{"id":1635,"date":"2021-11-29T20:19:22","date_gmt":"2021-11-30T04:19:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/?p=1635"},"modified":"2025-11-19T04:51:17","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T12:51:17","slug":"how-to-scale-your-business-with-user-generated-content","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/how-to-scale-your-business-with-user-generated-content\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Scale Your Business with User-Generated Content"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><strong>User-generated content as a powerful promotional force.<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1636\" src=\"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/pexels-andrea-piacquadio-3823489.jpg\" alt=\"User-generated content as a powerful promotional force\" width=\"1280\" height=\"858\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/pexels-andrea-piacquadio-3823489.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/pexels-andrea-piacquadio-3823489-300x201.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/pexels-andrea-piacquadio-3823489-1024x686.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/pexels-andrea-piacquadio-3823489-768x515.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/photo\/young-positive-woman-helping-senior-man-using-laptop-3823489\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Image source<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>As a retail or eCommerce business owner, getting through to your customers can be a real challenge.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While once upon a time, targeting consumers with generic sales messaging and throwing out a discount or two would work wonders. Now, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/9-effective-growth-hacks-for-your-retail-or-ecommerce-business\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">growth<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> depends on your ability to connect with your audience on a deeper level.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In addition to creative campaigns and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/how-to-create-thought-leading-blog-content-for-your-business\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">thought-leading content<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, user-generated content (UGC) will boost your brand authority in a way that builds trust, inspires loyalty, and results in more revenue.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>But what is UGC, and how do you use it?<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Let\u2019s find out.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b>What is user-generated content (UGC), and why is it important?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UGC is any form of content\u2014from reviews and testimonials to social media content, videos, and beyond\u2014created by your customers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The majority of UGC is organic (unpaid or sponsored), which is what makes it such a powerful promotional force. If a customer is compelled to create and share a piece of content that shines your brand in a glowing light, they mean it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We live in an age where customers trust the opinions of their peers over traditional marketing\u2014and the more authentic your content or communications are, the more engagement you will earn.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Over <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nielsen.com\/insights\/2012\/consumer-trust-in-online-social-and-mobile-advertising-grows\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">90% of consumers<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> trust UGC more than any other form of traditional content. Plus, people find UGC <\/span> 9.8 times more impactful <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> than even influencer content when making buying decisions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>User-generated content is:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Authentic and impactful<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Creative and varied<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Growth-, loyalty-, revenue-driving<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b>How to get ahead with the power of user-generated content<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s take a look at some impactful ways you can leverage the business-boosting power of user-generated content\u2014starting with a little insight on <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">channels and touchpoints.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<h3><b>Explore your channels<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a modern business owner, it\u2019s likely that you work with a number of channels and touchpoints, including your website, landing pages, social media platforms, and third-party eCommerce platforms.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By searching for relevant hashtags in your niche and looking for any social media-based brand mentions, you\u2019re likely to uncover UGC content you can use to your advantage. If you offer opportunities for customers to share content or leave a review across channels or throughout the user journey, you will give yourself plenty to work with.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Review platforms like Trustpilot or Feefo are magnets for testimonials. Sign up to a review platform that suits your business, and you will connect with a treasure trove of UGC that you can share with your audience and earn the kind of kudos that will grow your business.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once you connect with brand mentions or UGC content on social media and earn a healthy amount of reviews or testimonials, you can amplify it to your advantage. Here\u2019s how:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Connect <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">with consumers that have shared UGC via social media publicly to show your appreciation and highlight it further.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Share &amp; repurpose<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> social media testimonials, images, posts, videos, and brand mentions by adding them to your Instagram Stories, branded blog posts, or marketing emails and creating images with quotes, reviews, and testimonials to post on social media.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Publish<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> reviews and testimonials on your <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/how-to-produce-product-pages-that-get-results\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">product pages<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and appropriate places on your website.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b><br \/>\n<\/b><b>Read: <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/the-good-the-bad-and-the-fabricated-how-to-deal-with-online-reviews-the-right-way\/\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Good, The Bad, and The Fabricated: How to Deal With Online Reviews the Right Way<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Inspire &amp; incentivize your customers<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now that you know how to mine for UGC and share it with your audience, let\u2019s look at how you can incentivize consumers to create or share user-generated content without being intrusive or pushy.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>Personalized deals &amp; offers<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/how-proper-customer-segmentation-can-lead-to-more-sales\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reach out to specific segments of your audience<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> through email with a personalized deal or offer (discounts on a relevant product category or early bird access to new products that they\u2019re likely to be interested in, for example) in exchange for a review, testimonial, or social post on your customers\u2019 experience with your brand.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>Challenges &amp; competitions<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most consumers love a social media challenge, competition, or giveaway. By running a challenge or competition with a decent prize, you will earn droves of engagement and a wealth of valuable user-generated content you can use to your advantage.