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User-generated content is materials on a website that are created by its visitors.
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Let's look at what user-generated content is using a simple example. Almost every girl had her own diary. She decorated it beautifully and sent it “for a walk” around the class. Each student left an entry in this diary. In fact, the document belonged to the girl, and all the notes were left by its readers.
Every person sometimes wants not only to find something on the Internet, but to express their thoughts. They maintain their own blogs, opinion columns, etc.
For example, there is an information portal. Its users form an online community around the site. Some may maintain their personal blogs on the same site. This is an example of UGC.
How to use user-generated content
Positive Impact of UGC
- Helps you touch and see products and services in reality.
- Increases trust: “if someone has already bought it, then I can buy it too.”
As for UGC for online stores, there are only advantages to its use.
Website visitors can sell your products and services. Instead of paid editors, website content can be created by passionate users: quickly, voluntarily, in large quantities and for free. And the task of the project administrator is to create all the conditions to find active editors and encourage them to do so.
Sometimes each of us needs a muse to start moving forward. We have prepared for you an adapted translation of an article by Amy Millwood from the Yotpo agency with 8 examples of advertising campaigns created using user-generated content and some tips on how to repeat such success.
By using user-generated content, you will not only increase consumer loyalty, but also become the subject of word-of-mouth marketing.
How to encourage users to create content? And most importantly, what to do after it is created? How can I distribute it to other potential users?
The following few examples will give you new ideas for running user-generated content campaigns and help you improve your bottom line.
Ideas for crowdsourcing (using the example of Lay’s)
As part of Lay's "Do Us A Flavor" campaign, customers were asked to create their own flavors and then let fans of the brand vote for their favorite new items. The winner of this user-generated content campaign was offered a very attractive prize. Lay's promised to pay one million dollars for the three best flavors.
A huge number of participants gathered (to be more precise, 3.8 million applications were submitted). Lay’s went further: having selected the three best flavors, the organizers invited users to choose the winner themselves by voting for him on Facebook and Twitter.
This epic campaign had great user motivation, and the bottom line is that businesses of all sizes can learn some valuable content advertising tips.
- Allow users to be creative, give them the opportunity to create unlimitedly while enjoying content creation.
- Make your content truly interesting and let your share count go through the roof! People love to share with others what they like.
- Extend the period of user engagement: invite them to participate in the process at several stages in a row, fueling interest in the brand. For example, Lay's asked customers to come up with content, vote for it, and then share it on social media. The more steps a user has to participate in, the more likely they are to stay in the process.
Brand philosophy as a way of life of users (using the example of Lululemon)
Lululemon, a brand that sells activewear and yoga wear, has a huge and loyal following. They were able to wisely use this advantage in their campaign #thesweatlife.
Using their Instagram profile as a starting point, they asked users to tweet or post an Instagram photo of themselves exercising or simply moving around in Lululemon clothing. The application must include the hashtag #thesweatlife.
This campaign became successful due to the fact that the organizers focused on a lifestyle approach: the main advertising message here is - be active with us. For the core audience, such content is not advertising, but a way of life. For example, users were happy to publish photographs where they demonstrated not only the brand’s products, but also their emotional connection with it.
By running ads featuring user-taken photos, Lululemon created one of the most successful social campaigns to date. A separate tab with user photos has appeared on the Lululemon website: now a potential buyer can view them if he wants. In addition, the gallery can act as a visual hook, showing the buyer what the product looks like in motion. And if you click on the photo itself, the site, using hashtags, will direct you to a page with the brand’s products, where you can immediately buy them. This makes the purchasing process much easier.
There are many more examples of brands implementing a lifestyle approach, and this technique works great.
- To touch the user's emotional connection with the product, launch campaigns that focus not only on the product itself, but also on the brand's philosophy.
- Encourage fans of your brand to post photos and publicly reward them with gifts for using your products.
- Create a couple of campaigns with catchy hashtags that demonstrate your brand philosophy.
- Make it easy for your customer to purchase a product directly through user-generated content.
Use Fun and Helpful Content (Lowe's Example)
In just six seconds, Lowe's does a great job of showcasing customer creativity. Lowe's launched a social media campaign called “Fix in Six,” in which users filmed and posted vines—six-second videos.
Among marketers, Lowe's employees have found the best use for short-format video, according to news site AdWeek.
The Vines proved to be truly popular and helped Lowe's refresh the brand and attract the attention of a younger generation of shoppers. In the “Fix in Six” campaign, users made six-second stop-motion videos showing how they could quickly and easily improve their home decor.
The videos produced were equal parts informative and creative, useful and a little silly, giving users a fresh look at the old brand.
