In SNS marketing, the importance of user-generated content (UGC) is increasing year by year. This is because the real voices of ordinary users (word of mouth and photos) have a stronger influence on consumers’ purchasing decisions than unilateral communications from companies. In this article, we will explain the key points of campaign planning to naturally encourage UGC and create buzz.
Why is UGC important?
UGC is the “strongest word of mouth.” By spontaneously spreading impressions about products and services on SNS, you can increase awareness and credibility without spending advertising costs. In addition, secondary use (reposting, etc.) of the collected UGC as creative for official accounts and websites will help reduce content production costs.
Four points for campaign planning to promote UGC
Simply asking users to post with the hashtag will not get them to take action. You need motivation to participate.
1. Lower the barrier to participation
The less time it takes to post, the more people will participate.
- Allow no photo: Allow participation with “text-only impressions”.
- Make it multiple choice: Set a topic that users can post without thinking too much, such as “Which do you prefer, A or B?”
2. Theme setting that satisfies the desire for “self-expression”
Users are unconsciously concerned about how their posts will be perceived by others.
- Ogiri format: Stimulates the desire for recognition by posting interesting posts and receiving “likes”.
- Sharing results of diagnostic content: Diagnosis results such as “This is the one that is perfect for you!” tend to be shared as an opportunity for self-talk (self-expression).
3. Providing benefits (incentives)
Of course, easy-to-understand incentives are also important.
- Gift Campaign: ``Giveaways to XX people in a lottery’’ is the standard, but make sure the prize is related to your company’s products or services. Amazon gift certificates, etc. only collect sweepstakes accounts, which does not result in high-quality UGC.
- Reaction from the official: The benefit of “You might be reposted to the official account!” is a powerful motivator for brand fans.
4. Original hashtag design
Create a campaign-specific hashtag to aggregate and measure UGC.
- Keep it short, easy to remember, and less prone to typos.
- Set a unique word that does not overlap with existing general hashtags (e.g.
#cafe).
Summary
The key to a successful UGC campaign is to create a context that makes users want to post and tell their friends, rather than imposing the company’s desire to advertise. Create a plan that takes into account the user’s psychology and aim for natural spread on SNS.