ChicExecs Co-Founder and Co-President, Kailynn Bowling, shares how to tap into the power of user-generated content on Instagram on Newsweek blog. Check out this highlight from the feature.
One of the most effective (and low-cost) ways to boost your social media engagement is to invest in user-generated content (UGC). UGC is any piece of content that a third party creates about your brand. UGC includes content like product reviews, unboxing videos and product styling photos, to name a few.
UGC is effective on any platform, but if you’re strapped for resources and need to make your content count, go all-in on UGC for Instagram. Consumers usually prefer consuming UGC on this platform because they want to see realistic, genuine content. As long as it’s visually appealing, UGC gives you an immediate in with consumers who are starved for authenticity on Instagram.
UGC is effective because it shows shoppers how exactly your products or services can change their lives for the better. When used correctly, UGC is a goldmine for your biz. But if you’re new to UGC, you might wonder how to find it and use it to grow your biz. Follow these three tips to use UGC and promote your brand for less fuss.
1. Encourage your followers to share UGC. Sure, sometimes UGC just happens to you, but if you want to take advantage of this strategy, you need to actively encourage UGC. Fortunately, requesting UGC is super simple:
• Just ask for it. Seriously. You’d be surprised how many people will post a photo of themselves with your product if you just ask. You can try offering free stickers, coupon codes or contest entries to incentivize more UGC, too.
• Create branded hashtags. Having trouble finding your UGC? Ask your followers to post their photos or videos with a custom hashtag (or by tagging your Instagram account) so you can quickly spot it in your feed.
• Partner with micro-influencers. In my experience, micro-influencers are cheaper and more effective than big-name influencers. Set up an influencer marketing campaign where the influencer creates a piece of UGC and asks their followers to do the same.
2. Choose high-quality UGC. You’ll feel elated when you finally see your first piece of UGC, but beware: not every piece of content is high-quality. You don’t want to repost UGC that’s negative, blurry, dark or unclear. Always sift through your UGC to find winning pieces of content. If you’re drowning in Instagram notifications, use a social listening tool to find UGC the moment it’s published.
3. Always ask for permission. Don’t share your favorite UGC just yet! Because UGC is created by third parties, you risk legal and copyright issues by sharing someone else’s content on your feed. Always DM the owner of the UGC asking for their permission. Be sure to let them know you’ll tag them in a reshare so they’ll get credit for the content.
Read Kailynn’s entire article here.