When it comes to a user-generated content campaign, it's incredibly important that it's executed on a specific social platform: Lowe's did a great job with this.
- Experiment with new social networks to reach new new audiences.
- Use creative thinking to show your brand to users in a new way. This will keep them interested in it longer.
- If you want to gather new fans, look on the resources they use.
- Useful - not necessarily boring. Be sure to think through how to create a campaign with engaging and valuable content.
Increase your fan base with real-time advertising campaigns (like Old Spice)
Old Spice launched a user-generated content campaign that evolved in real time. This happened after Isaiah Mustafa, now known as “The Man Who Smells Like a Real Man,” became the face of the brand.
Users' attention was captured by provocative descriptions and eccentric commercials. The campaign then developed based on user-generated materials, the hero of which was exclusively Mustafa.
Members of the Old Spice team managed to respond to user requests as quickly as possible, which triggered the rapid growth of the brand’s popularity on social networks in a short period of time.
- Don't be afraid to deviate from the finished plan. If something in your customer acquisition strategy is noteworthy and piques their interest, use it.
- Find ways to get customers to dive deeper into the world of your brand and constantly maintain that connection by answering their questions quickly and with a personalized approach.
- Respond to users on social media in real time to show that you are actually discussing the campaign and are not just waiting for user reactions to it to continue promoting the product.
Personalize like Coca-Cola
As a result, thousands of people printed personal messages on the bottles (birthday wishes, marriage proposals). This campaign filled the lives of thousands of people with positivity and reminded them of their love for the Coca-Cola brand.
Users participated virtually in the campaign and had plenty of opportunities to share the content, but they also had a real product as a reward for their efforts on social media.
- Simple campaigns with a positive message are incredibly powerful.
- Campaigns that involve many people naturally spread around the world.
- Create a platform for your product where users can see it in action and smile or connect with brand fans.
- You should not thank the user exclusively with coupons or posting their photos on your website. Think about why and how you can give them your product.
Release fun, seasonal content (T-Mobile as an example)
One of the most unusual campaigns is the breakup letter from T-Mobile. “What's special about it?” - you ask.
T-Mobile has made it easy for its competitors' customers to “cut ties” with their cell phone carriers. The organizers of the action invited everyone who wanted to switch to their service to pay a fee for unilaterally breaking the contract with the old operator, and at the same time describe the reasons for their dissatisfaction.
What is the result of the campaign? It's truly amazing: 80,000 people have published a breakup letter! Not only did T-Mobile find an ingenious way to attract new customers, but they also gained valuable insight into what their customers really wanted.
- Consider how you can link your user-generated content campaign and storytelling to your brand principles. Such campaigns are the best way to learn everything about customer needs directly from the horse's mouth.
Cavendish Hotel and #ValentineVine
The Cavendish Hotels chain launched a competition in which it invited participants to shoot a romantic vine. As a result of the competition, the winner was promised a free stay in one of the hotels.
The campaign from Cavendish Hotels is another great example of how well product and service visualization works on social media. In addition, the proposed prize was relevant to the needs of the audience filming movies. This feature made the entire campaign such a great success.
The Cavendish Hotels chain was one of the first to use vines in its activities to promote the brand. They managed to combine holding a competition and popularizing their brand using simple short videos.
- Don't be afraid to experiment. The hotel chain clearly demonstrated the success of those who are not afraid of experiments. They hoped for the success of the new social platform, launched an original campaign and were right.
Pizza Hut's contribution to greatness
Another cool hashtag campaign #CommitToGreatness(literally “Contribution to Greatness”) was held by Pizza Hut in honor of Valentine’s Day.
They created a special OKCupid profile on Instagram and Vine and asked their clients to propose marriage to them online.
By reaching out to their loyal customers in a fun, intimate way, the pizzeria was able to spread the holiday spirit to a huge number of people and get a lot of natural feedback from those who adore their pizza.
Images and videos are a great way to launch a fast and powerful campaign. Thus, Pizza Hut easily found many participants for its campaign by simply asking them to take and post their photos and videos.
- Visual content is the type of user-generated content that never goes out of style. Campaigns that focus on photos and videos quickly resonate with users and remain in their minds and souls for a long time.
How to best use user-generated content
Now let's discuss how best to use user-generated content to get the biggest response and the best results.
It is important not to constantly create as much content as possible, but to be able to use existing content in different ways.
Now we'll tell you how several brands cleverly reused their old publications. This strategy will help you reduce resource waste and increase your return on investment. The following examples demonstrate how to use user-generated content in marketing and advertising in new ways to get the most out of it.
