4 Great Examples of User-Generated Content (UGC)

how-to-use-user-generated-content-ugc-with-4-great-examples

4 Great Examples of User-Generated Content (UGC) 

[[p]]User-generated content (UGC, but also known as consumer-generated content) is a powerful way for marketers to [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/social-media-strategy" target="_blank"]]raise brand awareness[[/a]].&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]The beauty of UGC is that the content is created by someone else &ndash; an advocate, a customer, an employee, or a social media follower &ndash; rather than the brand itself, so it carries more weight as [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/a-guide-to-word-of-mouth-marketing" target="_blank"]]word-of-mouth[[/a]] promotion.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]Plus UGC is usually positive, so you can leverage it to [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/resources/lessons/attracting-customers_building-and-engaging-your-network_po60" target="_blank"]]attract and influence new customers[[/a]].&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]][[strong]]Top tip: [[/strong]]Although UGC generally has a positive brand impact, bear in mind that opening the door to this type of content means negativity can creep in.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]UGC is a great way to show people the human side behind your product or service. It can make you more approachable, more likable, and ultimately more sellable.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]So, let&rsquo;s find out the nuts and bolts of UGC so you can use it to your best advantage.[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]][[a href="#heading_53909"]]What is UGC?[[/a]][[/li]]
	[[li]][[a href="#heading_68568"]]Why should you use UGC in your marketing?[[/a]][[/li]]
	[[li]][[a href="#heading_68570"]]What&rsquo;s the difference between UGC and influencer marketing?[[/a]][[/li]]
	[[li]][[a href="#heading_68573"]]Types of UGC content[[/a]][[/li]]
	[[li]][[a href="#heading_68575"]]Sources of UGC content[[/a]][[/li]]
	[[li]][[a href="#heading_53911"]]Brands using UGC in a stand-out way[[/a]][[/li]]
	[[br /]]
	&nbsp;
[[/ul]]

[[p]]First of all, what is user-generated content (UGC)? As the name suggests, it&#39;s content created by someone else talking about your brand or related somehow to it.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]While the UGC content may or may not tag your brand, a smart [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/resources/ebooks/how-to-become-a-social-media-manager" target="_blank"]]social media manager[[/a]] keeps an eye out for content that could be useful, whether it&#39;s tagged or not.[[/p]]

[[p]]According to a [[a href="https://www.salsify.com/resources/report/2024-consumer-research-report" target="_blank"]]2024 Consumer Research&rsquo; report[[/a]], 40% of shoppers say that UGC is &lsquo;extremely&rsquo; or &lsquo;very&rsquo; important when making a purchase decision. That&rsquo;s more than product comparison charts (39%) or product videos (37%).&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]The type of UGC content can be in any format such as a video, image, testimonial, blog, live stream, review, or even a podcast.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]This image-led example from Nike shows how the brand calls out for UGC to engage its online community. The brand regularly generates and reposts user content on its social accounts linked to hashtags like [[a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/airmaxmondays/" target="_blank"]]#AirMaxMondays[[/a]].[[/p]]

[[p]]Now that you know what user-generated content is (and is not) let&rsquo;s look at some examples to draw inspiration from in your UGC campaigns.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]While many brands use UGC tactics to create an authentic and powerful image, we&rsquo;ve narrowed down the top four brands using UGC in the most unique and stand-out ways.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]We will also offer tips on how you can implement these strategies for your own campaigns.[[/p]]

[[p]]An obvious choice for this list is the technology company and sports camera maker GoPro. The reason? GoPro&rsquo;s products naturally create UGC &ndash; just by being what they are.[[/p]]

[[p]]As a popular action camera retailer, GoPro provides the platform and tools required to help customers share the images and videos they capture with their GoPro devices.[[/p]]

[[p]]GoPro users generate roughly 6,000 GoPro videos online every day. Plus &lsquo;GoProing&rsquo; is now a noun (and X hashtag) used to describe the phenomenon while the brand&rsquo;s tagline is &lsquo;Be a Hero&rsquo;.[[/p]]