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You could, for instance, run a contest asking your customers to create a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/a-definitive-guide-to-tiktok-marketing\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">TikTok<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> video based on a seasonal theme like Easter, Groundhog Day, Oscar\u2019s, Halloween,\u00a0 or Thanksgiving. After creating the video, you can ask them to share it with your brand using a certain hashtag that you can use to build a library of UGC while measuring engagement.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>Post-purchase communications<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As part of your user or buyer journey, you could direct your customers to a post-purchase landing page, asking them to offer feedback on their experience in return for a discount the next time they shop with you.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Run UGC-based paid ads<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once you\u2019ve started to connect with inspiring pieces of branded UGC, you can expand their reach while making your promotions more impactful by using customer reviews, blog or social post excerpts, and images in your paid Google, Facebook, or Instagram ads.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once you\u2019ve gained permission to use your customers\u2019 UGC in your paid advertising campaign, make it the centerpiece of your content. Whether it\u2019s an image, video, or text, you can take your UGC of choice and build your ad headline and call to action around it. This increases your chances of interaction, engagement, and conversion.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/4-effective-paid-advertising-techniques-for-ecommerce-retail-business-owners\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">guide to effective paid advertising techniques for eCommerce or retail business owners<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> will give you all of the insights you need to create powerful (and profitable) UGC-based paid ads.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Amplify with influencers<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Earlier, we mentioned that people prefer user-generated content to influencer content\u2014but that doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t use influencer content to complement your UGC.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By working with the right influencers to share your UGC, you will not only expand the reach of your content significantly but also benefit from extra brand authority. Influencers can also request UGC on your behalf, serving as a powerful incentive.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Read: <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/how-to-work-with-influencers-to-boost-your-ecommerce-business\/\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How to Work with Influencers to Boost Your eCommerce Business<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b>Inspiring user-generated content marketing campaigns<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We established the importance of user-generated content and how to use it to grow your business. Now, let\u2019s explore two inspirational user-generated content marketing campaigns.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Both of these clever campaigns place user-generated content at the heart of the narrative, offering customers a clear incentive to create content and share it with their followers with a catchy concept or hook.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Coca-Cola: #ShareaCoke<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Coca-Cola is a brand that needs little introduction. In addition to its renowned carbonated product, the brand is also known for its innovative approach to marketing\u2014its \u2018Share a Coke\u2019 campaign is no exception.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4JmKVXgAFNA\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To prompt a wave of user-generated content, the brand personalized its cans and bottles with popular names (the names were slightly different according to country, based on data) and asked its fans to share their personally branded containers via social media using the hashtag <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/shareacok\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">#ShareaCoke<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This quirky yet effective campaign sparked countless pieces of creative UGC, with celebrities and influencers getting involved without being paid or incentivized. Not only did the campaign increase sales, but it also increased <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalvidya.com\/blog\/case-study-on-coca-colas-share-a-coke-campaign\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Coca-Cola\u2019s Facebook traffic by 870%<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>GoPro: #GoPro<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GoPro is a brand with its roots firmly planted in adventure, endurance, and the great outdoors. Using its innovative, ergonomic, hardwearing POV camera equipment to its advantage, GoPro benefits from a continual flow of UGC by interacting with its consumers via social media and encouraging them to share their adventures using the hashtag <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/explore\/tags\/gopro\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">#GoPro<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/H7PlRrwxuDg\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because the footage is aspirational, inspirational, and often stunning by nature, GoPro uses its flow of UGC in its marketing campaigns frequently. By placing its fans at the heart of the story and placing UGC at the heart of its marketing strategy, GoPro always shines its products in their best, most authentic light. This lean on UGC is one of the reasons why <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/investor.gopro.com\/press-releases\/press-release-details\/2021\/GoPro-Announces-Fourth-Quarter-and-Full-Year-2020-Results\/#:~:text=Full%20year%202020%20GoPro.com,since%20the%20start%20of%202020.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the brand\u2019s sales doubled during the pandemic<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cEvery person is defined by the communities she belongs to.\u201d\u2014<\/span><\/i><b><i>Orson Scott Card<\/i><\/b><\/h4>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There\u2019s no doubt about it: user-generated content is one of the most powerful promotional content you have at your fingertips. By taking the time to search for any valuable UGC you can use, offering your audience ample opportunities or incentives to create content or share testimonials, and sharing everything you find valuable across channels, you will set yourself apart from the pack.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re looking for more creative ways to attract consumers to your eCommerce or retail business, check out our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/5-ways-to-use-cognitive-bias-to-your-ecommerce-or-retail-stores-advantage\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">practical guide to grow your audience using cognitive bias<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>User-generated content as a powerful promotional force. &nbsp; Image source &nbsp; As a retail or eCommerce business owner, getting through to your customers can be a real challenge. While once upon a time, targeting consumers with generic sales messaging and throwing out a discount or two would work wonders. Now, growth depends on your ability [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1638,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1635","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1635","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1635"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1635\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1638"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1635"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1635"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}