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User behaviors are changing along with social media platforms, which means advertizers have to get creative in how they showcase their products.
Gone are the days when a sleek visual with clever copy was enough to grab the audience’s attention – now, more than half of viewers just scroll past it, instantly recognizing it as an ad.
So, what do we do about this? How can we show our products to Instagram users without immediately losing their attention?
With Instagram UGC, of course!
Whether you’re already a pro at it or this is your first time hearing the terms UGC, Instagram, and social media marketing, this guide will help you grasp the concept in a way that will improve your next strategy.
We’ll go over what it is and how it works and also provide some examples and benefits.
So, let’s jump right into it!
UGC stands for user-generated content, meaning that this is content created by your users.
This can include pretty much anything – a selfie of them featuring your products, a story with an unboxing video, or a 10-minute review going over all the features.
Instagram is a great platform for this kind of promotion since it supports various formats – static images, videos, disappearing stories, IGTV, and more, while also giving brands and their partner creators valuable tools such as shopping, linking, and easily accessible metrics.
The most important thing to remember when using UGC is that you need permission to reshare someone else’s content on your brand account. There are several features that can help:
Of course, if you weren’t tagged, invited as a collaborator, or ‘remixed’ into the post, you can always simply as the creator for permission. Just don’t share anything without giving the original poster a heads-up – this could land you in some legal trouble, and we don’t want that to happen.
Now that you know all about what UGC is, let’s move on to why you need it.
The most obvious benefit is that it makes your brand more trustworthy. UGC serves as something of a digital word-of-mouth marketing strategy, where the audience trusts the creator more than they would a brand.
And this isn’t just speculation – xSellCo reports that UGC is 20% more influential than any other type of media!
And, when talking specifically about Instagram, UGC ads have about 70% higher engagement than traditional paid ads.
But, other than these shocking statistics, we have a few more benefits to share with you. Here’s what they are:
One of the main points of integrating UGC into your strategy is to gain more exposure. This comes organically, as the creator’s followers will see your brand without ever having to look you up or without you needing to target their demographic – it’ll just show up.
This is especially beneficial to smaller businesses that are just starting out since their marketing budgets usually aren’t sky-high.
Plus – UGC is authentic, which means that it encourages others to chime in with their own experiences with your brand. Not only does this mean more engagement, but more feedback, as well.
We already mentioned how people are more likely to trust individual creators over brands, so you know UGC works as social proof. Over 90% of consumers check out the reviews on a product before making the final decision to buy.
So, rather than spending all of your budget on advertizing, invest in a UGC campaign and you’ll have control over what goes out into the world.
Unless you’re a super well-known corporate giant like Dior or Starbucks, chances are, there’s not that much of a community around your name. The best way to get started on building one is to start digitally with UGC.
Once a user (not a brand) puts out content about something they’ve bought and tried, commenters are more likely to start a conversation since it feels more natural than talking to a company profile on social media.
But let the numbers speak for themselves – ComScore reports that UGC gets about 30% more engagement on social media, which gives it a clear advantage over traditional ads.
Your marketing team is probably comprised of marketing experts who, no matter how creative they are, are still marketers. This runs the risk of your content coming off too salesy, which your audience won’t like. In fact, almost half of them will unfollow if it does.
But when you’re working with UGC creators, you’re working with industry experts, influencers, and people from all walks of life. They bring new perspectives and new angles and will showcase your product in different ways.
This will come in handy when you want to diversify your content or when your marketers get tired – either way, it’s a useful tool to keep in the shed.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DBwnKPPTpCE/
How To Source UGC on Instagram
We’ve been going on about how great UGC is and what it can bring you, so hopefully, you’re convinced to give it a try. But that leaves us with the age-old question: where do I even start?
Fear not, dear reader, for we’re here to give you 3 strategies for sourcing Instagram UGC!
This is one of the quickest and easiest ways to approach sourcing UGC. A branded hashtag is, obviously, a hashtag that is closely tied to your brand – it can be just the name, your slogan, or anything else you decide on.
This decision is the first step – ask yourself what you want to achieve by doing this. Do you want to promote your whole brand, or a particular collection or product, or to source UGC for a specific campaign?
Once you get that down, you can start promoting your hashtag. This is an easy step; you just have to use it on your posts and wait for people to notice. The trick is to be consistent but not spammy.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DBM4eEEvXRU/
The best and most effective way to do this is through giveaways and contests. No one wants to work for free, so it’s a good idea to offer your UGC creators something in return.
For example, GoPro is currently running an Instagram campaign where they invite users to share the content they made using their GoPro cameras for a chance to earn a cash prize:
Source: https://gopro.com/en/us/awards/line-of-the-winter
If you’re struggling to get organic UGC going, another approach you can take is to reach out to influencers and ask them to create it for you.
This doesn’t have to be some million-dollar deal – micro- and nano-influencers usually charge a lot less than, for example, celebrity ambassadors. Oftentimes, you’ll even be able to negotiate the terms for the compensation so that you pay them in freebies, discounts, or coupon codes rather than cash.
The first step here is to find the right influencers, which can, admittedly, take up a lot of your time. So, if you want to streamline the process, you can reach out to a specialized UGC agency that can do most of the work for you.
We should add a UGC example by UGC Factory here.
Okay – so you know what UGC is, what its benefits are, and how you can get your hands on it. But what do you do with it now?
In this section, we’ll go over some of the best practices for using Instagram UGC to your advantage. Let’s see…
Once you have an overview of all the content users have submitted, whether via your branded hashtag or to take part in a contest, you’ll want to select the best pieces to share.
Of course, keep quality, tone, and style in mind, but another important factor in determining what to keep is your goal for the campaign. This might be:
Once you’ve defined what’s relevant, you can start going through the submissions and creating a folder of your picks.
If, among the content you’ve saved, you find someone’s video where they’re hyping up your product – share it – that’s a no-brainer.
But, if someone made a video criticizing your brand, save it, and show it to the development team. This is arguably a more valuable piece for your brand.
Also, don’t be afraid to reshare someone who’s pointing out both the good and the bad. This comes off as genuine rather than sponsored, and it’ll give your customers a realistic insight into what they’re buying while still positioning you as an honest and trustworthy brand.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DEftpS3SXUW/
This is super important not just because of the potential copyright issues we mentioned earlier but because it can act as a strong motivator.
Sure, you’ll get to reap all the benefits of UGC getting in front of different creators’ audiences, but if you tag the original creator, you’re also putting them in front of your audience. This means they’ll get more reach and engagement, which is a win-win situation if we’ve ever seen one.
Besides, everyone wants to get a shout-out from their favorite brand!
UGC, or user-generated content, is something every modern brand needs in its marketing arsenal.
The benefits are clear: UGC increases exposure as your brand gets shared organically, it improves your credibility since people trust real users’ opinions over brand-issued promises, and it helps create a community and spark engagement.
To tap into this resource, you can start a branded hashtag, encourage submissions through contests, or partner with influencers.
Once you have your content, make sure to curate the best pieces that align with your campaign goals. Sharing both positive and negative reviews demonstrates transparency and positions your brand as trustworthy. And, finally, always make sure to credit creators to motivate further collaborations and avoid legal trouble.
But, at the end of the day, if this all feels like too much work, you can always partner with an agency and let them do it for you. 😉
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