User Generated Content on Instagram and WHY You Need It!

User Generated Content on Instagram and WHY you need it! by Estelle Keeber 

So first off, I know there is going to be loads of you out there thinking what the hell is user generated content (UGC) secondly, WHY do I need it and finally HOW do I get it?! 

So let’s start at the beginning and breakdown this tech jargon. User generate content is exactly that, content that is generated by users (your followers / clients) In other words, its posts that are shared by your followers promoting your product, service or the fact that they are a part of your team or community. So for example someone shares a picture of our Grow you Insta book, THIS is UGC.

If someone shares a picture of your amazing candles burning away in a beautifully lit room, THIS IS UGC.If someone shares feedback that they have lost 2 stone since following your fitness plan THIS IS UGC. Do you see what I’m saying? Anything that is shared by your fans / followers / community about you, your product or service is UGC. So WHY should you be using UGC?1)      Pre made content…it’s there ready for you to repost which saves you time2)      Word of mouth marketing is priceless. Sharing out the experiences of people who have already tried your product or service will encourage others to do the same.3)      It raises the visibility of the person who shared originally. We all love a bit of recognition right? So when your fan / follower / teamie sees that you have shared their content, they will get that warm feeling inside and be more inclined to share even more UGC with you.Everyone’s a winner when it comes to UGC! 

And finally, now I have your attention I know your going to by shouting…”so how do I get my hands on this magic UGC”…well there are lots of ways for you to find this content. The easiest way is to encourage your fans / followers / teamies to tag you in the posts. You can also promote the fact that you have a branded hashtag. For example our last Instagram challenge used the hashtag #mibasigc…which meant that every time someone tagged a post using that hashtag we could find it really easily simply by searching #mibasigc and then share out our favourites. An idea for you…how about you run a competition asking all your followers to share a pic of them with your product, use the branded hashtag you have chosen and select 1 winner per month from all of the posts…this will for sure encourage people to share. Don’t have a product…ask them to share a testimonial about your service using the hashtag…it will work the same! 

Until next time… Estelle x