Lately, user-generated content (UGC) has become one of the most sought-after services at Blue Light Media. Authentic content from real users significantly impacts a brand's crucial social metrics, driving both organic and paid conversions when used in ads. According to a Statista study, 84% of consumers are more likely to trust a brand that uses influencers, with 35% of respondents purchasing a product promoted by an influencer by March 2022.
In recent years, the average social media user has evolved into a mini-influencer, sharing their favorite restaurants, gyms, and brands without seeking deals. Many companies, however, fail to capitalize on this opportunity to fuel their content strategy. So, how can brands scale their UGC production? Here are a few ideas:
1. Recussitate that hashtag
Okay, honestly hashtag campaigns had their little moment in time when they were acceptable in campaigns, but we are very, very far past that. With that said, there is a way you can implement them into a campaign and get some use out of it. Here’s what we would do:
Send an email to your existing customers incentivizing them to post using the said hashtag to their main feed (and tag you of course).
Be sure to provide a disclaimer letting them know that doing so allows you to use the content in advertising campaigns
Use that hashtag as a way to easily find all that new UGC.
Bonus points if your customer uses the “invite collaborator” function.
2. Make it easy for your customers to create.
If you’re wondering why your customers aren’t taking photos of your brand, maybe it’s because there isn’t anything to take a photo of. It’s that simple. Consider the following:
Consider the entire post-purchase experience of your brand. Can you add a shareable image in your confirmation emails? Can you add low-cost gifts like stickers to each one of your orders? Can you….redesign your entire packaging?
Brick and mortar business - have you invested in making your space photo-worthy? Gyms can invest in good lighting, phone holders, and some motivational quotes strategically placed throughout their gyms. Restaurants- create that ONE item that people have to get for the photo. Coffee shops can simply put witty stickers on their cups. Check out what Coffee Dose in Costa Mesa is doing.
Create an AR Filter - this might be hard for YOU to do, but it won’t be that hard for the right developer to do. The entry point for creating an Instagram filter can be as little as $800. Once you have your filter, let your current customers know via email or take it to your best influencer to help get the word out and generate tons of engagement for a fraction of the cost of a paid social campaign.
This is just a starting point, but there are dozens of ways you can eliminate the barrier between you and your customers making content for you.
3. Try Billo.App
Sometimes it’s just easier to tell someone exactly what you want and have them make it for you. Billo.com is a fantastic way for you to do that. We’ve worked with Billo and our brand partners to help create UGC-style content to fuel our paid social campaigns.
Billo UGC average between $75 and $150 per video (in our experience), which is often more than 10x less than any creator/influencer campaign out there.
The videos have helped improve paid social performance by up to 227% for beauty brands
The one downside is you won’t get that extra organic push by having the creators post on their page
Read My Texts
I sent a text to two of my branding agency owner friends asking what the most overlooked strategies are that a designer could implement to immediately level up their designs. Here’s what they said:
Maca, founder of File Brand replied with a voice memo saying “doing actual target demographic research, intentionally mood boarding, then sticking to that mood board” and goes on to say how Pixar sticks to their moldboard to develop their animations and compelling stories.
Anna Nassery, founder of Lumina Creative sent a quick reply “Intelligent Hierarchy”. She goes in-depth on her interview with Boss Babe. Check it out here.
Oversharing
So, this isn’t about marketing at all, but a few weeks ago I spoke at Echo Church about communicating faith to our peers. From my perspective, people of faith have the worst PR team, but how they go about sharing their beliefs with others isn’t helping them either. So how can we do better? Check it out on Oversharing here.