In the modern digital landscape, one term has been steadily gaining traction: User-Generated Content (UGC). But what is UGC, and why is it becoming a cornerstone of digital marketing strategies?
UGC is any form of content – photos, videos, reviews, blogs, or social media posts – created by users rather than brands. It’s digital word-of-mouth, a seal of customer approval, and a real-life showcase of products and services.
The beauty of UGC is that it’s raw, authentic, and relatable, resonating with audiences on a level that traditional advertising often can’t reach. In fact, consumers are 2.4 times more likely to view user-generated content as authentic than brand content, according to Slackla.
Let’s take a comprehensive look at how to get started with this form of social media marketing.
Best Practices: How To Create User-Generated Content (UGC) – Photos, Videos & More
User-generated content (UGC) is a powerful tool for brands to engage their audience and build authenticity. Here are some best practices for creating UGC across different formats:
1. Clearly define your purpose & guidelines for the User-Generated Content (UGC)
Before initiating a UGC campaign, establish your objectives. Determine whether you want to showcase product experiences, encourage creativity, or promote brand advocacy. For instance, a cosmetic brand might aim to gather UGC photos showcasing diverse makeup looks achieved with their products.
Next, offer specific guidelines for the type of UGC you’re seeking. This can include preferred image or video resolutions, content themes, or hashtags. For example, a travel company could request UGC photos highlighting picturesque destinations with the hashtag #MyTravelEscape.
Also, with the dominance of video content on social media, it’s no surprise that video-focused UGC is highly effective. Video content typically performs best, garners the most engagement, and captures a user’s attention for longer. In fact, more than nine out of 10 individuals report wanting to see more videos from brands in 2023, according to Wyzowl State of Video Marketing Report 2023.
2. Make it easy to participate in the User-Generated Content (UGC) campaign
Provide user-friendly tools and platforms for content creation and submission. Ensure that participants can easily capture and upload their photos or videos. Offer clear instructions and technical support, if required, to remove any barriers to participation.
Once the content by users start coming in, recognise and appreciate participants by acknowledging their UGC. Engage with their posts, reply to comments, and feature their content on your brand’s social media or website. Consider offering incentives such as contests, exclusive discounts, or giveaways to further motivate participation.
You can also encourage users to engage with each other’s UGC! Create opportunities for them to connect, share their stories, and build a sense of community around your brand. This can be achieved through features like user spotlights, UGC contests, or themed challenges.
3. Curate and showcase the best User-Generated Content (UGC)
Lastly, review and curate the best content to ensure its quality, relevance, and alignment with your brand values. How to do so?
Select compelling photos or videos that represent different perspectives and experiences. Encouraging a diverse range of voices in your UGC makes your brand and products more relatable and accessible to a wider audience. Brands like Fenty Beauty, celebrated for its representation, regularly repost product tutorials and makeup reviews from their diverse Fenty family. However, it’s important to remember that showcasing diversity in UGC should not be a token gesture; it needs to be embedded in your overall marketing strategy and company ethos.
Striking a balance between product shots and UGC can also help sell your products in a less “salesy” way while encouraging a sense of community.
Next, showcase these curated UGC prominently on your website, social media profiles, or marketing campaigns. When sharing UGC, it’s crucial to credit the source. Remember to credit the source by tagging the creator and including their handle in your caption, ensuring the original creator is easily identifiable to any viewer of your post.
How To Create & Make User-Generated-Content (UGC) On Lemon8
One such platform that’s making waves in the realm of UGC is Lemon8.
Lemon8, a product of ByteDance, is a photo and video-sharing platform initially launched in Japan in 2020, later expanding to other Asian countries, the US, and the UK.
Drawing comparisons to Instagram and Pinterest, Lemon8 focuses more on photos than videos, providing a refreshing change from the video-dominated landscape of other social platforms. The unique emphasis on relevant information pushed by the algorithm and features like templates, stickers, filters, and fonts make it an exciting new platform for UGC.
How to use Lemon8 to create User-Generated Content (UGC)
On Lemon8, users can create posts using various tools provided by the app.
After you have set up your profile, simply tap on the plus icon at the bottom of the screen and choose whether you want to upload photos or videos from your camera roll or take new ones using the app’s camera. You can then edit your content using the app’s tools and add a caption with hashtags.
There’s also a search function that makes how to look for specific hashtags or keywords easier.
Interested in learning more about how to start user-generated content on social media? You can consider understanding the ins and outs of another popular platform for video content, TikTok. And if you’re looking for inspiration on how to make UGC content, take a look at the top TikTokers in Singapore.
Case Studies: Best Examples Of Brands That Learned How to Leverage User-Generated Content (UGC)
1. Starbucks
One brand that has effectively leveraged user-generated content for its marketing campaigns is Starbucks. Their annual “Red Cup Contest” encourages customers to submit creative photos featuring their holiday-themed red cups.
This campaign generated a lot of content and engagement on social media and increased Starbucks’s visibility during the holiday season. It was reported that a photo was uploaded to Instagram every 14 seconds in just the first two days after the launch of the campaign.
2. GoPro
Another example of a successful UGC campaign is by GoPro, which encouraged its users to share their GoPro-captured photos and videos. The brand frequently shares UGC on its social media accounts and even runs contests where users can win cash prizes.
GoPro’s campaign centres around the concept of capturing extraordinary experiences, which emphasise the adrenaline-fuelled activities, breathtaking landscapes, and unique perspectives that users encounter. This theme resonates with GoPro’s target audience, which predominantly consists of adventure seekers, sports enthusiasts, and travellers.
3. Coca-Cola
Lastly, Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” is another example of a highly successful UGC campaign. It involved the company producing Coke bottles with popular names and encouraging people on how to create and share images and videos of themselves with bottles with their names on them.
First launched in Australia, this impressive digital media campaign resulted in sales of more than 250 million Coca-Cola products in a country with a population of 23 million. This equates to an average of over 10 bottles per person within just three months!
Achieve Success With User-Generated Content (UGC) With First Page
The wave of social commerce is increasingly becoming a force to be reckoned with as platforms like TikTok, Lemon8, and many others are bridging the gap between social interaction and e-commerce. To succeed in this rapidly evolving digital landscape, brands must take the hint from leading examples and effectively leverage the power of user-generated content.
Whether you’re a small business or a large corporation, it’s time to hop on the social commerce bandwagon, create engaging user-generated content, and make your brand’s social media presence more vibrant and engaging. Remember, when life gives you lemons, make lemon8ade!
Ready to embark on your social media journey? Get in touch with a top-notch social media agency like First Page to guide you through the ins and outs of effective social media marketing.
