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User-Generated Content

What is User-Generated Content? 

“User-generated content (UGC), alternatively known as user-created content 
(UCC), is any form of content, such as images, videos, text, and audio,
 that has been posted by users on online platforms such 
as social media and wikis”. (Source)

Why Do we Use it?

  • For engagement and community building: Remember who most influences us? People like us. UGC is a way to tap into the idea that “People Trust People” more than they trust faceless corporations or NGOs. It is the content created and posted by your supporters on social media accounts. This content may be in any form of images , videos , testimonials, blog posts etc. Opinions and experience of others (like us) are seen as reliable sources of information.
  • Community: User-generated content creates a sort of community around your ‘brand’ which helps build a social buzz about your campaign. UGC is not created by campaigners to support their campaign. Instead it is created by users/supporters of the campaign who are happy about it. This makes UGC a very good type of content because trust level on user generated content is very high and more trust leads to more buy in to the campaign aims. 
  • Cost: Plus in a world where – online – everything depends on quality and quantity of your content, and creating quality content in quantity costs money, UGC is free.  You just have to encourage your supporters to create content for you.
  • Authenticity: When it comes to marketing, consumers are 2.4 times more likely to view user-generated content as authentic compared to content created by brands. That insight means that for campaigners, UGC can offer an important credibility boost.
  • Content: It can be a constant challenge to create new, fresh, great-looking content for your social media channels. User-generated content campaigns are a way to help build out your content library so you’ve always got relevant material to share. (Source)

Best Practices for Sharing UGC

Always Request Permission

A hashtag is a great way to collect user-generated content. However, it’s a good idea to ask for permission even when a post includes your tag. Hashtags can sometimes take on a life of their own, and people may use your hashtags without necessarily knowing you’ve tied them to a user-generated content campaign. Re-sharing that content without explicit permission is a surefire way to kill goodwill and annoy some people.

When you ask permission, you also show the original poster that you appreciate their content and get them excited about sharing their post with your audience. Plus, it’s the right thing to do.

Credit the Original Creator

When you share user-generated content on your social media channels, make sure to give clear credit to the original creator. Tag them directly in the post. Indicate whether you’re using their visuals, their words, or both. Always give credit where credit is due.

If you plan to share user-generated content across social media platforms, check for how the creator wants to be credited on the various channels. For example, if you want to share a photo from Instagram on your Facebook page, ask the original creator if they have a Facebook page you could tag.

Providing proper credit is an important way to recognize the work of content creators, and helps make sure they stay excited about using and posting about your campaign. It has the added benefit of making it easy for fans and followers to verify that the content really was created by someone outside of your NGO.

Offer Something of Value in Return

If you want followers to provide you with user-generated content, you have to offer them something in return. A social media contest can be a great way to bring in a substantial amount of UGC quickly. But don’t get too focused on rewards. Many people just want to have their content featured. The more you share UGC, the more people will be motivated to tag you in posts they think you might want to share.

Be Clear About What Kind of Content You’re Looking For

UGC creators want you to share their content. That means they want you to tell them what kind of content you’re most likely to share.

Offer clear guidelines on what kind of user-generated content you want supporters to create and share. Don’t be afraid to get really specific. Make it easy for people to share content that fits your needs. That means you need to have a clear understanding of what you want to get from UGC. It requires a strategy. It’s nice when people tag your campaign in pretty pictures. But how can you use that content to support your goals?

Use Search Streams to Find UGC You Might Have Missed

If you focus on collecting user-generated content only when users tag you or use your hashtag, you’re missing out on tonnes of potential content. As part of your social listening (link to Unit X)  you should be keeping an eye out for all mentions of your campaign on social media, even if you’re not tagged.

If you find a post you’d like to share with your audience, get in touch with the content creator and ask permission. The worst they can say is no. If they say yes, be sure to let them know about your UGC hashtag and encourage them to use it in future posts.

Learn From the Submitted Content, Whether You Share It or Not

In addition to being a powerful resource, user-generated content is also a great source of customer research. Make sure you allow the time to look at the UGC your followers create and analyze it for lessons that could help improve your campaigning efforts.

For example, you might discover fans are talking about your campaign  in ways you hadn’t considered. Or making links to other organisations. This could create an opportunity for you to partner with others. Also, think about images you expected to see but people didn’t create. Use this information – or lack of information – to examine your assumptions about how people think about your campaign.

Take a look at the hashtags people use in combination with your hashtag. You might uncover some emerging hashtag communities you’re not yet aware of. Lastly, take a look at the language people use in their user-generated content posts. What kinds of words are they using when they talk about your campaigns? You might uncover new ways of thinking or talking about your work that  better align with the ways people already perceive you.

Exercise: Sit down with your Campaign Canvas and look for ways that UGC aligns. Then, create a simple statement based on that information that tells users exactly what kind of content you’re mostly likely to feature. Once you have a simple, clear UGC ask, share it anywhere people are likely to interact with your campaign: your social channels bios, in other user-generated content social media posts, on your website, in your physical location, or even on your product packaging. Print a hashtag somewhere obvious, and people will start using it.