User Generated Content
WHAT
UGC stands for user generated content. It might also be known as UCC, user created content and it means any content that is created or published by users. The official definition is content that is “made available publicly” on a platform by the users of the platform. For example, you are a user of Facebook or Instagram and each time you post on Instagram you are generating or creating content. This content is user generated, thus being called UGC.
WHY
As a company, user generated content means less content that needs to be created by you and your brand! As a digital and social media consultancy with a team of content creators a question that YYC3 asks when on boarding any new client is, where is your content coming from? For a brand to create content, they must pay, whether its in-house employees, freelancers, agencies, or consultancies, creating content requires copyrighters, photographers, videographers, designers, and more. User generated content however, while not always adhering to brand standards, is FREE, so the high-quality kind can be used. With that said, UGC is an important part of any content marketing strategy and should be understood and leveraged by your marketing team.
HOW
As a cost-effective way to create content, how do you make the most of this content, and perhaps more importantly how do you get users to create it in the first place? YYC3’s suggestion – you create an incentivized campaign whereby if users create content, they will receive something of value in return. For example if I said TAG @YYCTHREE for the chance to be featured on my page. In tagging YYC3 the photo will be shared with me, whereby YYC3 will be notified and can save it to my content library, and the incentive for you was that your photo would be recognized and featured to over the thousands of people who are YYC3 followers. A second example is if I said post a photo with the hashtag #getdigitalwithit to be entered to win a prize valued at $200. As an ongoing campaign, YYC3 could even say that contest entrants, aka the photos with the hashtags will be collected and chosen on the last day of each month, so every month more photos are shared and there are more winners.
With that said, UGC often happens by mistake. Think “the accidental influencer” and home videos that “go viral” with no more than the initial intention to have shared the video with friends and family.
An amazing example of this is exemplified by Visit Winnipeg. YYC3 gives props where they are due, and the Visit Winnipeg marketing team certainly deserves some for utilizing this UGC for a hilarious, witty ad!
If you have any further questions or comments about UGC, please contact YYC3!
