05 de October de 2020
What is UGC and how can we incentivize it? What are the most effective strategies and most commonly used social media platforms for this kind of content? User-Generated Content is one of the most interesting and influential marketing trends at the moment. The dynamism and innovation it offers, and the ability to tap into the most unexpected showcases, have positioned UGC as one of the most popular strategies right now, so it is well worth finding out about it.
The lecturer on the Master in Online Marketing and Digital Commerce and author of 15 books on content creation, Eva Sanagustín, recently led a conference entitled “UGC: The user as a content generator”, in which she discussed all aspects of UGC and the key factors for putting it into practice. Ready to find out more? Then you are in luck.
When did you last discuss a company on social media? When did you last watch a product being unboxed? The lecturer Eva Sanagustín explained that UGC is any content made by users in relation to brands or companies in general. This trend has two key characteristics:
1 - Zero cost
As it is a content 100% created by the user and freely shared among their contacts, it involves no cost for the brand.
2 - Zero control
However, as the content is created without the brand’s supervision or interference, it is impossible to control. Therefore, you cannot determine the quality or the intention: positive (recommendations) or negative (criticisms).
“Mentions, tagging or express posts about the brand are all UGC”, explained Eva Sanagustín, Therefore, the best way to detect it is to monitor social media and keep an eye on the platforms on which this trend tends to be applied”.
How can we incentivize UGC?
As mentioned above, brands have no control over UGC, so its creation and dissemination depend on the users to a large extent, However, there are certain strategies and methods for encouraging followers and urging them to create content about their favourite brands.
As the expert emphasized, influencers are great allies when it comes to generating engagement and motivating users to interact with the brand’s contents.
“As brands, we can identify our own influencers and get them to create content, always taking the customer experience into account”, added the lecturer. “If the experience is positive, it will be easier to get them to share it. In contrast, if it is negative, they are more likely to complain”.
Let’s look at the strategies that we can implement on each specific social media platform.
Incentivizing UGC on Twitter:
“Twitter tends to be a platform that users go to when they want to make a complaint. However, if you know how to use it, it can be a window with really positive results brands”, she explained.
1 - Ask! The brand is interested in the user’s opinion so one strategy is simply to ask about different aspects, such as suggestions for improvement or what they think of a certain product. In addition, you can suggest games of conduct surveys.
2 - Generate comments! Nowadays, comments are one of the most important elements of your social media presence, so it is important that your posts incentivize interaction through a discussion, rather than a simple “yes” or “no”.
3 - Prepare for battle! Encourage people to say what they think and express themselves sincerely.
4 - Put them to the test! Putting users to the test is another good strategy on Twitter. For instance, the RAE encourages followers to think a bit further by setting them challenges.
5 - Give them something to share! Contents being shared is essential for UGC, so we have to create simple posts that are easy to repost.
6 - Ask them to do something and prove it! Another tactic is to set challenges for certain users and then ask them to prove it. For instance, ‘Make this recipe, post a photo and tag us!’
7 - Trust in your product! Stimulate conversations about events, conferences and congresses related to your brand or sector.
Incentivizing UGC on Instagram:
Instagram is another essential platform for UGC. There is a range of strategies for incentivizing UGC on the social network.
1 - Don’t be afraid to ask (without overdoing it)! “Click ‘like’ if you fancy having our cocoa with your breakfast”, “Remember to follow us and share”. Asking users directly to interact sometimes works, but be careful not to push it too far.
2 - Encourage them, even if doesn’t leave a trail! Support Instagram’s algorithm and urge them to use the benefits of the social network, such as browsing a photo carousel.
3 - Remind them! Repeat the messages and make repeated calls to action.
4 - Thank them! Asking the user to do something and then thanking them for having done so is an effective strategy that encourages them to keep interacting.
5 - Get them to play with you! Games are always fun, so get them to play with you using stories. Make sure they have fun.
6 - Help them! !Generate handy and helpful content such as infographics and images with instructions on a useful topic.
7 - Give them an excuse! If the content is interesting, it generates more engagement, so always try to put yourself in the user’s shoes and create content that grabs their attention.
8 - Give them something! Run competitions and give gifts, but be careful, it must not become the only draw!
Incentivizing UGC on LinkedIn:
Lastly, the lecturer Eva Sanagustín turned her attention to LinkedIn, outlining various strategies for promoting UGC on the social network for professionals.
1 - Interact! LinkedIn strives to help you strengthen your personal brand rather that creating a community like Facebook. Keep that in mind and congratulate people on new jobs, comment in posts and get yourself noticed.
2 - Ask! On LinkedIn, surveys are not anonymous, as they are on Twitter, and the administrator can see people’s votes, so ask questions and encourage users to interact.
3 - Ask for interaction! LinkedIn offers lots of options for interacting. Make the most of them but be sure not to be a pain. It is important to do interesting things and avoid unnecessary repetition.
4 - Cheat “If you click, something will happen”, when really the aim is for people to click ‘Like’. This works, but you have to be careful with it.
Before finishing off, the expert gave some tips for making the most of UGC in our strategies:
