Have you tried UGC campaigns in the past but ended up getting nowhere?
We’ve got you covered.
In this article, we show you how to succeed at every point in the UGC process:
- Learn how to find your brand mentions on Instagram, so you can reply to users and share the content to your own feed.
- Find out how to repost UGC to your own feed and profile – in the easiest, quickest, and most organized way possible.
- Get tips and ideas to help your team create irresistible UGC campaigns.
- Discover new ways to increase your brand mentions.
The tutorials, tips, and examples in this piece can help your team generate massive amounts of UGC, and manage it in the best way possible!
Bookmark this article so you can return for inspiration, tools, and tips!
Why User-Generated Content Matters to Brands on Instagram
User-generated content (UGC) is non-paid content that consumers post about your brand on any platform, including social media, blogs, forums, websites, and groups.
UGC takes many forms, such as:
- Photos & videos with your products in them
- Mentions of your brand name
- Personal recommendations
- Reviews
- Testimonials
UGC provides essential social proof that helps convert viewers and fans to paying customers.
Why User-Generated Content Can Make Or Break Your Brand
A survey by TurnTo Networks discovered that 90% of US consumers say UGC is the most influential factor in their purchase decisions.
In the same survey, more than three-quarters of participants said they’re less likely to purchase from online stores that have no customer-generated content.
The majority of people say authenticity is important when deciding what brands they like and support, and consumers believe that UGC is the most authentic form of content.
Why Instagram and UGC Go Hand-in-Hand
For many brands, Instagram is the #1 social network to share user-and-influencer-generated content.
Its visually-driven platform inspires Instagrammers to compete for the most attractive photos and videos of their favorite products.
Shared product images are the easiest UGC to share, and are especially influential on Instagram, where user engagement is more than four times greater than Facebook:
- Consumers rank Instagram as the #1 social media site for viewing photos.
- Nearly 70% of Instagram posts are single images.
On Instagram, reposted content gets about 6% more engagement than original posts.
How UGC Makes Your Instagram Feed Better
Browsing images of real people is more fun and engaging than sifting through branded content because it’s more authentic, unpredictable, and competitive.
Cultivating an audience that loves to share your products often means people share unique and inspiring ways to use your products.
User-generated content is social proof that helps build trust with consumers. Reposting UGC to your brand’s feed and profile is a powerful way to keep your followers engaged while boosting your sales conversions.
How to Repost User-Generated Content on Instagram
When people post images or videos of themselves with your products, you want to repost that content to your own feed and profile.
Unlike most other social media networks, Instagram doesn’t provide a button that allows you to share other people’s content to your own feed in one click.
How To Manually Repost Content On Instagram
You can repost your brand’s UGC manually, but it’s a lot of work if you’re curating multiple pieces because it requires several steps and follow-up requirements:
- Find all your brand and hashtag mentions.
- Hunt down all your brand’s influencer content.
- Screenshot the post.
- Save a link to the post.
- Save the post’s author information.
- Write to the author and wait for permission.
- Receive permission, then compile all the saved info (from steps 3, 4, & 5) into a new post.
If you’re serious about Instagram marketing, you’ll want a reposting tool that helps you discover your brand’s UGC content, obtain permission, and repost content with the click of a button.
How to Repost Instagram Content With Sharelov
Sharelov’s reposting tool lets you discover UGC, request permission to share, and repost it to your feed — in just a few clicks.
Step #1 — How to Quickly Find Your Brand’s UGC
Sharelov’s Mention tool instantly displays Instagram posts that mention your brand.
You can sort the posts by total engagements, likes, or comments — or by mention date. View the author’s followers and organic comments at a glance!
Step #2 — Analyze The User’s Social Influence And Engage With Them
Sharelov lets you message and engage with users directly within the app.
You can easily get the content sharing permission needed to be in compliance with Instagram’s Intellectual Property Policy.
Step #3 — Repost User-generated Content With Just 1 Click
Share UGC from your fans to your feed in one click — Sharelov automatically credits the author!
Finding your brand’s UGC content, getting permission, and reposting with author credit is simple when you use Sharelov tools.
