Turn your business’s raving fans into content creators with user-generated content. As traditional marketing methods becomes less and less effective, we have seen a significant rise in user-generated content on social media and online. Today’s customers value and trust the opinions of others, often times more than the business or brand itself. As a result, businesses are implementing this fan based content creation in to their marketing strategies and finding much success with it.

User-generated content offers businesses many businesses many benefits. User-generated content acts a bridge between the business and the consumer. Not only does it help promote the brand, increase engagement and lead to conversions, but it can also help businesses gain a better understanding of their target audience, thus allowing them to build a stronger community around them. If you are looking to create a user-generated content campaign, here are a few tips to help get your audience creators on board.

Choose the Right Social Network

The first step to getting raving fans to create content for your brand is to know where they have the most influence. Each social platforms has different audience engagement based on the audience type. If your target audience are primarily Gen Z’s or Millennials who prefer quick visual content, Instagram and Twitter are likely your best bet. However, if your audience are Gen X or Boomers who favor longer text formats, Facebook may be the most effective route for engagement. Take a close look at your target audience to determine the best network for your user-generated campaign.

Be Upfront with Your Audience

Being upfront about what your business want is key to receiving quality user-generated content. Your audience isn’t going to know that you want them to create content for you if don’t tell them, so be sure to let them know. When informing your audience about the opportunity to create user generated content, be very direct about what you are looking for whether that be sharing photos, creating a video or asking for a product review. Provide them with information regarding any brand rules and regulations, as well as any specific style your brand is trying to achieve.

Choose a Content Type

The opportunities are endless for user-generated content. Seeing is believing, so it’s no surprise that social media is one of the most popular channels. Social platforms offer a variety of opportunities including social media contests, hashtag campaigns, video testimonials and more that are open for your audiences creative control. Through these, businesses can ask users to share a post, use a hashtag or create their own user-generated content like photos or videos. AR lenses have also become incredibly popular among businesses looking to encourage fans to promote their brand in a fun and engaging way. 

While popular, social media is not the only option for user-generated content. Online text is another great way to get your audience to promote your brand. Encourage customers to write reviews on your Facebook page, as well as other applicable third-party review sites such as Google, Glassdoor, Yelp or TripAdvisor. These reviews can also be shared by audience members through posts on personal blogs, websites or online forums.

Focus on Your Community

Part of getting audience members to participate in creating user-generated content is creating a community that they feel a part of. Before, during and after you launch a user-generated content campaign, its important to place an emphasis on building this community and making it a place that is welcoming to new audience members, as well as current ones. Your audience is a huge part of your marketing strategy, so be sure to treat them well. 

Show the friendly, human side of your brand and connect with your audience by engaging with them whenever possible. Doing so will help to build positive relationship with your audience and create a supportive community around your brand. Having your audiences support you means that there will likely be even more opportunities for successful user-generated content campaigns in your brand’s future.

Has your business used user-generated content in your marketing strategy? If so, let us know!

Our team at Denim Marketing loves working with our clients on marketing campaigns to help them reach their full potential. Contact us now at www.DenimMarketing.com or call 770-383-3360 to learn how we can help you boost your audience reach and relationships with user-generated content.