Great advertising can bring potential customers to your doorstep, but it is social proof that nudges them to get in. And in today's world, where brands are struggling to find a USP that makes them stand out, word-of-mouth advertising is truly invaluable. This means the more your customers vouch for your products, the easier it gets to gain potential customers' trust.

And one of the most effective word-of-mouth advertising strategies is user-generated content campaigns. A well-strategized UGC campaign helps brands like yours get hold of a pool of UGC that you can use to market your products effectively. In this blog, we talk about the ins and outs of UGC campaigns, from its benefits and guidelines to setting up UGC campaigns to cUGC content ideas from brands killing it out there.

But let's start with the basics,

What is a UGC campaign?

A user-generated content (UGC) campaign is a marketing campaign used by brands to scale user-generated content production. Brands usually do this by encouraging their customers, social media followers, and target audience to produce content about their products in exchange for incentives. They later use this content for marketing by adding it to ads, embedding it on websites, and displaying it during events.

One of the best user-generated content campaigns is GoPRo's hashtag contests, where the brand encourages users to share their visuals taken using GoPro gadgets using specific hashtags. The best entries are later showcased on the company website and social media channels with a shout-out for their creators.

Why should you run UGC campaigns?

In short, user-generated content is more memorable than branded content. Since real people create these, they often strike a cord with your potential buyers, aiding them in making purchase decisions faster. Here are more benefits of running UGC campaigns:

1. To create social proof and increase sales

For most buyers today, UGC is synonymous with credibility and authenticity. They trust UGC 2.5 times more than brand-related content. In addition, millennials, who make up a good percentage of today's buyers, favor UGC over branded content by 50%. This means adding UGC to your websites, ads, and other marketing materials is a great way to gain your customer's trust and make them buy from you.

2. To build brand loyalty and create repeat customers

Most people who contribute UGC to your brand expect either of these two things: rewards and recognition. Thus, displaying UGC on various social channels by giving due credit to the creators is a fantastic way to give its creators the limelight they deserve. Doing this fosters a sense of community, builds brand loyalty, and encourages them to be repeat customers.

3. To have a content bank of marketing ideas

Running UGC campaigns is a great way to ensure your marketing team has a bank of fresh and proven marketing content. This is because UGC campaigns bring to light many new, unique selling points you may have never considered. And since these are from your target audience or direct users of the product, you don't have to spend more time testing them out.

How to run UGC campaigns from start to finish

Here's a step-by-step guide on how to run a user-generated content campaign from scratch:

1. Decide on your goals

The first step of creating a user-generated content strategy is to identify the goals you want to achieve. This can be raising brand awareness, increasing sales, collecting testimonials or increasing your social media engagement. For instance, Daniel Wellington teams with a group of influencers to build social proof and increase sales. The brand asks influencers to post pics and videos of them wearing their watches on social media with the hashtag #DWPickOfTheDay and offers a special discount code for their followers.

Another thing to take note of while curating your UGC campaign goals is to ensure they are achievable and measurable. One of the easiest ways to do it is to follow the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) goal-setting framework.

Example: Build social proof by collecting at least 20 testimonial videos from your Instagram followers within a month.

2. Know your target audience

When it comes to UGC campaigns, it is important to understand two types of audiences inside out:

• Those who create content for your brand: This group usually includes repeat buyers, active social media followers and those who share reviews on their account. You can also conduct a survey to get a pool of customers willing to create UGC for you. Then, know what ticks them and what would persuade them to create content the way you want. For some, it is rewards and incentives, while some prefer the recognition they get from social media wall embeds on your websites.

• Those who are likely to consume this UGC: This group is the target audience who interacts with your UGC campaigns so you get the desired results. You need to figure out their demographics, behavioral data, preferences and pain points to create UGC that resonates with them. For instance, if your target audience is between 15-29, they are more likely active on Instagram and TikTok than any other channels.

3. Finalize the UGC types and platforms

Once you hammer out the goals and target audience, deciding the UGC types and platforms is easier. With more intel on your target audience, you can uncover details like the platforms on which they hang out the most. This helps further finalize the content types best suited for each platform. For instance, UGC videos like before and after videos and product tutorials are most effective when posted on visual-heavy channels like TikTok, YouTube and Instagram.

Example: Rihanna's brand, Fenty Beauty, runs successful UGC campaigns to create buzz around product launches by encouraging customers to review products in video formats.

4. Promote your UGC campaigns

You need to promote your UGC marketing campaigns across multiple channels to reach the right audience and get the desired UGC. Here are some of the best ways to market your campaigns:

Using emails: Create catchy, visual-heavy emails to direct your email subscribers to your preferred platform and submit UGCs.

On websites: Embed a custom social media feed on your websites to nudge more website visitors to create UGC for your brand.

Through influencers: Partner with influencers to expand the reach of your UGC campaigns and boost participation.

Cross Promotion across platforms: Promote your UGC campaigns across multiple channels, even if your campaign is platform-specific, to tap into new audiences.

5. Collect and moderate UGC

Once your campaigns are up and running, you'll receive user-generated content from various sources. Collecting and moderating this content is essential to create the image you want for your brand. This doesn't mean weeding out negative reviews but about putting a conscious effort into building a compelling brand narrative and bringing out the best results. Here are some ways to do it:

• Invest in a UGC platform: A UGC platform is especially useful if you are running UGC campaigns for multiple platforms. With a platform like Flockler, you can pull content from any platform using keywords, mentions and account handles. You can also set up auto-moderation to ensure only the best UGC gets displayed on websites and screens.

