Incentives

Consumers generally love incentives like discounts or free products. A great way to get high-quality UGC from consumers is through an incentive program. For example, if customers create content according to certain guidelines, perhaps they can get a free gift with their next order or a coupon for a discount on their next purchase. Companies can offer a wide range of different incentives based on the type of UGC requested and the financial situation of the brand. Asking for a lot with a fairly meager incentive may not lead to a lot of great UGC, but giving a fair reward can generate a lot of really creative, engaging content. Fashion designers often use this approach. For example, Marc Jacobs has had multiple pop-up shops where social engagements, including UGC, were the only type of accepted currency.

3. UGC

While it may sound like circular logic, a great way to get UGC is to use UGC. When brands publish content from their customers on their social media channels, blogs, and websites, others will be inspired to start sending their own content. Brands can provide people with a brief bit of fame since this content will likely be seen by a wide audience. The promise of this exposure is enough to motivate many people to create their own content for a brand they like.

Using UGC in marketing signals that the company wants to hear from its customers and see how they are using particular products and services. This strategy is also beneficial because it celebrates some of a brand’s most engaged fans while also creating some quality marketing. Brands could even consider creating a section on their website for UGC, which is a great way to encourage more submissions.

4. Contests

Some of the brands that have popularized the use of UGC did so through contests. You may remember Apple challenging people to submit photographs they took with their iPhone. These photos later appeared in billboards across the country. Similarly, GoPro has asked their customers to send in the videos they’ve made with the camera. Another great example comes from Design Within Reach. The company wanted to recognize its customers’ creativity and challenged them to create chairs out of the corks of champagne bottles. The winning entries received gift cards to the company, while the company saw its social engagement increase by nearly 250 percent.

Contests push people to create truly amazing UGC in hopes of winning, whether the prize is seeing their content in marketing campaigns or something more tangible. Brands should make sure the contest they create aligns with their overall image, as well as the prize.

5. Influencers

Social media influencers have a lot of clout online. Brands can engage with them as a form of marketing and encourage them to create UGC. When people see influencers making UGC, they are encouraged to do the same. Influencer marketing is a growing segment, and brands need to pay close attention to the different ways of leveraging this approach to drive digital engagement.

When considering influencers to approach, it is important to think about their audience, credibility, and overall digital presence. Companies should avoid engaging with influencers that do not align well with their brand, mission, and company culture, as this can be confusing, or create dissonance in how people think about your products. If the influencer suffers a fall from grace, this can be a huge problem for your brand. However, with the right influencer creating content, companies can see a significant jump in UGC.