When And How To Use User Generated Content
Undoubtedly all businesses and business owners on social media have been there — struggling to fill out a content calendar for the next 30 days.
While we’ve shared one of our favorite resources for inspiration (the seemingly endless array of ‘National Day’ holidays), we love turning to our audience, too!
User Generated Content (a.k.a UGC) — which is exactly what it sounds like, content created by other social media users (in this case, your audience) — is a great way to add new, unique pieces of content to your social media feeds! This type of content also comes with the added bonus of an entirely fresh perspective on your business/product/niche.
There are some amazing benefits to using UGC
In addition to getting you out of a jam if you’re fresh out of content ideas, sourcing UGC can positively impact your business in a myriad of ways!
Here are just a few of the benefits of UGC:
If you’ve created a branded hashtag, UGC can improve its strength and increase its use! Especially if you start featuring that content on your page (whether on your feed or in your stories!). The truth is, most people love seeing their content featured on the social media channels of businesses the love, so when they see that you actually share content that has your branded hashtag attached to it, they will be MUCH more inclined to use it on their content going forward for a chance to be featured!
If you’ve got a product-based business, UGC can help you show your product in use from a new and unique perspective. Your followers are obviously used to hearing your take on your product and seeing how you use it, so it’s always nice to see someone — who’s not connected to the business — putting the product to use in their way, too!
In addition to showing your product in use, UGC can also act as testimonials from your customers! If you don’t yet have traditional reviews for your product/services, turning to UGC is a great way to build up that resource!
9 times out of 10, consumers are going to turn to social media to do some research before purchasing a product. In addition to having a strong online presence of your own, having a network of loyal customers who are constantly tagging your product in their pics can help boost your credibility. People want to see that your product is as valuable/necessary/high-quality as you say it is, and UGC can help prove that point.
When it comes to social media, the goal is to reach as many people as possible with every piece of content you share. When you choose to share UGC, you have the opportunity to expand your reach to an entirely new audience. Like we said earlier, people love to be featured by the brands/businesses they love, and odds are if you re-post them, they’re going to share that re-post proudly! This gets their entire audience’s eyes on YOUR biz! That’s a big win, and a great opportunity to expand your reach easily.
There are also some Do’s and Don’t’s when it comes to using UGC
There is one very key thing to keep in mind when it comes to UGC: Just because you were tagged in a photo does not necessarily mean that you’ve got permission to share it across your social media channels — your best bet? Drop a comment on the photo, or send a DM and let it be known that you love their photo and would love permission to use it!
Ok, now that that’s out of the way, let’s get to the basic Do’s and Don’t’s!
First, let’s tackle what not to do:
Remember this isn’t YOUR photo, so even if your brand aesthetic is moody and dark and the UGC you love is light and bright, you cannot modify, edit, or filter the content. If it doesn’t suit your feed, consider sharing it to your stories and creating a highlight!
ALWAYS give credit. Trying to pass off another creator’s content is a no-go no matter how you slice it. Tag the original creator in the photo and give them credit in the caption, too.
Respect privacy. Just because one of your followers tagged you in their photo does not necessarily mean they want it shared with your entire audience — especially if their account is private. Again, ask permission, and if the answer is no share the compliment that you love what they shared and leave it at that.
Using UGC in paid advertising (like FB or IG ads, print campaigns, etc.) is NOT okay UNLESS you have written permission to do so.
Now on to what you should do:
Let your audience know how to share their content with you — by tagging your brand, and using your branded hashtag.
As stated earlier, always be sure to add the proper credit to the content creator you’re sourcing images/words from. Bonus: if there are other people featured in the photo, get their handles and tag them, too.
Put your branded hashtag(s) in your bio with a disclaimer! Make sure you note that for a chance to be featured, this is what they should add to their content (a hashtag, a profile tag, or both)!
If you’re not seeing as much UGC as you’d like, add an incentive to get users to start sharing — like a giveaway or product/service discount!
Want more social media tips? Follow us @amr_digital! And don’t forget to search the many pages of our blog — from content strategy to design tips, we’ve got you covered!
Maggie Peikon
Maggie is a Senior Content Creator and Editor at AMR Digital. When she’s not crafting content for clients, she can be found hiking with her pup, Finley, checking out Denver’s best vegan restaurants, and working on her garden. She’s currently planning her next SUP adventure and plotting how to become a goat mom.