Distribution of user-generated content on social networks
Social networks are the most obvious place to start distributing user-generated content, because there it automatically comes under the most powerful user protection. User-generated content is the key to a) building and maintaining user trust in your product on social media, b) selling it more effectively, and c) getting more targeted traffic.
See how retail store Wet Seal uses the hashtag #WSonMe to bring their collection to one place on social media:
They show their post on both Instagram and Twitter, doubling traffic from the same photo:
It will also be useful to distribute your user-generated content across social platforms, but you shouldn’t stop there. Create collections of your user-generated content around different topics, products, or sales, then run separate campaigns to promote relevant seasons, discounts, or holidays.
Use user-generated content as advertising fuel
Using user-generated content in advertising is not just an example of smart branding, but also has advertising benefits. The return on investment is always higher from user-generated content advertising than from regular branded advertising. This difference is especially noticeable on social networks.
- CTR (click-through rate) is 300% higher
- CPC (cost per click) is 50% lower
- CPA (cost per action/conversion) is 50% lower
To remain in front of users' eyes, advertising must not only be bright, it must fit into the environment. Be sure to combine social experience and reviews from real users in your Facebook ads to make them more compelling and engaging.
Infuse your marketing content with custom content
Everyone wants to become popular on the Internet for at least 15 minutes. By infusing your newsletters, blog posts, and other marketing materials with user-generated content, you become a free social media marketing hero and increase your brand's fan base from those who want to be featured.
People who like your posts will likely share them on their social media pages.
So the Marc by Marc Jacobs studio launched a campaign on Instagram, inviting users to post their photos and get a chance to become their model.
Fans of the brand not only applied for participation, but also shared it on social networks, increasing the campaign’s traffic hundreds of times.
Play on people's desire to become famous by simply including user-generated content in your brand's regular marketing posts.
Use user-generated content to create an interactive product catalog
One of the most effective ways to reuse old materials is to launch online visual merchandising based on user-generated content. This way you will not only recognize brand advocates, but also learn what from your collection customers actually wear or use your products.
By using user-generated photos or descriptions, you can create a custom catalog that will promote your brand organically and gain the trust of potential buyers.
For example, IKEA launched an Instagram campaign asking users to take photos of their favorite products. After this, the Finnish company was constantly discussed on social networks, as IKEA created a unique electronic catalog that showed photographs of users and their favorite products:
Modest user-generated content can remain relevant for a very long time. Using old user-generated content in your posts can not only be an effective tool, but also an incentive for brand fans.
Conclusion
Give users more freedom. Of course, monitoring whether the campaign is in line with the brand's style and whether it helps achieve its goals is very important, but it is also important to allow the user to express themselves freely and enjoy the process. Additionally, be sure to include the user in different stages of the campaign, not just one.
Explore marketing trends and come up with new ideas for using user-generated content. Find inspiration for new marketing campaigns in the latest social media advertising trends. This way you will find new platforms and strategies to differentiate your unique campaign.
User Content (UGC) - public content that is significant for the subject of marketing, freely created by consumers and posted by them, in which the subject of marketing is mentioned, in one context or another. The term user-generated content comes from the English "User-generated content" (UGC).Purpose of UGC– popularization of the subject of marketing and its owner
User-generated content is any mention by users of the subject of marketing, made independently, free of charge and at the initiative of users.
What is meant by user-generated content?
- reviews of contacts with the subject of marketing and its management of its owner;
- reviews, reports, comparisons, annotations - broadcasting user and expert experience;
- user comments on information posted by the owners of the marketing item and on user content of other target audience members;
- public participation of users in discussions, competitions, surveys.
The value of user content for the owner of the marketing item:
- generation and distribution of user experience;
- source of information, innovations, opinions, content to be analyzed, studied and systematized;
- saving resources for promotion;
- growth of trust, loyalty to the subject of marketing and its owner;
- reaching the target audience;
- increase in SEO indicators.
User Content Management– stimulating, generating and disseminating positive user experiences and preventing the spread of negative user experiences.
Working with user content involves:
- encouraging users to create it;
- moderating user activity;
- storing information about the essence, source and place of publication;
- use of such content.
- publications;
Did you know that almost any resource is approximately 25% user-generated content? Be it a news portal, a scientific community, a humorous public page, or even an online store. We are accustomed to absorbing information comprehensively, often without thinking about what exactly we are reading at the moment. However, if you take a closer look at online materials and try to classify them, you will notice that a considerable part was created by the audience. By the way, holivar in the comments that you scroll for the second hour, ardently supporting one of the sides - this is also an element user-generated content (UGC).
