Boost Instagram Engagement with User-Generated Content

One of the primary drivers of social media campaigns, user-generated content (UGC) is content created by users, as opposed to the ones from brands. They come in different forms, such as videos, reviews, and blog posts.

As a good source of engagement, UGC is a reliable strategy to bank on as part of your company’s social media marketing strategy. Among its many benefits are high community engagement, more meaningful relationships with the audience, stronger brand awareness, and improved ROI.

If you are investing in UGC, there are different ways to encourage users to create more content for you.

1. Create a Contest or Campaign Revolving Around Hashtags

We’re all familiar with hashtags, and we use them in different ways. What makes them an essential tool in social media marketing is how they are tied to trends. One of the most effective ways of driving UGC is to utilize hashtags in creating contests or campaigns.

It’s profitable to stay on top of the most popular hashtags to know what kind of content users like to engage in at the moment.

Best Practices in Creating an Instagram Contest or Campaign

If you have an Instagram contest or campaign in mind, here are the best practices to ensure you get the most out of it.

• Give customers guidelines for their content.

  A good UGC campaign has a well-defined set of rules that allows users to jump in easily without having to wrack their brains for ideas. Just make sure it’s broad enough not to constrain their creativity. Specific parameters will help shape your campaign.

  Some questions to ask before the start of your campaign are:

  • 1. What is the format of the content? Is it a static image or a video?
  • 2. Should it be taken alone or in groups?
  • 3. Should it be outdoors or indoors?
  • 4. What are the objectives?

  These are just guiding questions. You can add as many details as you want.

• Aim for a Combination of Trend and Branded Hashtags.

  To make the most out of hashtags, you have to come up with a combination that promotes your brand but also rides on what’s trending today. There are many ways to go about this, but here are the top guidelines:

  • Choose one to two trending hashtags (preferably up to a million posts).
  • Choose one to two hashtags that target your niche, industry, or business category.
  • Choose one to two hashtags that are specific to your brand.

  Following these steps, you’ll have three to six hashtags customized for your brand, but to hit the sweet spot, try to aim for three to four hashtags, as they generate the most number of user impressions.

2. Encourage Your Customers to Tag You in Their Posts

Aside from driving traffic to your page, encouraging your customers to mention or tag you in their posts does another thing: it reminds or gives them the idea to post.

Instagram has become a hub of interaction between different kinds of people, and a user’s purchase experience rarely ends with them getting the product. Of course, this has been the case even before social media. But given how easy it is to exchange information, it’s been amplified exponentially.

This is why you want to remind your customers to post about your products and services every chance you get.

How to Go About It

There are different ways to encourage your customers to post and tag you aside from mentioning it in your conversation.

• Write it on your receipt.

  You can suggest that customers share their experience with you by writing it on your receipt, packaging or box, or eco-friendly bags. The key here is to make it visible to them.

• Set up incentives.

  Ask yourself, “Would I post about my brand if I were a customer?” If not, what will make you?

  Try to think of incentives like freebies or gift cards to entice customers to go out of their way to post about your brand.

3. Engage More

It may not be enough to repost or comment on UGC, but there are other ways you can engage more with the creators. Not only will this help you build stronger relationships with your customers, but you are also building an image that buyers love.

• A “thank you” with a personal touch goes a long way.

  Thanking your customers in the comments section is standard and considered the bare minimum. Reposting customers’ content featuring your brand is something sellers do to highlight their products.

  But consider sending your customers a personalized “thank you” in their DMs. It screams sincerity and gratitude. This is what customers want. Their purchasing decisions often go beyond the products they purchase; it’s also about buying from brands they trust.

  Many Instagram users post heartfelt conversations with sellers, which drives a great deal of relevant traffic. This is why you should always take stock of what’s happening in the DMs. If you want to take it further, you can send them a voice message or a video showing your appreciation.

• Ask for permission and include proper credit.

  Even if it’s your product, the content created by your customers is still theirs. Aside from it being a decent thing to do, asking permission also opens an exchange. If you want to convert that customer into a loyal customer, you’d want to make conversation whenever you have the opportunity.

4. Build and Lead a Community

One of the strengths of Instagram is that it allows many opportunities for collaboration. Creating a solid and active UGC campaign can start with you building a community that is mutually beneficial to everyone involved. This includes reaching out to other brands who might benefit from your shared effort. Drive creative content ideas that encourage others to join in and have fun.

Boost Your Brand by Building Relationships

User-generated content heavily depends on the quality of your products and the relationship you build with your customers. Use these ideas and methods to encourage your audience and customers to spread the word about what you offer. If you want more content posted about your brand, take the first step and reach out.