An Absolute Must for Every Social Media Strategy…

User-generated content. If you are not incorporating it into your social media strategy yet, it is time to hop on that train. “User-generated content (also known as UGC or consumer-generated content) is original, brand-specific content created by customers and published on social media or other channels. UGC comes in many forms, including images, videos, reviews, a testimonial, or even a podcast.” Some brands that utilize user-generated content very well are Princess Polly and Disneyland.

You may be thinking, “I can create similar content on my own without having to rely on other users, right?” Well that is not necessarily the point—yes it is nice to have some extra content in your back pocket, but user-generated content has a lot of benefits to it.

User-generated content is basically an authentic, mobile version of “word of mouth”. Over time, brands have lost the trust of society due to false advertising. People trust each other’s opinion more than they do brands, so user-generated content essentially acts as social proof that a product or service is legit and worth purchasing.

“Audiences turn to UGC as a trust signal in the same way they’d ask their friends, family, or professional network for an opinion. Over 50% of millennials base their decision to buy a product on recommendations from their family and friends, so this is where UGC can shine since it is precisely that: a personal recommendation.”

Additionally, user-generated content can help build your online community and audience. Posting user-generated content helps show that a brand is engaged with their audience and truly values their consumers.

“UGC gives customers a unique opportunity to participate in a brand’s growth instead of being a spectator. This influences brand loyalty and affinity in a big way because people thrive off being part of something greater than themselves, and creating UGC allows them to be part of a brand’s community.”

However, it is important to “Err on the side of caution and don’t use UGC without asking. Too often, brands take images shared online without giving proper credit or establishing an agreement with the creator.” This could get a brand in legal trouble and it also makes a brand lose credibility and trust.

This Sprout Social article emphasizes the importance of being strategic with user-generated content—like other pieces of content in your social strategy, some content works better for some platforms than others. One place user-generated content can really benefit your social efforts is on Facebook Groups! If you have an online community, user-generated content is a great way to either build your community or strengthen an already existing one.

Here are three ways you can easily gather user-generated content for your Facebook Group:

#Hashtags

Hashtags are a great way to find and gather user-generated content. You can create hashtags for topics specific to your group—admins and moderators can make an announcement telling the group how the hashtags can be used and then even begin posting using the hashtags with images as examples. These organized topics will help users learn what type of content you are interested in sharing!

Contests

Contests are a sure way to get a bunch of user-generated content! Ask users to submit their pictures related to your group’s niche and the winner gets a prize. But in return, you are also building a large folder of user-generated content for later. It is important to note to your users that the pictures they submit can and may be re-posted as user-generated content!

Share UGC!

This one may sound odd, but it works! Once you start getting user-generated content and posting it, it will spark others to share their own pictures—people love to be featured, so it is basically a domino effect.

Give these a try and let me know of any other fun ways you have encouraged user-generated content!