Many of us struggle with posting regularly on social media. There often just aren’t enough hours in the day, or fresh ideas at hand. But one way to expand your offerings is through UGC, or user-generated content. UGC can be defined as “any text, videos, photos, or reviews about a product or brand created by everyday customers or independent creators instead of the company itself.” 

It has been shown that this authentic and relatable content has a higher trust factor with consumers than posts by the business. Customers like to see people they might know saying positive things about a shop or its products.  It’s also understandable that customers believe reports of real experiences more than something paid for by a business.  

UGC posts, videos and blog mentions are often spontaneously created by individuals who are fans of the business, or are among its social media followers. You can encourage posts through special contests, or even a personal request. Influencers often decide to feature a product or business on their own, although there is no reason why you can’t contact them and offer special access or even free product samples. Another type of content is that made by professional UGC creators who mimic consumers, which is obviously not ideal.

The easiest type of customer feedback to acquire is reviews, especially on Google, and it’s simple to use Canva to create a graphic sharing any kind comments that come with a five star rating. We make sure to preserve the customer’s anonymity, only giving the first name and last initial of the reviewer. The online platform we use for wedding registry, Shop Local, encourages couples to leave reviews about their experience. It’s always a joy to share any positive feedback.

The UGC videos showing someone unboxing a product are particularly popular. The appeal is probably the combination of suspense (especially if the box doesn’t show anything about the content) and the excitement of the reveal. While it would be fun to have a contest asking kids to film their surprise as they open their mystery squishies (a big trend at the moment), many parents prefer not to have their children featured in social media. But you could use the idea in an item for adults, surreptitiously hiding a special prize in a few boxes of an item that comes sealed. 

Product reviews are also a great way to share a consumer endorsement of an item. Of course not all reviews are positive, so it can be risky. We have sometimes shared a video of a customer showing how to use a kitchen tool that we sell, but we need to make sure that it doesn’t include a link to buy the item on Amazon.

Photo friendly spots in your store are a great way to encourage selfies, especially if you are in an area that gets a lot of visitors.  If possible, use signage to make sure your business name or location will be in the photo. You could even have some props, especially hats, available for use.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce offers some good ideas for making the most of user-generated content in this article – and points out that this type of marketing can be invaluable in generating word-of-mouth buzz about your shop.

Happy retailing, 

Carol “Orange” Schroeder