• Get UGC rights: Get permission from your UGC creators before repurposing them for marketing. You can do this easily using the UGC Rights Management feature in UGC platforms like Flockler. The tool gets permission through custom forms or ready-made comments and keeps track of approved and pending requests.

6. Distribute across channels

After procuring a pool of UGC in your preferred format, it is time to distribute them across various channels. You can use them in both online and offline marketing to create brand buzz and bring in more sales. Here are some tips to do it:

• Promote them using specific hashtags to track results better.

• Add UGC social media feed to your websites to build your social proof and increase website dwell time.

• Display them on screens and jumbotrons to build your brand awareness during events.

• Repurpose and incorporate them into your in-house marketing strategy.

• Use them in paid ads to nudge potential customers to buy from you.

7. Measure UGC campaign results

Tracking and measuring your campaign results is easy if you are already using a UGC platform. You can easily track the engagement of your UGC social media feed embedded in various places like websites, jumbotrons and event signages. If that's not the case, here are some metrics you should track to gauge the success of your campaigns:

• Hashtag usage: If you have promoted a hashtag as a part of the UGC campaigns, track the number of posts with this specific hashtag.

• Conversion rate: If you are using user-generated content to increase traffic to your website and drive sales, calculate how much of this traffic gets converted. You can do this using Google Analytics.

• Social sentiment analysis: You can gauge the overall sentiment of your audience towards your UGC campaigns using tools like Hootsuite and Clarabridge.

7 best examples of user-generated content campaigns

It's always a great idea to learn from others who are getting it right, and here are 7 great UGC campaign examples from brands that have got it right:

1. Sohome

Sohome is one of the many e-commerce sites that offer shoppable UGC on their website. They engage their customers by sharing product reviews and mentioning the branded hashtag. The best entries are shown as an Instagram carousel on the website, which gives the product description and a 'buy now' button when clicked. This helps interested buyers buy directly from the website, increasing conversions.

Have you already created a user-generated campaign for your brand? Create a free trial account with Flockler and gather the latest mentions of your branded hashtag in minutes.

2. Hilton Grand Vacations

Travel marketers can't live without user-generated content. And according to research by Travel Counsellors, 96% of travelers are more likely to trust a recommendation from another person over branded content.

Hilton Grand Vacations makes no exception to the rule – their #MyHGV feed features the best Instagram images to inspire website visitors to book the next holiday with them.

For more inspiration, learn how travel brands use social media and UGC in marketing.

3. United Nations Foundation

In the #EqualEverywhere hashtag campaign, the United Nations Foundation asks visitors to take the pledge and join their fight for an equal future. In addition to donations, they ask their fans to use ready-made social media templates and share their message with family and friends.

The campaign is a great example of how nonprofits use socia media for fundraising. Traditional marketing channels (phone calls, street marketing, print advertising, etc.) are still important, but a successful UGC campaign helps organizations reach new audiences without geographical boundaries - with minimal resources compared to traditional channels and far more precise targeting.

4. University of Wisconsin

In addition to increasing awareness and reach, the key benefits of using user-generated content in education marketing are to attract future students with social proof and nurture the relationship with existing students, staff, and other stakeholders. Most students these days belong to Generation Z (teens and young adults born in 1995 or later), and compared to previous generations, they value authenticity and are naturally skeptical about advertising.

The University of Wisconsin uses Flockler to gather and display social media feeds on its website – providing students an easy way to share their experiences and add social proof to their website. Some of the advantages of user-generated content are that it saves time for your content creation team and adds social proof to support your existing editorial content.

5. Worktop Express

Worktop Express, the UK's leading online shop for solid wood worktops, brings user-generated content from its Instagram account to its homepage. They create a custom Instagram wall with posts from their customers on how they styled their products. This is a great way to build social proof and build brand credibility.

Does your brand already gather feedback and recommendations from customers? Sign up for a 14-day free trial with Flockler and embed a branded hashtag feed on any digital service.

6. Georgia Power

Social media channels like X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram promote brands and accounts with the highest number of mentions, likes, and comments. It's in their interest to keep displaying content that our friends like and keep us glued to our screens for long periods.

Recognising and promoting your customer community content is an excellent way of increasing the number of mentions.The community page of Georgia Power highlights both the mentions of their Facebook Page and campaign hashtags. By actively curating and promoting the content published by your customers, partners, your brand itself (like Coca Cola does), and stakeholders, you'll encourage others to participate too.

7. New Zealand National Cricket team

The New Zealand National Cricket team has a well-curated social media feed with Instagram images, tweets and YouTube videos on their website. The feed is gathered using player and team mentions by fans and trusted news sources. This helps the brand give its website visitors a peek into the activities of its fanbase.

Maximize your UGC campaign ROI with Flockler

If running a UGC campaign is next on your marketing checklist, here's an insider tip to make the most of it: embed UGC on your website. Why? Because it can skyrocket your website conversions by over 29%. And you can do this easily using Flockler.

FAQs

1. What’s the best UGC type?

There’s no one-size-fits-all type when it comes to user-generated content. The best type depends on factors like your goals, target audience and the social platform for your campaign. For example, if your plan is to raise brand awareness, the target audience is youngsters, and the social media channel is Instagram, then the best format is usually images or short videos.

2. How to embed UGC on your website?

You can add user-generated content on your website in 3 steps using Flockler:

1. Sign in to Flockler and collect UGC from your preferred channel. Flockler lets you take content from more than 13+ social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, etc.

2. Moderate the content for your feed if necessary. You can also edit the look and feel of the feed to match the rest of the website.

3. Get the embed code and add it to respective CMS platforms like WordPress, Squarespace and even Shopify websites.