In marketing, there's no shortage of acronyms. Where one or two words would do just fine, we marketers love to throw an acronym there! Here's one that sometimes stumps: User Generated Content (UGC). In this blog we'll look at what exactly "is" UGC, ways to encourage your customers and clients to share more, and how UGC can help your brand in new ways.
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What is UGC?
User Generated Content (UGC) is the marketing term for customer photographs and reviews. Whether you're running a business with a product (or products) at the forefront or a service, UGC can and should be top of the pops for your organic marketing strategy. UGC means that your 'real life' customers use your product or service to the point that they enjoy it enough to share it on their social media. UGC takes many forms for different industries but generally UGC is a customer generated review or photo, ideally unprompted by the brand but more than often prompted with a few select incentives.
How to get UGC
As with most things in life, UGC is out there but only if you ask for it. Want to get your customers or clients snapping away on their smartphones and updating your Google reviews or sharing to social media? Easy! Share UGC. Now that does sound a little bit like the snake eating its own tail but trust when we say that to have one piece of UGC inspires another. Shoppers and individuals are more likely to consider a brand they've never heard of when they associate it with something familiar like a friend or family member who may have shared their experience. Consider adding a hashtag to your marketing materials post-purchase (i.e. emails, brochures, etc.) to encourage users to share their experience with your product or service more broadly.
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Don't have post-purchase marketing materials? That's a great place to start! The key to asking for UGC and receiving it is personalization. Your customer wants to feel that you individually know and appreciate them for ordering from your business and supporting you. So tell them!
Using UGC
The two most important things to remember with UGC? Thank the user personally and use the content somewhere or everywhere you can imagine! If Social Media seems like a natural fit, you're on the right track with your UGC education. Social Media can and should be your first stop for sharing user content but be sure to update your website and communications with reviews as often as possible. If you can get a customer or user to write a review and share a photograph, consider yourself in the presence of unicorns!
Photo by Inês Pimentel on Unsplash
Sharing reviews and photographs builds a layer of trust between you and potential clients that you can't buy for all the money in the world. And who do you have to thank? Your existing customers or clients! So let them know that you appreciate them with a personal note and possibly even a thank you gift (i.e. discount on a future services/product, a gift card, etc.). Once you start asking (and receiving!) UGC the world is your oyster.
We Can Help.
Want to get started with UGC for your brand or business? Litir Marketing can help you get user generated reviews and photos that will help build trust for future clients. Want to know how? Send me an email at liz@litirmarketing.com.
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