It’s no secret that our world is brimming over with shared content. We love it. It’s in our DNA to share! When the World Wide Web entered our realm of awareness in ’91, user-generated content, UGC for short, took its first step into the sun and has been basking in it ever since. From its early popularity in web publishing and among media organizations, the opportunity to share content with professionals has been gaining momentum. With no authoritative filter, UGC has become the most empowering way for people to authentically express themselves. While engaging with your audience on social media for UGC is the most common go-to, UGC includes everything from tweets, posts, updates, reviews, and pics, to videos, blogs, wikis, comments, hashtags, and more.
The use of UGC in the business world is one of the most powerful marketing tools a brand could possess. This conversational two-way media is strengthening relationships between customers and brands, and it’s a win-win situation. By embracing UGC as a key marketing strategy and creating moments where consumers can engage with brands, we force the traditional one-way-pushy-salesperson persona off its shaky pedestal. After all, aren’t all healthy relationships built on two-way communication, and isn’t social media supposed to be…social?
Where to Find UGC
We know that UGC is the most authentic and trusted form of media today, and there is an abundance of places to find it. It’s also easy to overlook the hidden spots that provide some of the most useful information about your brand. Here are three places where you might be missing out on an opportunity to get to know your customers or audience even better.
1. Location tag on Instagram
While the use of hashtags is rampant, not everybody uses them. Luckily, tagged Instagram locations are very similar to hashtags. Whether you create custom locations, or you’re tapping into the ones your consumers do, you’re able to view UGC from groups of people frequenting the same location. You can see in the example below from the 12th Annual California Artisan Cheese Festival that they created their own location tag, but people were also posting at the fairgrounds’ location tag, too. By searching these tagged locations associated with your business or events, you are able to leverage UGC that you might have missed out on before. Don’t limit yourself to just your brick-and-mortar, either. Check city locations from time to time, as well. You’d be surprised what you might find!
- Different variations of your hashtag
Using hashtags is becoming an art form. That’s with exception, of course, to those who randomly put a hashtag in front of a long list of irrelevant words. #wealldoititsok
Either way, it’s smart to remember that even though you mindfully created your business hashtag that resonates simplicity, typos happen. They happen more than you think! Or, people make their own hashtags to represent your brand. Why not invest some time in making a list of hashtags similar to yours? By keeping track of the different variations and monitoring them, you are opening up a secret door to UGC you never knew existed and conversations about your business that could be paramount!
For example, the official hashtag for Chef Bruce Hill’s cooking tool, The Chef’s Press, is #TheChefsPress. However, we’ve found content via #chefspress, #chefpress and #thechefpress simply by monitoring these different variations.
- Yelp/Trip Advisor/Google Reviews etc.
With a frenzy of hashtags, shiny photos and distracting comments constantly leading you down the rabbit hole, sometimes it’s easy to forget about some of the most influential UGC out there: reviews. Popular review sites like Yelp and Trip Advisor carry an underestimated amount of weight among consumers. Studies show that ratings and reviews are still widely consulted and have a tremendous impact on consumer decisions. If you have a presence on these sites or connection to the consumers that use them, it’s in your best interest keep a steady eye on them. You can easily repurpose those reviews and use them as social media content!
Knowing the power of UGC and using it are two different things. If you find yourself already drowning in your search for UGC, it may be time to hire a social media manager to maximize your brand’s relationship with its customers.
Your turn! What is the most unlikely way you’ve found UGC? Chat with us on Facebook or Twitter!