Pros and cons of UGC
Advanced marketers back in the 20th century realized that the average representative of the target audience will become interested in a particular product much faster if he hears about it positive reviews or somehow learns that his opinion is important to manufacturers. With the advent of the Internet in every home, producing UGC has become a hundred times easier. Now everyone can take part in the life of their favorite brand, magazine or TV project without leaving their chair. Thus, people have the opportunity to both amuse their pride and provide a service to manufacturers. And, since there are a lot of people willing to do so, the resource fills up on its own.
It should be noted that the presence of user-generated content is no longer a nice addition to an advertising campaign, but rather a necessity. If you find that there are no visitors to your site and they are not writing anything, how will potential clients trust you? Where is the evidence that you are an honest specialist and not just another scammer? Why should they choose you if there is no evidence that your product is better than the competition?
The importance of UGC is difficult to overestimate. However, oddly enough, it also has disadvantages. One of the shortcomings that often worries website owners is that the form is not the most aesthetic. Indeed, your readers are not specialists, not professional photographers or music video directors, so their work may be of mediocre quality. But that's the whole point. Ideal user-generated content immediately suggests that it is fake. And something that has been done simple but with soul, will definitely resonate with the average reader.
Types of User Content
You should decide what UGC you will need to further promote the project. To do this, you need to understand its types. Start doing this right now!
1. Comments.
The holivars mentioned above are, in fact, a very important element of the popularity of a particular resource, especially if it is news or journalistic. And even though they seem like a waste of time to many, the opportunity to engage in controversy with someone attracts a decent portion of the audience. Encourage your readers to comment on content. Leave a column with an invitation to discussion under each update. This way you can interest people who like to express their opinions and argue. There are many of them, you can be sure.
2. Reviews.
If you sell something online, reviews are a must-have. No one wants to be the first to buy a product. It is important for everyone to know that someone has already purchased it and was satisfied with the price-quality ratio. People tend to trust their own kind more than marketers who lure buyers with beautiful descriptions. Therefore, take care of every review. Collect them, design them, and proudly post them on social networks. Don't forget to ask your audience for feedback. And do it more often - the public is forgetful, you know.
Photo and video reviews are also a type of reviews, only even more powerful. Everyone understands at the edge of their consciousness that verbal messages can be faked, unlike visual evidence, where you cannot hide poor quality, weak functionality or poor design. Many companies specifically pay vloggers to make “what’s in my bag” videos. It will be very great if you manage to get at least one video with a response. To do this, you can even announce a competition and give away prizes among those who take part.
3. Competitive content.
By the way, about competitions. Very often, young and not so young resources invite the public to come up with a slogan, name or logo for a fee. To some this may seem too immodest. They say that copywriters and logo makers charge huge fees for similar projects, but here they offer similar work for a symbolic gift. However, there are those interested. I personally know a designer who cut his teeth by drawing free avatars for different communities.
4. Photos and videos.
This is not quite the same as reviews with photos. The latter is a purely utilitarian thing, the purpose of which is to demonstrate the functionality of the product as much as possible. Artistic photographs are designed to draw the viewer’s attention to the beauty of the subject. Look how many interesting pictures with cups from Starbucks are on Instagram. But this is how any brand can be presented, and yours is no exception.
5. The rest is creative.
This includes everything that is difficult to describe in one or two paragraphs. This can be absolutely any atypical content. What it will be like depends only on your imagination and the creative abilities of your audience. The most common example is events like “Why we love Xiaomi,” where people talk about the advantages of this smartphone model in short videos. You can come up with something radically new, different from others. Don't be afraid to experiment.
When it comes to making a purchase decision, who are you more likely to trust - the brand or another customer who is already using the product?
User Content(or UGC) is any form of user-generated content about a brand or product. Companies do not pay for UGC, but users voluntarily advertise their product or service.
User-generated content is especially popular on Instagram, where it can be easily found and published on the official brand page.
An opportunity like this simply cannot be missed. After all, 76% of users trust content shared by the average consumer more than branded content. In addition, almost 100% of users trust recommendations from other people.
In today's article, we'll look at 10 examples of the most successful user-generated content campaigns on Instagram.
Why user-generated content?
UGC helps increase engagement on Instagram, such posts receive more comments and likes. And engagement is very important for a brand’s success on social networks, because the more popular the content, the more likely it is to appear in subscribers’ news feeds and in the first positions in search results.
Many global brands repost user content on their profile:
To appreciate the importance of user-generated content, let's look at the most successful uses of it from brands on Instagram.
