How to trigger UGC in 2024 using a social media calendar?
As you may have seen, social media are becoming more and more overrun with information, making it increasingly difficult for brands to stand out from the crowd.
This is where using a strategy based on your users and clients plays a very important role.
If you can engage with your users or make your product attractive enough to be re-shared then you will save hours of content creation and boost the reassurance of your offer.
User-generated content A.K.A UGC is not a new strategy, but it is one that needs to be better understood and mastered. If properly implemented and followed by the team, it can dramatically improve the performance of your social media posts! Here is an article that will reveal how to trigger and manage it.
Using the right tools is great for organizing and planning your content for your strategy and encouraging UGC. It helps ensure that you have a consistent posting schedule, have all your posts in one place, and avoid the panic of having to come up with content at the last minute. Depending on the needs of your brand, your schedule can be as simple or complex as you need it to be.
However creating a schedule full of content, from scratch, on your own can be daunting.
This is why letting your users speak for you is a key part of a strategy that requires less operational time.
Get all the best tips by reading this article and in bonus, access Iconosquare’s 2023 social media calendar with holiday hashtags, you’ll be well on your way to having an organized and comprehensive social media calendar that helps you stay on top of your content!
1. UG…what? User-Generated Content!
User-generated content refers to a set of contents (documents of different types, such as images, videos, texts, or audio) that are intended for broadcasting. This content is directly created and shared by the users on online channels.
Yes, easier said than done, you may say!
Because the reality is not easy depending on the product or service you are offering. It's obviously easier to be reshared when you are a hairdresser, Nails salon, or a sneaker brand but don't be desperate, just because you are a Saas, a construction company, a canning brand or a soap brand doesn't mean you can't trigger UGC. You just need to know what strategy to put in place and what levers to push to provoke the expected reaction, we are not marketing teams for nothing!
Learn more about UGC in this article.
2. What to do to produce UGC?
In order to produce user-generated content (UGC), you may want to consider creating engaging campaigns and content that motivates users to generate their own content relating to your brand. Or, as previously mentioned, make your product appealing, useful, or well-liked to encourage users or customers to talk about how well it works, how happy they are with it, or how it fits into a trend.
The main and best-known lifts are quite simple: you could host a contest or sweepstakes that encourages users to share their own stories, images, or videos related to your brand. Additionally, you could join relevant online communities to promote your brand and engage with potential creators.
Or even, work on building relationships with influencers and content creators who may be interested in sharing your brand with their own followers.
But let's talk about more complex levers that make UGC easier to manage on the business side and free. For this, you need to build a solid content and social media strategy on a defined basis.
Here is an example, an Instagram account that gives advice on curly hair. After testing the Coco and Eve product they promote it for free, using the hashtags #UGC and #UGCcommunity in addition to mentioning them. They created a quality publication highlighting the product and its benefits on a niche page of hair care. What a real gold mine for the brand!
3. Determine your content objectives.
To determine your content objectives, begin by thinking about your goals and what you want to accomplish with your content throughout your channels. Consider the purpose of your content, who your target audience is, and how you want to engage them.
Once you have an idea of the type of content you want to create, consider the format you'll use, whether written, audio, or visual. Finally, ask yourself what metrics you'll use to measure success and how you'll know when you've achieved your objectives, it’s the basis you will need to master your UGC.
4. Choose your social media channels carefully.
Choosing the proper social media channels for your business can be a discouraging task. A good place to start is by evaluating which platforms your target audience is most active on and then deciding which ones you can commit to managing and engaging with.
It's important to be realistic and choose a few channels to which you can devote regular time and energy instead of spreading yourself too thin. Additionally, research which channels will best support the goals of your business and how you plan to use them. This will help you decide which platforms will provide the most value for your business.
5. What is a social media calendar?
A social media calendar is a powerful tool for any social media managers because it helps them plan and organize their content. It allows marketers to curate timely, relevant, and engaging content for their target audiences. This ensures that their content reaches the right people, in the right place, and at the right time.
It also allows them to use trending events and hashtags on the right day to create engagement. They are then able to track performance and measure the success of their content across multiple platforms on a D-date. Ultimately, following a social media calendar helps them create a comprehensive and effective content strategy that will allow them to trigger UGC using the most trending hashtags of the day in a determined area or the world.
You are lucky because the social media marketing specialists at Iconosquare have prepared a scalable social media calendar on Notion. This calendar is updated from quarter to quarter to offer you not only the best events to use but also hashtags, royalty-free images, info on the events, and even a way to export it or add it to your G-calendar in 1 click.
You will be able to use this resource for free - without a Notion account, to add it to your work notion, edit it, or have it on your G-agenda.
6. Why do you really need a social media calendar for your strategy?
It's pretty obvious and it holds up in 6 points:
- To post consistently
Posting on social media consistently is a great way to build brand awareness and engage with your customers. Nowadays it is even a must in order to stay in the news feed of your audience! Regular themed publications help you keep your content fresh, relevant and provide new subjects to do diverse sorts of promotions in a consistent manner.
- To save time by planning ahead/ scheduling
Your social media calendar is now ready! You can start planning your content. Plan all your Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter campaigns in advance, this has many advantages, you will have more time to work on your strategy, analyze your previous performance or take the time to connect with your community.
- To diversify your content formats
Choosing the right social media format and topics can be a great way to engage your audience and create meaningful connections, therefore UGC. The key to success is finding a balance between formats that resonate with your target audience and content types that are interesting and engaging.
With the emergence of new types of formats: Facebook reels, LinkedIn carousels, and creative tweets, there is a variety of formats to reach a new part of your audience.
- To not miss out on relevant events
When considering topics, think about what your target audience is interested in. Brainstorm topics that your audience would find interesting, informative, or entertaining. You can also consider current events and trends related to your niche (#Worldchocolateday, #WorldWildlifeday, #Salsaday,...).
Yet, experiment with different types of content and topics to see what resonates best with your audience.
- To identify the highest-performing content
Consider what kind of material would be most interesting for your audience when choosing content types. Think of combining written, audio, visual, and interactive elements. Additionally, think about infographics, polls, quizzes, and videos. But keeping an eye on engagement metrics and feedback can help you find the right balance between content types and topics.
- And generating UGC easily
Creating a hashtag campaign is a great way to trigger user-generated content on social media easily. Hashtags can be used to create a consistent theme for content, making it easier for users to engage with and contribute to the conversation. Additionally, you can create incentives for users to submit content, such as giveaways or discounts for users who post. You can also use social media polls to encourage users to share their opinions and feature user content on your own social media channels to show appreciation and encourage further engagement.
WeMoms exemple
WeMoms is a mobile application that has more than 2 million members around a common topic: motherhood. Moms and moms-to-be meet to exchange and answer questions and share their experiences and testimonials. Developing a community-led growth approach is therefore ideal for WeMoms.
The main goal of this program is to give a voice to WeMoms users so that they can share their experience through reviews and content, which has allowed WeMoms to improve the quality of traffic, conversion, and therefore the cost per installation.
Conclusion
There you go! You now possess all the necessary tools to develop an entirely new content strategy for 2023. Focus on identifying key days, good SEO of your words, and choosing relevant hashtags. For all the greatest event suggestions and hashtags, don't forget to check out the Iconosquare social media calendar. It's a strong instrument that, when used by your team, strengthens your social media strategy and assists you in producing fantastic results! It's time to trigger the UGC at a glance with all this new advice to implement!