How to Repost Instagram Content With Sharelov
Step #1 — How to Quickly Find Your Brand’s UGC
Sharelov’s Mention tool instantly displays Instagram posts that mention your brand.
You can sort the posts by total engagements, likes, or comments — or by mention date. View the author’s followers and organic comments at a glance!
Step #2 — Analyze The User’s Social Influence And Engage With Them
Sharelov lets you message and engage with users directly within the app.
You can easily get the content sharing permission needed to be in compliance with Instagram’s Intellectual Property Policy.
Step #3 — Repost User-generated Content With Just 1 Click
Share UGC from your fans to your feed in one click — Sharelov automatically credits the author!
Finding your brand’s UGC content, getting permission, and reposting with author credit is simple when you use Sharelov tools.
7 Ways to Boost Your Brand’s UGC on Instagram
Developing your brand’s user-generated content means asking customers to do one or more of the following activities:
- Recommend your products to friends
- Mention your brand in posts
- Include your hashtag in their content
- Share images and videos that include your products
In this section you’ll discover campaigns ideas, incentives, and tips that inspire massive amounts of user-generated content!
#1 – Launch Social Awareness Campaigns
Social cause campaigns that center around a theme relevant to your brand can help boost your UGC if you develop campaigns that resonate with your audience.
For example, the Starbucks #extrashotofpride campaign uses imagery, GIFs, and quotes to celebrate diversity within its organization.
The #extrashotofpride campaign inspired plenty of UGC by employees and fans who wanted to support their gay friends and coworkers, celebrate their own existence, or embrace and promote diversity.
Understanding your audience is essential to creating a social cause campaign that inspires your audience to get involved.
Choose a social cause that your audience connects with. Sustainability, pets in the workplace, and fitness campaigns are also popular social causes.
To find a social cause that motivates your audience, watch your social media analytics to learn what your followers are eager to support.
Don’t forget the hashtags! Creating a unique and memorable hashtag for your campaign is critical to generating shares.
#2 — Use Live Events for Photo Opportunities
Live events are an excellent way to boost your user-generated content!
Whether you hold an in-store event, attend a conference, or throw a party — any live event is an awesome opportunity to cultivate UGC.
Post your hashtag on posters, napkins, or anywhere you can find the opportunity. Encourage people to share images and videos of your event to Instagram, with your hashtag.
#3 — Ask Your Customers
Sometimes all you need to do is ask!
If your brand has a good relationship with its customers, make a point to consistently ask them to post images of your products.
For example, Beauty Pie relentlessly encourages its customers to share images of their product deliveries with the hashtag #PostYourPie.
To promote its request for UCG, the brand includes a “Don’t forget to #POSTYOURPIE” sticky note inside every order.
Beauty Pie frequently thanks random posters by sending them free products, but it doesn’t advertise prizes. Instead, its promotional materials promise nothing more than a “special thank you” to chosen posters
Beauty Pie’s successful #PostYourPie campaign packs its hashtag feed with authentic social proof from users around the world, and the brand reposts its UGC to its own account for further traction!
Consider how asking your customers to share their own images of your products might build an enthusiastic following that can’t wait to share their next purchase.
#4 — Create Themed Challenges
Sometimes all you need to do is give people a fun way to express themselves and they’re happy to post your products.
For example, Kellog’s Eggo Instagram bio includes only one message “Taking pictures of Eggos, because they’ll last longer! Would you L’Eggo your Eggo?”
By creating a fun challenge suited to its audience, Eggo inspired massive amounts of UGC – over 50,000 user images — with one well-placed question – Would you L’Eggo your Eggo?
Lyft rideshare service takes another approach by calling on bike-lovers to tell their stories.
By seeking out people with common interests, Lyft creates a micro-community and encourages user-generated content for its brand.
#5 — Hold Giveaway Drawings
Inspire your customers to share images of your brand products by launching giveaway campaigns.
A giveaway campaign enters Instagrammers into a prize or cash drawing when they post an image of your product and hashtag to their own feed.
Giveaways sometimes offer big cash prizes, but you can run a successful campaign by simply offering free products to the winners.
Giveaway campaigns are an excellent way for any size business to generate more social proof and UGC content for their brand.
#6 — Run Instagram Contests
According to a report by TailWind, posts related to Instagram contests get about 64X more comments.