1. The UPS Store
The UPS Store uses Instagram to highlight its small business customers. They post content using #TheUPSStoreCustomer:
Posted by The UPS Store (@theupsstore) Feb 25, 2017 at 9:03 am PST
All B2B brands should take note of this campaign, especially if it’s difficult to tell an interesting story about your product or service. Few people will find photos of packaging materials and boxes attractive, but the stories of real people told underneath them really sank into the soul.
Posted by The UPS Store (@theupsstore) Apr 13, 2017 at 12:38 pm PDT
Conclusion for marketers: Use user-generated content to highlight an unexpected or unique side of your brand. These could be stories from your customers, users, or community members. Ask people to share a little-known side of your brand.
2.Aerie
Women's clothing brand Aerie's #AerieReal campaign is something to aspire to. It's simple but effective.
There has been controversy surrounding the over-processing of marketing photos for a long time. Many are sure that such images negatively affect girls’ self-esteem and distort their idea of a real female figure.
That's why Aerie decided to stop retouching photos of their models in swimsuits. And for every follower who shares their raw photo with the hashtag #AerieReal, the brand donates $1 to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA).
Posted by aerie (@aerie) May 26, 2017 at 1:49 PDT
Conclusion for marketers: Give people a reason to participate in your campaign that goes beyond Instagram. Customers love to buy from companies that stand up for themselves and want to help others. If you are able, support a relevant movement or charity. A gesture like this will generate interest in your campaign. You'll be doing good while increasing user engagement and building brand awareness. Isn't it wonderful?
3. Buffer
Posted by Buffer (@buffer) May 31, 2017 at 12:05 pm PDT
4. Wayfair
Posted by Wayfair (@wayfair) Mar 8, 2017 at 5:52 PST
Wayfair then reposted the user-generated content and added a link to the products shown in the photo. A great combination of real reviews and inspiration.
Wayfair has another campaign that is not as popular, but helps show the brand's product in action - #WayfairPetSquad.
Conclusion for marketers: Use user-generated content to help people find and buy your products. Remember, people trust reviews. If you show them how other customers are using the product effectively, they will be more likely to want to visit your site.
5. IBM
Tech giant IBM posts content from customers and community members on Instagram using the hashtag #IBM. Their strategy is quite simple, but it allows you to look “behind the scenes” of the world's largest corporation.
Posted by IBM (@ibm) Nov 21, 2016 at 1:49 PST
It's great to see people working for IBM and using the brand's products and services in their daily lives.
Conclusion for marketers: show the human side of your brand, especially if your product is not easy to convey visually. Share content from customers, employees, and community members to show it in action.
6. Netflix
The popular video service Netflix shares fan posts dedicated to certain TV series and films.
A great way to tell everyone about upcoming premieres. After all, everyone is already looking forward to the new show, which awakens natural interest in the subject of heated discussions.
Conclusion for marketers: if you're releasing a new product or want to break news, use UGC to generate interest in the topic. This way, more users will know about you and your new offer.
7.Hootsuite
Social media service Hootsuite uses the hashtag #HootsuiteLife to talk about what it's like to work in their offices around the world.
The brand prides itself on its culture, and user-generated content helps it attract talented employees.
#HootsuiteLife is about employees and community members who have so much fun working at Hootsuite.
The secondary UGC campaign #LifeofOwly follows the life of the company's mascot.
8. Starbucks
Every December, Starbucks launches the #RedCupContest campaign to promote its seasonal drinks. The brand encourages users to share photos of their red cups for a chance to win a gift card. And fans always actively participate in the competition - more than 40,000 photos with red cups have already been published.
#RedCupContest is a thoughtful UGC campaign. It invites users to compete for a valuable prize, promotes seasonal products and helps increase sales - because in order to take a photo with a red cup, you must first buy it.
Sometimes it can be difficult to imagine what software will do for you until you see it in action. The UGC campaign helps Adobe demonstrate the capabilities of its products.
#Adobe_InColor is a brand themed campaign that has amassed over 300 posts in just a few weeks. User-generated content allows a brand to highlight customer talent and promote its unique values and culture.
10. BMW
BMW uses the hashtag #BMWRepost to share content from happy owners of the brand's cars:
BMW sells high-performance cars to consumers who take pride in their accomplishments, and user-generated content helps spread that pride to everyone around them.
Conclusion for marketers: Give users a reason to seriously consider purchasing your product. At the same time, it is not at all necessary to offer luxury goods. Many brands have loyal fans. Let them tell you how much they love you to attract even more repeat customers.
User-generated content is an indispensable tool in the modern marketer’s arsenal. Motivate your followers to tell their stories and share unique photos related to the brand. After all, sincere user recommendations are more effective than even the most ingenious advertising.
