Looking for a quality, customer-approved form of content for your digital marketing? Why not give User-Generated Content a try! If you read our blogs (and you should), you'll have already learned a little bit about User-Generated Content, or UGC. It's not only a trending source of content on social media, but it's also an easy, successful form of content that keeps on giving and makes the content generation process a little easier for you! There are a lot of ways to use UGC, so we thought we'd take a closer look and give you everything you need to know to feel confident when making your next post.

A Quick Breakdown

UGC is what the name suggests; content that is generated, or created, by users of a brand, product, or service. It can be customers, employees, or in some cases influencers who specifically create sponsored UGC. The reason UGC is such a successful form of marketing is because it's authentic. It's usually honest reviews about what a business is selling and the results of that purchase, with no in-post editing that makes the product or service seem like more than it is. Because UGC comes primarily from your customers, it also helps establish trust and customer loyalty for your brand. If people see other consumers loving your arrangements and designs, they'll be more likely to turn to you than another flower shop that has less customer interaction, in turn driving your loyalty and brand recognition. 

As far as the type of content, the limit does not exist. UGC comes in all forms. From tweets or Google reviews to videos or photos, consumers have numerous creative outlets to express their opinions on your business. What you need to do as a business is figure out what format works best for your marketing strategy. 

Creating a UGC Campaign

While it's perfectly fine to just share whatever UGC your shop gets in any format you get it, a more cohesive and impactful tactic is to create a UGC campaign. This requires a little planning in the beginning, but ultimately it helps you in the long run as you incorporate UGC into your social media and other digital platforms. Here's a basic checklist for you to follow when deciding on your UGC campaign strategy: 

1. Set Your Goal- What is it you hope to achieve by incorporating UGC? Are you looking for brand recognition, feedback on your shop, higher conversion numbers? Decide what suits your business best and go from there! 
2. Think About Your Audience- Different audiences will respond better to different types of content. An audience with an average age of 40 or older probably won't respond as well to TikTok trends or video reviews of your product as a younger audience. Keep in mind who you're making content for and choose the format that you think will work best. 
3. Give Clear Instructions- To piggyback off the previous point, make sure the people you encourage to generate the content know what you're looking for! If you decide Google reviews will be most beneficial, make it easy for your customers to give you that feedback. If you'd rather have pictures or videos, create a hashtag they can add to social media or have a landing page dedicated to UGC on your website. 
4. Make it Fun- If you're going to ask people to give you feedback on your shop, the least you can do is give them some incentive. This can be as simple as creating a fun theme for your campaign, giving shoutouts on social media, or offering a prize or reward for participating. Remember, no matter how you get the content, you should always credit the creator. 
5. Spread the Love- Once you've gathered the content you're looking for, it's time to implement it through your own channels. Share your UGC on your social media and website, use it in email campaigns, or anywhere that makes sense to help achieve the goal you set for the campaign. 

While UGC shouldn't be the entirety of your social media marketing, it is something we recommend adding into your marketing strategy. We're sure your customers will love it!