Do you want to leverage user-generated content to grow your brand? More and more people are using social media to share their thoughts on products and services.
If you can get your customers to share user-generated content, you’ll be able to grow your brand and revenue with minimal effort.
1. Create a dedicated hashtag
One of the best ways to collect UGC is to create a dedicated hashtag for your brand. This is a hashtag that you and your audience can use to tag your brand in posts.
When you create a dedicated hashtag, make sure it’s unique to your brand. You don’t want to use a hashtag that’s already being used by another company or that’s popular for another reason.
You also want to make sure that your hashtag is easy to remember and easy to spell. If your hashtag is too complicated, people are less likely to use it.
2. Tell your story with user-generated content
Sometimes, the best way to market your brand is to let your customers do it for you. After all, they’re the ones who know your product or service best. Plus, when potential customers see other people talking about your brand, it helps to build trust.
One way to do this is to create a user-generated content campaign that tells your brand’s story through the eyes of your customers. To get started, you’ll need to decide what type of story you want to tell.
For example, you could create a campaign that asks your customers to share their success stories with your product. Or, you could ask them to share how your product has changed their lives for the better. You could even ask them to share a story about how your product helped them overcome a challenge.
Once you’ve decided what type of story you want to tell, you can create a campaign that encourages your customers to submit their own stories. Then, you can use their stories to create a variety of marketing materials, such as blog posts, social media posts, videos, and more.
3. Get your customers involved in product development
User-generated content isn’t just about driving sales. It can also be used to get your customers involved in other areas of your business, such as product development.
By soliciting feedback and suggestions from your customers, you can get a better sense of what they want and need. This can be incredibly valuable when it comes to developing new products or improving existing ones.
You can use user-generated content to create surveys and polls that ask your customers for their input. You can also encourage them to submit their own ideas and suggestions for new products.
Not only does this make your customers feel valued and heard, but it can also lead to some great new product ideas.
4. Host a contest
Who doesn’t love a good contest? Hosting a contest is a great way to engage your audience and encourage them to create and share UGC.
When users share their UGC, they can tag your profile or use a branded hashtag. This helps you collect all of the entries and makes it easy for you to find and repost the best ones.
Hosting a social media contest is a win-win for both you and your audience. You get to collect a ton of great UGC, and your audience gets a chance to win a prize.
5. Share customer reviews
Customer reviews are an extremely important type of user-generated content. In fact, 90% of consumers say that their buying decisions are influenced by online reviews.
When someone leaves a positive review of your business or products, you should share it on your website and social media channels. Not only will this show potential customers that you’re trustworthy, but it will also make your existing customers feel valued and appreciated.
On the other hand, if someone leaves a negative review, it’s important to respond to it quickly and professionally. You can then use this as an opportunity to show potential customers that you care about your customers and are willing to make things right.
6. Use user-generated content in your Facebook ads
Facebook ads are a great place to use user-generated content. Not only does it help to make your ads more engaging, but it can also help to increase your click-through and conversion rates.
You can use user-generated content in your Facebook ads by creating a custom audience of your top customers and then targeting them with ads that feature their content. You can also use a tool like AdParlor to create ads that feature user-generated content, or even try ChatGPT prompts for Facebook content creation.
No matter how you choose to do it, make sure that you are using high-quality images and videos in your ads. And, of course, always get permission from the person who created the content before using it in your ads.
7. Host a user-generated content takeover
If you’re short on time and resources, a user-generated content takeover can be a quick and easy way to add a fresh perspective to your social media profiles.
During a takeover, you’ll invite a user (or a group of users) to take control of your social media profiles for a set amount of time. They’ll then share their own user-generated content, post updates, and interact with your audience.
Takeovers can be done on any social media platform, but they’re especially popular on Instagram. They typically last 24 hours, but they can also be as short as a few hours or as long as a week.
This example from @Lulus is a great example of a UGC takeover on Instagram. Lulus invited a group of influencers to take over their Stories and post about their favorite Lulus pieces.
If you’re worried about giving someone else control of your social media profiles, you can also host a “mini takeover” in your Instagram Stories. During a mini takeover, you’ll share a series of user-generated content pieces from a single user in your Stories.
This is a great way to give a user a shoutout and share their content without giving them full control of your profile.
8. Share user-generated content at events
If your brand is hosting an event or is attending an event, you can use user-generated content from your social media feeds to promote it.
You can also create a slideshow of user-generated content to share during the event. This is a great way to engage your audience and show them that you appreciate their support.
You can also use user-generated content to create a buzz around your event. Share photos and videos of your event on social media and encourage your followers to do the same.
9. Turn your Instagram bio into a customer testimonial feed
If you’re not using the link in your Instagram bio to share user-generated content, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity.
By using a tool like Linkin.bio by Later, you can easily turn your Instagram feed into a clickable, shoppable landing page. This means you can use the link in your bio to showcase UGC and direct your followers to the tagged product or landing page.
Not only does this make your Instagram feed shoppable, but it also helps you build a strong sense of community and loyalty among your followers.
You can also use the link in your bio to showcase UGC stories, blog posts, or customer reviews and testimonials. This is a great way to show potential customers that your current customers love your products and that they should too.
10. Share user-generated content on your website
Finally, you can share user-generated content on your website. This is a great way to show off the great things that your customers are saying about your products or services.
You can create a testimonial page on your website and feature some of the best user-generated content that you’ve collected. This will help to build trust with potential customers and show them that real people are having a positive experience with your brand.
You can also share user-generated content on your blog, in your email marketing campaigns, and on your product or service pages. The possibilities are endless!
Conclusion
UGC is a powerful way to build brand awareness and drive revenue. When customers see that other people have had positive experiences with your company, they’re more likely to convert.
By implementing the tips in this article, you can leverage UGC to improve your marketing and grow your business. Additionally, if you’re looking to expand your reach even further, consider exploring the best Wix affiliate apps to enhance your affiliate marketing efforts.
