Marketing campaigns, such as those on social media networks, require user engagement and participation to be effective. One excellent way to do this is by incorporating user-generated content. Continue reading for some ways to include this type of content in your marketing campaigns.
Consider Why Users Should Submit Content
Before beginning to think of ways to encourage user-generated content, think about why users would want to share content in the first place. This might include wanting to be part of a community with like-minded individuals, ranting or venting, wanting to share their opinion, just for fun, to find others who enjoy the same things, or to receive some sort of reward. By understanding these things, you can use them to your advantage when it comes time to use the content in marketing campaigns.
Offer Rewards
Remember the last reason, where the user gets a benefit? Use this knowledge to add user content with your marketing campaigns. You can do this by offering some sort of reward, incentive or prize for sharing their content on your site and in your marketing campaigns.
For example, a user that submits a picture of your product on Instagram might get a percentage off their next purchase. You could also hold contests with images or video user-generated content, or give prizes to one of the people who submit a comment on your blog. Use social media to announce these different prizes or rewards, such as posting it on Twitter or Facebook.
Take Advantage of Hashtags
If you have become accustomed to using Twitter, you already know what hashtags are. Use them to your advantage by creating fun hashtags for your users to interact with you and get free marketing content. You can either create a hashtag yourself, and encourage followers to use the hashtag in their own content, or find a currently trending hashtag.
If you have a local business in San Diego, and notice #SanDiego is currently a hashtag, great! You’re now able to use the currently popular hashtag to post about your business. This encourages others to talk about your business in San Diego as well.
Get Multi-Media Content
Another way to encourage user-generated content with marketing is through YouTube. The video sharing site gets millions of viewers a day, so consider what exposure that could mean for your business. Offer a grand prize to someone who makes a video about your business, using your own criteria for picking the winner. They will most likely announce the video about your business on their own social media networks, you can announce it on yours, and any followers of their channel have now seen the video.
Get Involved on Pinterest
Finally, use the newer sites like Pinterest to get user-generated content. If you run a business that sells items, collaborate with users who tend to pin the same types of items. Anyone following them will see their pin, and anyone clicking on those pins, gets directed to your website.