Are you having trouble getting your customers to share their content on Instagram? Here are 4 easy solutions
It’s very difficult to utilize user-generated content (UGC) if you’re barely getting any. The foundation for any UGC marketing plan has to include a healthy dose of content being consistently produced by your customers. If you’re having trouble getting UGC in a consistent way, then the process of energizing your fanbase into becoming more involved in generating content is an integral part of your marketing strategy.
Converting your customers into active advocates for your brand is easier said than done. There are pitfalls that you need to avoid at all costs. The motivation you provide customers has to feel organic. After all, you don’t want them to feel pressured or manipulated into making content for you. With this in mind, here are 4 ways to get your customers inspired to make UGC.
Create a Hashtag
It’s important to make your customers feel unique and part of their own group. Your customers are going to be more inclined to share content if they feel like they’re a part of something greater. And not only a part of it – but that they can easily be recognized as a part of a community with their fellow brand advocates. A hashtag does this. It’s a great unifier that gives content generators both recognition and a sense of community.
Of course, this is only true if your users actually employ hashtags. If your users never add hashtags to a post, this may not be the right approach for you. Always consider your user generated content strategy and audience habits when considering a hashtag.
Incentivize Posting
Your customers aren’t going to share their content if they don’t feel like it’ll be worthwhile in some way or another. Creating a hashtag for them gives them a sense of belonging and unity. Another way to engage is encouraging your audience to tag you in a post or story, and rewarding them with a comment or a like on their photo.
If you make the act of sharing brand-worthy content feel rewarding to your customers, they’ll do it. Incentives can come in many forms, from discounts on your products to giving them a shoutout on your Instagram account for being awesome.
Don’t Forget To Make IRL Instagrammable
No one’s going to make posts about your content if your brand and products don’t look like they’ll stand out. You have to make your brand and your products embody whatever image you’re selling, whether that be trendy, cute, fashionable, or anything in between.
Essentially, your brand needs to be “Instagramable”. Once it is, your customers then have the raw materials to generate content out of it. In other words, having an eye-catching offering or product is like providing your customers with the tools necessary to create UGC.
Remember, this in real life (IRL) branding starts from the moment they receive a package. Is there a hand-written note or a cute bow? Are there stickers or a pin to use on laptops and backpacks? Consider what can you do with the physical experience to elevate the customer connection.
Showcase On-Brand User-Generated Content
Since you’re after UGC that meets your aesthetic and brand guidelines, you should celebrate the items that resonate with your brand. Make your customers feel proud of their content. Giving them recognition goes a long way towards making them feel that the time and effort they put into their content is worth it. Like we mentioned earlier, this recognition can come in the form of a shoutout, but we believe that you should be going further than that.
Having a section on your website or in a blog post displaying some of the best UGC you’ve received will not only make those who are displayed feel validated, but it will also give those who aren’t a standard to work towards. That way you re-engage your current brand loyalists and bring new ones into the fold.
