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5 Ways to Encourage User Generated Video Content

UGC or user-generated content means exactly what it sounds like – any content your consumers or audience create about your brand or its products and services. While often businesses organize branded contests or call for submissions to get user-generated content, sometimes customers make them simply because of having a satisfactory (or even terrible) experience with your organization. The reason UGC is so effective is that it is created by consumers instead of brands, making it easier for people to trust its authenticity as it is made by one of their own. Moreover, user-generated content draws on the power of social proof.

Often, people will share their reviews, positive experiences, or express their satisfaction with your brand in any other form. However, just like videos are more effective than textual content when it comes to generating user engagement and leads, UGC is no exception. Video content is particularly effective here because the authenticity of social proof combined with the authenticity of video makes a doubly convincing case for your brand, products, or services.

However, before you start encouraging UGC from your audience, make sure that you deliver satisfactory experiences to your consumers that you’d want them to share publicly. This is because, in some other cases, user-generated content is a way for unhappy customers to vent their frustrations and grievances with a brand, warning others against purchasing in the future. And well, that’s the last thing you will want. Additional content from your consumers will help you take your video production game to the next level. In this blog, we will discuss five ways to encourage user-generated video content from your audience.

How to Encourage User-Generated Content (UGC) From Your Audience?

1. Find Out What’s Out There Already

Before you start encouraging UGC from your audience, first do a little research and find out what’s out there already. Even though you haven’t been clearly asking for content submissions, there’s a possibility that your consumers are already sharing about your brand online. Many social listening tools are available in the market today that let you see what people are talking about your brand. Once you do this, you’ll get a brief idea about how people perceive your brand outside and what type of content they are creating about it.

If most of the content is positive, all you need to do is ask for video UGC submissions. But if most of the content is negative, you might want to reconsider and improve the experiences you are delivering to your audience. Also, make sure to ask for permission from the original content creator if you want to re-share their content for your own branding purposes. Simply because someone has mentioned your brand in their post doesn’t necessarily mean they want it to get reshared publicly.

2. Deliver Experiences Worth Sharing Publicly

If you want people to take the time to create content about your brand or its offerings, you need to consider how you can deliver more exciting experiences. For example, if your brand sells a product, you could think about making your product packaging more fun to open in order to encourage users to record that moment. It could literally be anything. All you need to do is get a bit creative here. Focus on adding the “wow” factor wherever possible within the experiences you are delivering to your audience. If your customers are delighted with you, they will be more likely to share it with the world.

3. Connect With Your Top Customers

When convincing users to share their experiences with your brand, start with your top customers. These are the ones who know and love your brand already and are perhaps sharing it with their friends and family informally. For this, you can build an email segment (if you haven’t already) of people you consider to be your most loyal customers. You can connect with them and ask if they would like to share their experiences publicly.

In addition to this, if you have other content needs, remember that these are the ones you will want to reach out to. For instance, if you are creating an internal emerging video content and require testimonials, you can ask these top customers if they would like to participate. Or, if you are thinking about launching a brand ambassador program, these people are probably the perfect candidates.

4. Offer an Incentive or Reward

Many brands incentivize or reward their customers for creating user-generated content. So you might also consider sweetening the deal to persuade people to participate. If you are willing to offer an incentive or reward, you can take various directions. One of the most common ways to go is running a contest or promotion. Here, you make some kind of video prompt, ask people for content submissions, and reward the winner or winners with a prize or perk. It could be anything from a discount coupon to a gift hamper to a cash prize and much more – there are endless options!

The advantage of taking this approach is that you can ask for any type of content by customizing the contest guidelines as per your need. Moreover, you get to pick the prize that seems the most logical for your business, and also, you’ll get much more content options to choose from, which is why most brands take this approach.

Alternatively, there are other types of incentives or rewards you can offer to your customers without relying on a contest. For instance, you can offer a discount coupon to any customer who posts a video testimonial about your brand. In the end, everyone is busy nowadays, and therefore, they like to know if they are getting anything in return for their content creation efforts. This means incentivizing or rewarding your customers will increase your chances of receiving more great videos.

5. Create an Example Video

Last but not least, create an example video showcasing the type of content you are looking for. Video production does not come naturally to all, and sometimes, people just need a little inspiration to get going. Therefore, your example video could trigger the perfect idea for somebody. Moreover, this is also an excellent way to ensure you receive the specific type of content you are looking for since people will be less likely to misunderstand what you are asking.

If you don’t have very specific guidelines in mind, giving people creative freedom can be great. But if your content is going to serve a particular purpose, your best bet is to present an example video showing what exactly you want. If you don’t have an in-house team, you can hire a professional video production company to create a compelling example video.

Wrapping It Up

These five ways should give you everything you need to get those content submissions flooding in. So go ahead and implement them within your strategy to encourage your customers to generate high-quality user-generated video content. In case you need any help, you can reach out to us. We are the best audio and visual production house in Delhi!

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