[[p]]Look at this fab example of UGC from a 5-year-old trying out waterskiing for the first time.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]As you can see from the above examples, there are many sectors that can take advantage of UGC content.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]The key is to tap into how people are using or feel about the brand, and encourage them to share content that expresses it.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]So, be creative and reach out to all areas of your business for ideas. You never know where a great idea will come from. Just look at the popularity of Duolingo&rsquo;s owl mascot bringing in nearly 14 million followers on [[a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@duolingo?lang=en" target="_blank"]]TikTok[[/a]] alone![[/p]]

[[p]][[strong]]Pro tip[[/strong]]: Read our case study &lsquo;[[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/nike-always-ahead-of-the-curve" target="_blank"]]Nike: Always Ahead of the Curve[[/a]]&rsquo; for an in-depth look at the marketing used by the mega-brand.[[/p]]

[[p]]The answer to why you should use user-generated content is simple. Because it works![[/p]]

[[p]]It&rsquo;s also a cost-effective way to scale a business and help diversify your content, which can be hard to do when you&rsquo;re a busy marketer with many balls in the air![[/p]]

[[p]]In addition, as consumers become more invested in the values of brands, they want to purchase from companies that align with their own. That&rsquo;s what makes [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/corporate-16-brands-doing-corporate-social-responsibility-successfully" target="_blank"]]corporate social responsibility[[/a]] initiatives so important, especially for companies with a large global footprint.&nbsp;&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]Customers also want authenticity and to feel like they &lsquo;know&rsquo; more about who they buy from &ndash; something UGC can help with because it comes from people who interact with a brand.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]Stat: 57% of consumers will increase their spending with a brand if they connect with it and 76% will buy from it over a competitor &ndash; Sprout Social[[/p]]

[[p]]Ultimately, UGC helps you connect with customers and followers in a way that&rsquo;s meaningful and builds trust. It&rsquo;s known as the modern word-of-mouth, which we all know is very effective in marketing.[[/p]]

[[p]]Be careful not to confuse these two marketing tactics as they are very different in terms of the way you communicate and engage your audience.[[/p]]

[[p]]While UGC is created by someone for no charge to promote or explain your brand, [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/influencer-marketing-guide" target="_blank"]]influencer marketing[[/a]] is sponsored content with a prior arrangement.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]For example, you may have kicked off a campaign with an influencer or brand ambassador and discussed what content to use, a posting schedule, captions, hashtags, and so on. This could be a celebrity such as reality star Ariana Madix to leverage a trending drama on Vanderpump Rules with Duracell (see below) or a micro-influencer who&rsquo;s known and active in your industry.[[/p]]

[[p]]There are many types of UGC content that a customer or follower may use to promote your brand or company. These include:[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]]Social posts or sharing[[/li]]
	[[li]]Customer reviews[[/li]]
	[[li]]Case studies[[/li]]
	[[li]]Referrals&nbsp;[[/li]]
	[[li]]Community forums[[/li]]
	[[li]]Webinars or podcasts[[/li]]
	[[li]]Conferences[[/li]]
	[[li]]Testimonials[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]]Neil McKenzie, tourism marketer for Yarmouth &amp; Acadian Shores, told us in a DMI [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/resources/podcasts/podcast-54-marketing-for-tourism-neil-mckenzie" target="_blank"]]podcast[[/a]] how they find UGC content:[[/p]]

[[p]]&ldquo;Some of the content we want to make, we often have to push our operators to push good content and tell their patrons to tag the restaurants so we can pull that into their listings. And (content creators) see value in being featured on that content, and it helps local photographers and creators that are trying to get off the ground.&rdquo;[[/p]]

[[p]]It&rsquo;s important to think about what &lsquo;user&rsquo; you are looking to highlight in your UGC content. Are you looking to showcase your company culture or how well you deal with customers?&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]Think about what you want to promote and who you want to reach out to when you call out for and share user-generated content. Here are three key groups to consider.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]Customer-generated content is the most effective form of UGC.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]The [[a href="https://www.brightlocal.com/research/local-consumer-review-survey/" target="_blank"]]Local Consumer Review Survey 2024[[/a]] found that 50% of customers trust reviews as much as personal recommendations from friends and family.[[/p]]

[[p]]No one takes blind chances on services or products anymore &ndash; consumers know how to do their homework, and they&rsquo;ll make sure it&rsquo;s done thoroughly.[[/p]]

