UGC stands for user generated content; images, text, videos, among others that are created and then uploaded to the internet (and sometimes printed onto custom t-shirts as well). Let’s talk about creative ways to get more and better user generated content.
1) Investigate
Browse the internet, go on. A little procrastination won’t hurt you Once you’re done checking the latest falling-on-their-face video, or your friends statuses on Facebook, you may want to put the Sherlock cap on and look for clues.
- What are people talking about?
- What type of content is being shared?
- Where are they?
- What are they doing?
Asking yourself these questions might help shed some light on current trends and call-to actions that might work for your campaign.
2) Know your audience
In order to run a successful campaign, you need to know who you’re targeting to. If your clients are mostly middle aged, a campaign that runs on Tumblr may not be your best but since that’s a platform that’s mostly geared towards teenagers and young adults.
3) Pick a Theme
Is your campaign going to be inspirational? Funny? Heart-warming? Tear-jerking? Most UGC’s rely on pictures of their clients using their products, but this doesn’t necessarily have to be your case. Videos are quite powerful, as well.
4) Choose your media
With so many social networks out there it can be hard to choose which is the right one for the specific campaign. Whichever your medium will be it is important to keep it to just one (two, at the most. If it’s necessary). In order to make a real impact you want your content to be in a single place. It will also be a lot easier to measure if it’s on the same channel.
5) Make it easy
‘The last thing people want is more work’. Make it easy for your audience to participate in your campaign. An upload and a simple hashtag should do the trick.
6) Make sure you have an incentive
Are you going to reward the people who participate? Contests can be really strong campaigns, but an incentive does not necessarily require a price. Most of the time, recognition is enough.
7) Recognise your users
Most people want to feel like they’re part of something. Acknowledging every single uploaded picture or comment may be impossible, but you still have to find a way to show you care about your followers. It goes a long way. If people don’t get some sort of feedback, then they just might as well throw their content into a black hole. A cool idea is to recognise the participants on your website. Seeing comments or pictures of real users can also make your homepage feel more approachable. Don’t forget that an UGC campaign is also a great opportunity to create a community. The internet makes it easy for users from all over the globe to join under a single cause, brand or product.