Running a contest is a great opportunity to build UGC and increase your engagement rates at the same time.
Many brands run contests the same way they run giveaways, but you can really generate more engagement by holding a competition.
For example, GoPro’s annual Million Dollar Challenge chooses the best user-generated videos to share on its feed and win prizes.
Running competitive contests requires followers to engage at a higher level than giveaways, which can help build a more engaged fan base.
#7 — Hire Instagram Influencers
Hiring celebrity influencers may be out of reach for many brands, but micro-influencers can be equally engaging and effective.
Nearly all (94%) consumers trust influencer recommendations more than those of friends and family.
Social media influencers can help grow audiences and drive sales faster than any other form of marketing. Consider hiring influencers if you’re looking to grow your Instagram following quickly.
6 Tips to Help Increase Your @Brand Mentions on Instagram
Mentions are another way for people to share your brand with their followers and build your UGC library.
One of the best ways to encourage brand mentions is by making it a habit to mention other people in your own posts, and encouraging your followers to use the mention feature more often.
Below are several ways you can increase mentions on your own account and on others’.
Tip #1 – Recognize Outstanding UGC
Select one or two of your brand’s best user-generated content each week, and recognize the authors by mentioning them in a “best of” post.
For example, beauty company Glossier pins its “Top 5” UGC content to its Instagram profile.
Find unique ways, such as @mention campaigns to encourage your audience to mention your brand on Instagram!
Tip #2 – Respond To Your Brand Mentions Daily
Check your brand mentions daily and be sure to thank people for their input — even if it’s negative.
If you come across brand complaints, don’t avoid them! Complaints are an excellent opportunity to work toward repairing the situations and winning back the customer.
Responding to all your brand mentions in a positive manner encourages people to mention you in their Instagram content.
Tip #3 – Tag Local Celebrities
If John Legend and Chrissy Teigen casually drop by your store or event – great! – take a picture and add a mention!
Most businesses don’t have big celebrities dropping in every day, though.
The Good news is — local people can have even more influence than celebrities.
When the local mayor, city council member, or radio host drop by your store or live events – snap a picture and tag them with a @mention on Instagram!
If your business is located in a small-to-medium sized city, look for opportunities to share Instagram content that includes local politicians, artists, musicians, and business owners.
Firefighters, police officers, and teachers are also considered celebrities in many towns. Tag them and their organization at your place of business!
People love sharing content from their hometown, and tagging local celebrities and hometown heroes increases the likelihood that people will share your content.
Tip #4 – Post Tag a @Friend Content
Give your followers a reason to tag their friends in your content.
For example, Boxycharm encourages followers to “Tag your bestie & ask them what they think.”
Encouraging followers to enlist their friends’ participation or response in your posts is an excellent way to build more UGC for your brand!
Tip #5 – Mention People Connected To Your Content
Mentioning people connected to your posts, such as artists, photographers, and subjects, encourages others to @mention your brand name.
For example, Vanity Fair shares images of celebrities from an Oscar party, mentioning the people in the photos as well as the photographer in all its Instagram captions.
America’s Test Kitchen shares an image of eye-popping bagels, and mentions @DaxShepard in reference to an earlier conversation.
People and brands like receiving mentions because it’s great marketing for them. Share the love and encourage mentions of your brand by setting a great example!
Tip #6 — Tell Stories About Other People and @Mention them in the Caption
When you share interesting stories about your employees or customers, it attracts more attention than promotional content. It also increases the chance that they’ll share your post to their own account.
For inspiration and ideas, check out @HumansofNewYork — an account with nearly 10 million followers that rose to fame by photographing strangers in New York and sharing their Stories.
Tell irresistible stories about real people that others will want to share to their Instagram feeds. Remember to @mention the subject and photographer in your caption!
UGC Helps Your Brand Convert Followers to Customers
User-generated content makes your Instagram feed more engaging, expands your brand reach, and helps convert followers to paying customers.
You can use hashtag campaigns and mentions to help boost your brand’s UGC.
Reposting UGC to your Instagram feed is quick and easy with the right tools, and Sharelov makes it easy to find and repost UGC on Instagram!
