USG User Generated Content is any form of marketing content including posts, videos, blogs discussion, posts etc. It’s also occasionally called consumer-generated media (CGM).
USG can be incredibly beneficial to companies marketing campaigns as prospective customers are far more likely to be much more receptive to brands that are promoted by their fans.
The utility of UGC then transcends individual marketing campaigns and can expand companies to reach consumers at multiple touchpoints along the customer journey. The result is a greater likelihood of increased social engagement, higher conversion rates and improved ad performance.
Features of many contemporary Social networking platforms such as Twitter handles and Hashtags have let people coordinate their posts around specific identifiable topics, find posts that relate to that theme. It also allows marketers new opportunities and challenges for engaging their users in their marketing campaigns.
Gaining Exposure With User Generated Content
Starbucks ran an incredibly successful Social media marketing campaign in 2015. They encouraged their followers, predominantly on Instagram to doodle on their classic Starbucks white cups and to post the results on Instagram or Facebook Using #WhiteCupContest. They offered the prize of the winning entry being used reproduced as a limited edition cup nationwide. The campaign managed to generate over 4,000 user submissions in a 3-week period.
Although, most brands don’t have the follower base to generate such a high level of engagement, especially with such a brief campaign. Forward-thinking brands can effectively leverage user-generated content in similar ways to assist with awareness building campaigns.
For example, a common strategy used to market events such as conferences is to encourage conference attendees wearing t-shirts that are given away before a conference.
If you’re concerned that your calls for User-generated content will merely fall on deaf ears, adding an element of competition to the campaign is a great way to motivate your audience to engage with your campaign. Providing a prize for the most compelling post is much more likely to motivate users to generate interesting brand-related content.
Risks of User Generated content
There are some risks inherent in using the public to help enhance your marketing campaigns. Since the adoption of the widespread adoption of social media, marketers has found it increasingly difficult to control their public image. Utilizing user-generated is giving up creative control over the direction of a given marketing campaign. There are multiple examples of User-generated content campaigns backfiring on brands. If a campaign generates a certain amount of attention it’s almost inevitable you will get some users hijacking a hashtag, or posting negative or inappropriate content.
Brands should always ask permission from users before reposting their content on their native social media platforms.
Similar Marketing Strategies
Providing your company staff with merchandise to wear for specific company event doesn’t fall under the category of User Generated Content. However, the same principles can be leveraged to help create brand awareness. Asking users to post pictures of themselves wearing branded t-shirts or other garments given away at a previous conference for a chance to win a free ticket to a separate upcoming conference is a great way to generate a buzz surrounding an event.
Combining User Generated Content and Promotional Items
There are essentially two primary ways that user generated content can be combined with promotional items in marketing campaigns.
One way is to give away branded promotional items as a prize to the top contributors in a given UGC campaign. This is extremely effective if your brand is already fairly established and has a positive image that people like to be associated with. The other way to use branded Items in promotional content is by encouraging users to submit content of them featuring your promotional items. This can be incredibly effective ongoing marketing campaign especially if your brand has a distinctive well-known hashtag for Instagram and Twitter.
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