For starters, what the heck is it? UGC stands for “user-generated content”. This is the content that your customers are creating about your product or service and posting it on their own channels. UGC can come in many forms - stories, pictures, videos, reels, TikToks… the opportunities are basically endless.
Now, why are we even talking about this? Well, UGC is SOOOO important. Because it’s being created by people and not brands, it holds more credibility. It’s not an ad. It’s just regular people posting about the things they love. It takes authenticity to a new level. And, boy, do we love authenticity on social media.
If you’re still struggling to wrap your head around UGC - think of it as “the modern day word of mouth”. But instead of telling just one person, happy customers are shouting it from the rooftops.
Because people don’t like to be advertised to, and people don’t necessarily trust brands/ads, UGC Is incredibly influential. This is why “influencer” is an actual job these days. People trust people.
If you are a brand that generates a lot of UGC, utilize it! The proof is in the pudding. Check out these results that my client is seeing. This first set of analytics was from a stock photo/graphic that was created in their branding. It clearly looked like an ad.
This next set of results was a post I created for them, but it was UGC. I didn’t add branding to it. I didn’t slap a logo on it. I just reposted content that was created by happy customers and tagged them. The caption was all the branding that was necessary.
Now, if your product or service isn’t one that generates much UGC, it’s important that you find a way to get your happy customers to start posting about you. Whether you offer a discount, create a photo op in your store, or create a challenge for your clients that encourages them to post, it's crucial to get them talking!
A couple tips for when you are posting user-generated content:
It’s okay to share others' posts to your stories, but post it yourself to your feed. Don’t just “share”. The algorithm likes “original” content and rewards content creators. By sharing others’ posts, you’re not actually “creating” according to the algorithm.
Always ask permission and be sure to credit the original creator by tagging them in the photo, as well as in the caption. Not only will you avoid any copyright debacles, but this encourages engagement.
Now.... if only we all had as many photos created by our happy customers as the number of times I said “UGC” in this blog. 😉