[[p]]Besides promoting personalized user reviewers who take social media platforms by storm with your brand name held high, when UGC is done correctly, it will refer customers to you.[[/p]]

[[p]]Here&rsquo;s a great example of a TikTok post from Megan Gilbert, showing Admont Abbey library in Austria. The video amassed nearly 7 million views and over 31,000 comments.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]She&rsquo;s a regular person and not a professional marketer or influencer &ndash; and that&rsquo;s what makes this UGC so impactful.[[/p]]

[[p]]This word-of-mouth marketing strategy creates an added layer of authenticity, trustworthiness, and desirability among customers.[[/p]]

[[p]]Brand messages are re-shared 24 times more frequently when distributed by employees than by the brand using its own channels, says [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/authors/neal-schaffer" target="_blank"]]Neal Schaffer[[/a]].[[/p]]

[[p]]While this is not the most effective UGC type, it definitely has its benefits &ndash; especially if you&rsquo;re just starting out.[[/p]]

[[p]]People will trust another person over a faceless company or crafted mission statement any day. If you don&rsquo;t yet have a large following on social media or a group of people to choose a customer user from, consider encouraging and promoting employee-generated content first.[[/p]]

[[p]]Here&rsquo;s a great example of [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/a-guide-to-employee-advocacy-on-social-media" target="_blank"]]employee advocacy[[/a]] from [[a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmaprunty/" target="_blank"]]Emma Prunty[[/a]], DMI&rsquo;s content editor and podcast producer.[[/p]]

[[p]]It&rsquo;s a great way to show the human side of your brand and the people who work for you while introducing your brand&rsquo;s culture and being authentic.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]Having a brand advocate &ndash; someone who is an individual and not an influencer &ndash; can be worth the extra work and planning.[[/p]]

[[p]]To find your brand advocate, narrow down your customer base to individuals who have interacted with your brand already. Then ask them if they&rsquo;d like to become a brand advocate. After that, let them take the lead.[[/p]]

[[p]][[strong]]Top tip: [[/strong]]Check out our [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/7-tactics-to-get-great-customer-reviews" target="_blank"]]7 Tactics To Get Great Customer Reviews[[/a]] blog to see if you can find a brand advocate.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]GoPro encourages users or customers to post content by:[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]]Asking users to use a #GoPro hashtag so their social media team can pick it up and choose which videos to post on GoPro&rsquo;s platforms[[/li]]
	[[li]]Uploading their favorite customer-generated content on their social or online channels&nbsp;[[/li]]
	[[li]]Forming partnerships with tourist attractions and then providing cameras to visitors during their stay and encouraging them to share their adventures[[/li]]
	[[li]]Integrating social sharing into the camera so all people need to do is take a picture, edit, and hit Share[[/li]]
	[[li]]Hosting competitions and events like the GoPro Awards[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]]If you don&rsquo;t have a UGC-specific product or service, it&rsquo;s still possible to get inspiration from GoPro&rsquo;s guidelines.[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]]Understand what your product or service does best and establish a &lsquo;feeling&rsquo; that can be tied to your brand.[[/li]]
	[[li]]Brainstorm how to best display these actions and culture on social media.[[/li]]
	[[li]]Invite your audience to join in and become involved by using your product or service to be featured and a recognized part of your global community.[[/li]]
	[[li]]Consider incentives such as a challenge or competition to drive engagement.[[/li]]
	[[li]]Partner with people or brands that hold the same values and can co-promote.[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]]The famous chip brand Doritos got some serious brand awareness through its #CrashtheSuperBowl contest.[[/p]]

[[p]]The contest challenged fans to come up with a better big-game ad than the brand could on its own. The winner was in with the chance for their ad to be aired during the [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/the-best-and-worst-superbowl-ads-of-2019" target="_blank"]]Super Bowl[[/a]] and win $1 million.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]"When Doritos originally launched this campaign nearly 20 years ago, it was the first of its kind, giving fans previously unheard-of creative control and ownership of our brand &ndash; and on the biggest advertising stage of the year," said Tina Mahal, Senior VP of marketing at PepsiCo Foods North America. "We still firmly believe that the best ideas arise when we are willing to be bold, take risks and champion our fans. Now that our fans have more access than ever to creative and ad-making tools, we can&#39;t wait to see what they have up their sleeves."[[/p]]

