How to encourage your customers to create user generated content

Many online marketers seek to create positive user-generated content (UGC) for their respective brands. UGC is considered the holy grail of internet marketing. It involves customers voicing out their satisfaction about a brand. It not only boosts a website’s SEO but also give a credible social proof for a company’s products and services.

But how can you encourage your customers to create user generated content that will benefit your brand? Here are some tips to keep in mind:

1. Branded hashtags can lead to user generated content

Arguably the easiest way to encourage user generate content is to create branded hashtags. These are particularly helpful on Instagram and Twitter.  You can share branded hashtags with a call for your customers to create UGC.

Branded hashtags also allow you to view submissions in one feed, so it is easier for you to select the content that you want to highlight or feature.

2. Give incentives

Holding contests is one of the best ways to encourage customers to participate in your firm’s UGC efforts. And there are plenty contest types that you can hold to entice consumers to join.

The conduct of a photo contest wherein customers can submit photos according to a certain theme, for instance, can give your brand future posts. It can also reward your customers.

3.  Use post-sale emails

You can also invite customers to submit UGC by incorporating prompts into post-sale emails. In the same way that you encourage customers to review a product bought from your store, you may also ask them to share photos or videos showing them using your products.

4. Repost UGC in your brand’s social media account

Finally, you can encourage other customers to create UGC by reposting user-generated content on your brand’s own social media accounts. You can repost or retweet the user generated content then tag the person who created it.