The Secret to Lazy Marketing: Make Your Customers Do the Work through User-Generated Content

How User Generated Content Can Boost Your Brand without Breaking a Sweat

Picture this: a world where your customers do the marketing for you. A place where your customers are so connected to your small business that they don’t just promote it through word of mouth, but actually create content you can re-use. Your customers are out there sharing experiences, throwing shovelfuls of praise on your small business, and inspiring others to try your product or service. You get to sit back and watch the buzz grow.

Here’s the good news; it doesn’t have to be an imaginary scenario. This is the magic of user-generated content (UGC), and it’s a powerful tool that turns your customers into brand ambassadors. That said, let’s explain how to make this a reality. There are a few things you need to do to get there and we’ll provide pointers on how you can teleport to this magical land - you won’t even have to lock yourself in some dusty old wardrobe.

Go Tell It On the Mountain

If you want your customers singing your praises over the hills and everywhere, you need to hit the right notes. Give them something worth sharing. This can be obvious things like an awesome product/service, out-of-this-world customer service, an interesting product design, or even a campaign that sparks their creativity. If there’s one thing people love, it’s sharing moments that make them feel good or connected like a fun unboxing of a product or taking part in a quirky, viral challenge. Search for unboxing videos on YouTube and you’ll find endless pages of the stuff for all sorts of products from almost every company under the sun. Or how about the infamous “Share a Coke” campaign that had people posting photos of Coca-Cola bottles whose only change was the addition of their name on the side? Even something as minor as a holiday cup update from a coffee chain can generate insane amounts of UGC. It’s easy to see its usefulness.

When you make this kind of stuff for your customers with UGC in mind, make sure it’s something that’s easy for them to share or participate in. It doesn’t have to be crazy elaborate, a simple customer-of-the-month spotlight, a giveaway, or a small event at your location could be the ticket. Then encourage them to tag your small business, or use a specific hashtag you created, to turn their personal experience into a larger conversation.

Scratch My Back, I’ll Scratch Yours

Some customers might just be naturally excited to share their experiences, reviewers for example. Others might need a little extra nudge. Offering incentives like discounts, free products, or the chance to be featured on your official channels can encourage even the most hesitant customers to take part. It doesn’t have to be a huge expense, people are often happy enough with the recognition alone. Fashion brands in particular have mastered this by sharing pictures of customers sporting their gear in their everyday lives and turning everyday users into influencers.

Incentives like these make customers feel valued and, at the same time, you’re building a cache of authentic content you can use in your small business’s marketing.

Say It Back

User-generated content isn’t just about offering incentives or reposting content though. It’s a necessity to engage in two-way communication. When customers share their experiences, take the time to also engage with their content. Like their posts, leave comments, and repost it. Congrats! You’re strengthening the relationship between your small business and your customers.

Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

These interactions do great things we’ve mentioned in other blogs like: building a community.Nobody likes thinking they’re shouting into the void - by responding and reciprocating, you make those customers feel seen and appreciated. Your community building  efforts transform customers into an army of brand advocates. 

Brands that create communities around their identity are the friggin’ best at generating UGC. It’s why this is so important rather than just pushing products or services all the time. So how do you do that with the goal of creating UGC? Branded challenges or contests asking customers to share how they use your product is a good start. The easier and more fun you make it to join, the more likely people will be to participate. And when that content starts to come in, you better make sure to use it. Feature that stuff in campaigns, newsletters, or even paid ads to show how your actual customers are interacting with your brand. 

I’ll Have What She’s Having

UGC works so well because it’s real. It’s, are you ready for this?, authentic. While you can build trust with your audience through several venues, people are quicker to trust other people - particularly when they come across as genuine and relatable. This also taps into the core concept of something called social proof. In short, if we see someone else enjoying something, we think about how it might be good for us too. That’s why places like Yelp, TripAdvisor, and Instagram are such a big deal, because they thrive on the idea that what other people think matters.

One of UGC’s strengths also depends on that realness. It doesn’t have to be polished. In fact, the more real it is, the better. People aren’t dummies, they can tell when stuff is staged or produced. Your audience is more likely to interact with content that feels genuine and unfiltered. No matter what kind of stories are shared - funny, inspiring, maybe even a little messy - you’re building a narrative around your brand that’s full of authenticity.

Let Someone Else Do Some Talking, Okay?

User-generated content is maybe one of the most effective ways to market your small business. Not only is it practically free, but it carries that air of being genuine and trustworthy with it. Which is why you should give your customers reasons to share, reward their efforts when they do, and engage them as much as possible. Pretty soon, you can sit back and watch them do much of your marketing for you.

So how do you get going on this? Look for those ways you can create moments that are worthy of sharing for your customers and give them the platform to shine when they do. You never know, your next big campaign might be entirely driven by your most loyal customers. But only if you give them the license to shine.