[[p]]Here&rsquo;s one of the videos the brand released featuring Crash the Super Bowl finalists called &lsquo;Goat 4 Sale&rsquo; to inspire creators.[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]]Consider leveraging an event (big or local) to engage your audience and get them involved in creating content.[[/li]]
	[[li]]Take the time to think of an interesting and catchy hashtag for your campaign, which can include a well known event or issue.[[/li]]
	[[li]]Offer an incentive to your target audience to get involved, such as a free subscription or high end product.&nbsp;[[/li]]
	[[li]]Create sample content that entertains or excites to spark creativity and get your fans sharing on social.[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]]These days, a stunning photo wins, every time.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]Photographs are one of the best ways to encourage others to visit where you are, and given the natural beauty of Yosemite National Park in the US, these photos are very easy to capture.[[/p]]

[[p]]To celebrate 100 years of partnership with Yosemite park, the brand invited people to share their stories. Yosemite Conservancy asked people across the world to tell them about their experiences through [[a href="https://yosemite.org/celebrating-100-years/" target="_blank"]]story form[[/a]].[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]]Brainstorm with your team about what makes your brand special. What makes you stand out? (Let&rsquo;s say it&rsquo;s community engagement or maybe even your office dog!)[[/li]]
	[[li]]Strategize how you can translate these qualities into photos.[[/li]]
	[[li]]Post your favorite professional photos on social media with your brand message for a couple of weeks to gain attention.[[/li]]
	[[li]]Launch a giveaway, asking your followers to post a photo that also represents what you&rsquo;re emulating through your photos while tagging your company in each photo they post.[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]]Lifestyle blog and publishing company [[a href="https://www.instagram.com/apartmenttherapy/" target="_blank"]]Apartment Therapy[[/a]] focuses on home design and decor. Its aim is to &ldquo;help everyone to live happy, healthy lives at home&rdquo;.[[/p]]

[[p]]The brand uses Instagram to invite people to join &lsquo;The Apartment Therapist Community&rsquo; to connect with home enthusiasts to ask design questions, show off their space, and talk with its editors.[[/p]]

[[p]]Apartment Therapy also invites people to submit their homes for tours and hosts fun challenges like the #SmallCoolChallenge.[[/p]]

[[p]]Calling for this type of UGC promotes Apartment Therapy in a way that shows the company to be informative and fun, without bigging up the brand in a way that feels unauthentic.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]]
	[[p]]Your UGC doesn&rsquo;t need to be focused on what your brand does. It&rsquo;s more about a feeling.[[/p]]
	[[/li]]
	[[li]]
	[[p]]Just because you have a niche product or service doesn&rsquo;t limit your engagement with users.[[/p]]
	[[/li]]
	[[li]]
	[[p]]Cultivate your brand&rsquo;s personality on social media to encourage people to share their lives with you.[[/p]]
	[[/li]]
	[[li]]
	[[p]]Prompt people to share content and tell you more about them. Build a community.&nbsp;[[/p]]
	[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]]Social media provides marketers with opportunities to connect with audiences on a global scale. But there&rsquo;s an art to using social media channels effectively for your audience. DMI&rsquo;s [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/students/courses/professional-diploma-in-social-media-marketing"]]Professional Diploma in Social Media[[/a]] covers everything you need to know to be effective across all social networks. You&rsquo;ll learn about social research, social content, social commerce and affiliate marketing, social customer service and social strategy. You&rsquo;ll also explore the features of all the key platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram, X, and WhatsApp. Enroll today to get started![[/p]]

I think our slow, humble beginnings in surf shops, ski shops, bike shops, and motorcycle shops have been extremely important for our success. GoPro is all about celebrating an active lifestyle and sharing that with other people. It’s authentic. It’s not a brand that we went out and bought a bunch of ads for to create.

Tunnel view at sunset by Kristine Csicsery

[[p]]This UGC would then be used in emails, and on its website, publications, social media, and other communications. Also, all submissions would be entered into a random drawing for a Yosemite Conservancy swag bag.[[/p]]

4 Great Examples of User-Generated Content (UGC)

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