Boost summer marketing engagement: 6 ways to harness the power of User Generated Content

Summer is the perfect opportunity to harness the power of user-generated content (UGC) to amplify your brand’s reach and engagement. User-generated content is when your audience creates content instead of you. It could be any form of content – think social media posts about your brand, product reviews, etc. It not only builds trust and authenticity but also creates a sense of community and connection with your audience. Here’s how you can effectively encourage and leverage UGC for your summer campaigns.

1. Create a Summer-Themed Hashtag Campaign

Hashtags help to organize conversations online and they can make finding content easier. They are also a great way to centralize UGC and make it easily discoverable. By creating a unique, catchy summer-themed hashtag, you can encourage your audience to share their experiences and content related to your brand.

Here’s how to do it:

• Develop a unique and memorable hashtag: Develop a hashtag that is easy to remember, unique to your campaign, and reflects the summer vibe. Examples could include #SummerWith[YourBrand] or #[YourBrand]Sunshine.

• Promote it: Promote your hashtag across all your social media channels, website, and even offline materials. Encourage your followers to use the hashtag in their posts.

• Incentivize participation: Offer incentives such as featuring the best posts on your official page or running a contest where the best use of the hashtag wins a prize.

2. Host UGC Contests and Challenges

Contests and challenges are effective ways to motivate your audience to create content. It’s great for engaging current followers but can also attract new ones as participants share their entries.

How it works:

• Photo and video contests: Encourage your followers to share their summer moments with your products. The most creative or popular entry can win a summer-themed prize.

• Creative challenges: Launch challenges that resonate with summer activities, such as “Show Us Your Best Summer Adventure” or “Share Your Summer Recipe.”

• Low barrier to entry: Make the entry process straightforward. Use hashtags, tags, and specific calls-to-action to ensure you can track and find entries easily.

3. Feature UGC Across Your Channels

Showcasing UGC on your official channels demonstrates that you value your customers and their experiences. This not only builds community but also provides you with authentic content that resonates with potential customers.

Examples of how to use UGC across your channels:

• Social media posts: Share UGC on your social media platforms. Highlight user photos, videos, and stories.

• Website galleries: Create a dedicated section on your website to feature UGC. This can be a gallery of images, a testimonials page, or a live social media feed.

• Email Newsletters: Incorporate UGC into your email marketing. Feature a “Customer Spotlight” section in your newsletters to showcase user photos and stories.

4. Collaborate with Content Creators and Ambassadors

We’re huge fans of partnering with content creators and brand ambassadors. It can amplify your reach and encourage their followers to create content related to your brand. They can set the tone for how their audience engages with your campaign.

How it works:

• Creator partnerships: Collaborate with content creators who embody the summer spirit and align with your brand values. Have them create and share content using your summer campaign hashtag.

• UGC challenges: Ask influencers to challenge their followers to participate in your UGC campaign, creating a ripple effect.

• Exclusive access or products: Provide creators with exclusive access to new products or events, encouraging them to share their experiences and prompt their followers to do the same.

5. Incorporate UGC in Your Advertising

User-generated content can be a powerful tool in your advertising strategy. It adds authenticity and relatability to your ads, making them more effective in resonating with your audience.

How to do it:

• Social media ads: Use UGC in your social media ads to showcase real customers enjoying your products. This can improve ad performance by making your brand more relatable.

• Testimonials: Feature customer testimonials and reviews in your paid ads. Real-life experiences can significantly boost credibility and trust.

• Video ads: Incorporate video clips from your customers in your video advertisements. Authentic videos from real users can capture attention and build emotional connections.

6. Engage and Respond to UGC

Engagement with your audience is important for any marketing strategy you deploy. Actively engaging with the content your users create is crucial. Responding to posts, sharing their content, and showing appreciation can foster a strong community and encourage more users to participate.

Tips to remember:

• Like and comment: Make it a point to like and comment on posts that use your campaign hashtag or feature your products. Personalize your responses to show genuine appreciation.

• Share and repost: Share user-generated content on your stories and feed. Tag the original creators to give them credit and encourage others to participate.

• Highlight stories: Create Instagram Highlights or Facebook Albums dedicated to UGC. This keeps the content visible beyond the initial post period and continues to inspire participation.

Harnessing UGC for your summer campaigns can significantly boost brand engagement and foster a sense of community among your followers. How will you use UGC in your summer marketing? Let us know in the comments!