As an eCommerce business owner, I’m sure you know how important it is to capture your audience’s attention in a sea of ads. With social media feeds constantly filled with fresh new ads and more ads, it’s no longer enough to simply create beautifully curated professional content.

Now “what are we supposed to do?” you may ask… The answer is…

User Generated Content (UGC)

What we’re seeing is a massive shift towards more of an authentic approach to ads, one that focuses on real people, in other words, UGC.

UGC refers to any content that’s created by customers or users of your products or services. It can be anything from photos and videos to reviews and testimonials, as long as it’s a real-life customer taking the content it can be anything.

While it may not be perfectly manicured, it is authentic and has the potential to resonate A LOT MORE STRONGLY with your audience. It just comes down to the fact that people can really put themselves in the shoes of real-life consumers just like themselves.

Take one of our fashion clients for instance, they’ve got stunning professional imagery but take a guess at what their best-performing ad is right now?…
One of their team members holding a dog wearing their clothes… taken on an iPhone! Previous to that it was one of their staff packing orders… Now that’s the sort of content anyone can relate with!

If you need some more hard facts to be a believer though, here are a couple of numbers you won’t be able to look past. All according to Bazaarvoice; UGC can increase online conversions by up to 144% and 40% of global shoppers actually agree that it makes them more likely to go ahead with the purchase (WOW are the letters you’re looking for… talk about hard facts right?).

5 Tips to Generate UGC

So, what I’m trying to say is that if you’re not already leveraging UGC, you’re missing out on a powerful marketing tool my friend.

At this point if you’re stuck wondering “how am I going to get this content?”, here are 5 simple tips to encourage your customers to create and share UGC:

1. Offer a photo contest or giveaway: Motivate customers to take pictures with your product and share them on social media for a chance to win a prize. Not only does this create a fun and engaging experience for your customers, but it also generates valuable UGC.
2. Create a branded hashtag: Encourage customers to use a unique hashtag when sharing photos of your product on social media. This makes it easier for you to track and repost UGC, and it also creates a sense of community around your brand.
3. Use influencers: Collaborate with influencers in your industry to showcase your product positively, and encourage their followers to take photos with it. While paid influencers work best, you can also trade photos for a product if you’re just starting. This won’t only help generate UGC but also expands your brand’s reach.
4. (Have a physical store?) Use in-store displays: Create displays that encourage customers to take photos of themselves with your product in-store. This will also create an immersive shopping experience while generating UGC.
5. Offer incentives: Provide discounts or other incentives to customers who share photos of themselves using your product on social media. This is a great way to motivate your customers to create UGC and also reward them for their loyalty.

As we all know transparency is key to maintaining our customers’ trust, so one thing I can’t press enough is the importance of mentioning how you’ll be using this content. Don’t just pop it down in your T&Cs, make sure you get the all-clear from your customers directly.

By leveraging UGC, you can create a much more authentic and engaging experience for your customers, while also generating valuable content for your brand.

Start incorporating real-life customers into your ads by following these 5 simple tips to encourage your customers to generate UGS and watch your engagement soar!

Don’t miss out on the power of User Generated Content!