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It’s nice to be recognized. When someone likes your photo on Instagram or tells you you’re doing a good job, you get a little charge out of that positive reinforcement. User-generated content (UGC) is a chance for you to give your customers a pat on the back and an opportunity to show real people interacting with your product or service. The customer gets the satisfaction of being highlighted and you get relatable, authentic content. Your happy customers are cheerleaders ready to tell the world about your amazing company.

UGC Motivation

User generated content comes in many different forms. It could be a review, a testimonial, a photo, or a video. Essentially, it’s any content created by an unpaid contributor. These are fans promoting your business or service through their blogs, Twitter accounts, and Instagram photos. This content can be motivated by the desire to share an experience or give a recommendation. User generated content is a way to participate in a community and connect with others who share the same interest. People also respond to companies that offer incentives like prizes in exchange for UGC.

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🐢 REVIEW 🐢 • Tim Hortons Pumpkin Spice Muffin • Pumpkin spice muffin with a cinnamon roll filling and topped with pumpkin seeds 🎃 • Tim Hortons muffins are far superior to Dunkin’s muffins. There I said it. Anyways, they have the perfect texture, not that of a traditional, dry and crumbly muffin, but a light, airy almost fluffy, cupcake-like texture. It had a good amount of pumpkin seeds baked into the top of the muffin which provides a nice textual contrast to the overall bite and enhances the overall flavor. Usually the filling goes all the way throughout the muffin, but this time it was kinda lacking filling, but the filling it what you would expect from a cream cheese frosting on a cinnamon roll.. thick and deliciously sweet. The pumpkin spices are perfectly balanced in this muffin too! You can taste nutmeg, pumpkin, cinnamon, all the flavors that make you think of a good pumpkin spice flavor. And they are very dominant and if you’re a pumpkin spice lover then this will be right up your alley! • Rate: 9/10 (only for lack of filling) • #timhortons #muffin #pumpkin #pumpkinspice #junkfood #breakfast #creamcheese #cinnamon @timhortons

A post shared by Food Reviews & News (@thetastyturtle) on Oct 8, 2019 at 4:04pm PDT

Advantages of UGC

Real, authentic, relatable, believable—that’s how people see user generated content. In fact, consumers rank UGC above branded content and influencer content when it comes to purchasing decisions. Not only can a company benefit from a boost in conversions with UGC, but they’re also taking advantage of a free source of content. Consumers are doing the work of creating engaging and influential content.

Some telling statistics from the 2019 Stackla data report:

• 60% of consumers report content from friends and family influence what they buy
• 51% of people reported a stronger chance of purchasing from a brand that’s shared their post
• 58% of global consumers agree that UGC is the most authentic form of content

Successful UGC Campaigns

Consumers love to be invited to the party! Here are some successful advertising campaigns that enlisted user generated content:

• Share a Coke campaign. Coca-Cola branded cans with local names across the globe, then asked people to share pics with their personalized bottles on social media.
• Starbucks white cup contest. Doodling a design lead to exposure for some fans with an artistic bent.
• The Movember Campaign. Social media has been a boon to fundraising. The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is another UGC example.
• National Geographic’s Wanderlust Contest. This prompted users to post photos for the chance to win a National Geographic photo expedition to Yosemite National Park. #wanderlustcontest has generated almost 70,000 posts on Instagram.
• Adobe is using #AdobePerspective to unite a community of creatives using their software. Artists and content creators are sharing their work and getting inspired by their fellow users.

Tell Us What You Think

Brands today are shaped by the way customers interact with them. If they don’t pay attention to what’s being said on social media, they’re missing the boat and losing potential fans. Consumers want to feel like brands are including them, not just selling to them. Take advantage of user generated content to get ahead in business. #keywestvideo