Deep Dive: How to Get More User-Generated Content?

It was much easier for business owners to grow their brands in the past. With little to no competition, they only needed to provide customers with quality products or services to earn their loyalty and trust. However, with the rise of social media, customers’ needs have changed rapidly. Nowadays, they don’t only want quality products or services but also a great customer experience.

Modern customers only invest their time and money in brands that have built themselves a great reputation. The days when brands had all the power to shape their image or messaging are long gone. In today’s modern world, even spending millions on advertising and marketing campaigns will not help if your customers do not have a pleasant experience with your brand.

Now, you must be wondering how the customers will voice out their experiences. Thanks to social media, customers now have multiple platforms to share their experiences, opinions, and creativity. While it might have tarnished a few brands' reputations, it has also helped many businesses accelerate their growth. With the help of user-generated content, brands can build an authentic and relatable reputation.

Are you wondering how to get access to more user-generated content? Scroll down to learn all about it!

9 Tips to Get More User-Generated Content for Your Brand

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User-generated Content, or UGC, is undoubtedly a valuable marketing strategy. It is one secret ingredient that adds authenticity and builds trust with your audience.  When a customer creates content about your brand, even a rave review, a photo, or a funny video, it is genuine, unpaid marketing for your brand.

Also, it will help engage many other potential customers as people trust their peers more than they trust traditional advertising. While many business owners might know about the benefits of UGC, they don’t know how to get started with it. To help you generate more user-generated content for your brand without using any UGC tools, here are a few tips you must follow:

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Ask for feedback from customers

Do you wonder what is the easiest way to get the UGC for your brand? Ask your customers for it.  Without asking customers for feedback, you will have to spend hours searching social media platforms for content you can use. Even after spending hours, you will not be guaranteed to find content relevant to your brand.

Therefore, isn’t it best to save time and simply ask your customers what you are looking for? Many brands use a clear CTA, “Leave a review,” to ask their customers for reviews.

To streamline the process of managing and publishing this user-generated content, integrating a headless CMS for Next.js can be incredibly effective. It allows brands to efficiently organize and optimize content for various platforms without compromising on speed or flexibility.

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Encourage Reviews and Testimonials

Not all customers will leave reviews when asked for.  Some might need a kind of “encouragement” from the brand to share their feedback and experiences on platforms like social media or review websites. In today’s modern world, everyone has their plates full, and no one will take time out of their busy lives to leave reviews without a benefit of their own.

Therefore, you can offer incentives, such as discounts or exclusive access, to motivate customers to leave reviews and testimonials. It will be a win-win for both you and the customer!

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Create Shareable Experiences

If you want people to talk about your brand on social media, you need to give them a good reason by creating memorable experiences.  In the past, many brands have used this strategy to get more user-generated content for their brand, and it worked like a charm for them. You can host an event or run a contest. However, you must ensure to make it exciting and share-worthy.

When customers have a great time or feel inspired by the brand, they will create and share content about it.

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Use the Power of Hashtags

One of the most powerful things about social media that can make your brand the talk of the town is hashtags. By branding your content with a unique hashtag, you will not only be able to generate more excitement but also make your customer posts easier to find. When a customer posts an image or video about your brand and includes your hashtag, it will appear on your feed. Therefore, you will no longer have to spend hours searching for relevant content.

The best part about hashtags is that they keep all your UGC content in one place. You can easily track the success of your UGC campaign by monitoring your branded hashtag.

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Run social media campaigns

You may not believe it, but social media is a goldmine for user-generated content. If you want to get more UGC content for your brand, you need to launch engaging campaigns that prompt your audience to participate and share their experiences. You could ask them to share photos, videos, or stories using a branded hashtag. Later, you can feature the best content on your social media channels and give credit to the creators. Again a win-win situation!

Collaborate with Popular Influencers

In today’s modern world, influencers are ruling social media and have great power. An influencer can drive huge traffic toward your brand or scare off all your potential leads.  Therefore, if you want to get powerful UGC for your brand, you can collaborate with relevant influencers who align with your brand values and audience. They will create content featuring your products or services and encourage their followers to do the same. Their endorsement can motivate their fans to join in and create content for your brand.

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Utilise User-Generated Content in Your Marketing Campaigns

Another thing you can do to generate more UGC for your brand is to showcase more user-generated content in your marketing efforts.  By doing so, you will not only be able to boost authenticity in your marketing campaigns but also encourage others to contribute.

Share customer photos, videos, and testimonials on your website, social media, and other marketing channels. Highlight the creativity and positive experiences of your customers. It will inspire others to jump on the bandwagon and generate content for your brand.

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Support a community cause

Do you know how to motivate customers the most to create content for your brand? By launching a mission behind your UGC campaign. According to various reports and surveys, today’s consumer is just as interested in the cause of a company as its products or services. Also, most consumers will switch brands, if equal in quality and pricing, to one with a noble cause.

When selecting a cause that your brand supports, make sure to choose the one that aligns with your brand’s values.

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Engage and Respond

The biggest mistake a brand can make is taking their customers’ feedback for granted. When customers take the time to create content about your brand, it becomes your responsibility to show your appreciation by engaging with them. Therefore, if you don’t want to discourage them, you need to respond to their comments, like their posts, and share their content. By doing so, you will be able to build a sense of community and encourage further engagement.

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Conclusion:

Getting user-generated content for your brand is all about creating an environment where customers feel inspired, valued, and connected to your brand. Therefore, if you want to get more UGC content for your brand, you need to genuinely engage with your audience and provide opportunities for them to shine. With these tips mentioned above,  you will have a stream of amazing content flowing in no time.

However, if you are still struggling to get more user-generated content for your brand, you can take help from a professional UGC tool - ttagz. It is an AI-powered UGC tool designed to help brands optimise their UGC campaigns. With ttagz, you will not only be able to collect real UGC  but also have control over what content you want your customers to create

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