Level Up Your Social Media Game With User-Generated Content

Are you looking for a new way to share information about your brand and engage with your customers on social media? User-generated content (UGC) can help!

What is UGC?

UGC is a broad category that encompasses content about the specific products and services you offer—or about your business in general—created by social media users or customers. In other words, it’s content that has been created about your brand, but not by your brand.

UGC is extremely common, and includes things like social media posts, video content, podcasts, blogs, testimonials, and customer ratings and reviews. Chances are, you engage with it online on a regular basis. 

In fact, you’ve probably even created UGC yourself at some point without really realizing it! If you’ve ever Instagrammed a meal at your favourite restaurant, left a Google review, or posted about the museum/national park/spa/coffee shop you recently visited, you’ve created UGC!

Why is UGC Valuable?

You might be thinking, “Why should I care about UGC? I’ve got brand guidelines! I’ve got social media templates! I’ve got a whole marketing team!”

And those things are all great! We LOVE brand guidelines, templates, and marketing teams. We love seeing cohesive and consistent social media posts that truly represent what your brand is all about. But by treating UGC as complementary to your regular, branded content, you can unlock unique benefits, reach potential customers, and grow your brand.

Here’s what you stand to gain from incorporating UGC into your overall social media strategy:

Social Proof

Have you ever been influenced by someone else’s enjoyment of a product to go and try that product for yourself? That’s social proof.

An example of social proof from the film Mean Girls

Basically, social proof is the idea that if other people are enjoying something, it must be good/fun/cool! This happens with UGC all the time. When people see others using—and loving—your products, they’re more likely to try them, too. (And maybe even create some UGC of their own!)

Trust and Authenticity

Whether you’re in the business of selling scarves or repairing bicycles, people want to know what to expect from your products or services before they commit. And they want to know if other people’s experiences with your brand have been positive or negative. That’s why we read reviews before ordering products online or making restaurant reservations.

Customers expect you to paint your business in a positive light. But let’s face it, as the business owner, you’re biased. By contrast, UGC created by regular people (who aren’t connected to your business) is often considered more authentic and trustworthy.

Brand Loyalty

Sharing content from your customers is a simple and effective way to build relationships and strengthen the community built around your brand. Showcasing your customers can make them feel more connected to your brand, and more likely to continue showcasing your brand in their content. This also makes customers feel like they’re a part of a larger community, which in turn strengthens their loyalty to your brand.

Incorporating UGC into Your Social Content Plan

Now that you know why UGC can benefit your brand, let’s take a look at some of the most common types of UGC, and how you can make use of them. 

Social Media Posts

There are a lot of ways to share existing social media posts on your own social channels beyond hitting the share button and reposting to your feed or stories.

One popular trend with UGC is to screenshot posts from one platform to share on another. For example, say one of your customers wrote a glowing review of your business on their public LinkedIn page, and you’d like to share this more widely. A screenshot of this review can easily become a photo post on Instagram, potentially reaching a more diverse audience than by resharing on LinkedIn alone. 

But if you’re going to do this, we recommend asking permission from the original poster first. While there’s an understanding that posts may be shared within the platform where they were posted—especially if a business page has been tagged—social media users may not expect that their posts will be used on other platforms. (If they’re fans of your brand, they probably won’t mind, but it never hurts to check first!)

💡 Pro Tip: Make sure to ALWAYS credit the original creator. Bonus points for giving the creator a shout out in your caption and encouraging your followers to check out their other content!

Testimonials and Customer Reviews

You likely already make use of testimonials and reviews on your business website, so why not share them on social media as well? 

With this type of UGC, it’s important to strike the right balance in terms of posting frequency. You certainly don’t want your feed to be nothing but testimonials, and give the impression that you’re bragging about all your amazing 5-star reviews. 

Depending on your posting schedule—and the number of testimonials/reviews available to you—start by sharing one or two per month. 

💡 Pro Tip: Created a branded template for this type of post. This way you’ll get the benefits of using UGC while keeping your posts visually cohesive.

Videos

Product hauls, unboxing videos, and product tutorials all make for engaging social media content, and give your followers an opportunity to find out how your products work, and see what they look like in the wild. 

There are a couple of options you might want to try with this type of UGC:

1. Share existing video content created by customers (with permission and credit, of course).

2. Make a short video of your own calling on your followers to post a new video highlighting your products.

💡 Pro Tip: When putting out the ask for fresh UGC, be sure to state that those videos will be shared on the company page.

Podcasts and Blog Posts

Whether it’s a formal product review or just a quick mention of a brand, podcasts and blogs can also be a great source of UGC. Consider pulling a quote to share as a text or image post. (If you don’t already have a template for quote posts, we suggest creating one.)

You can also share a direct link to the podcast or blog that mentioned you, and encourage your followers to check it out.

💡 Pro Tip: Don’t forget to tag and thank the podcaster/blogger for the mention. It’s a small gesture, but one that will reinforce a positive connection with your brand.

Adding UGC to your content plan can be a fun and creative way to showcase your brand and your customers. But remember, any content you share should ultimately align with your brand values and support your overall social media goals, so choose your UGC wisely!