How to Boost Engagement with User-Generated Content on Instagram

User-generated content (UGC) plays a crucial role in establishing a brand’s online presence and fostering a vibrant community on social media platforms. It can lead a brand’s Instagram engagement campaign by enhancing brand awareness, increasing brand visibility, and nurturing and strengthening brand relationships.

Opening the doors to user-generated content on Instagram means harnessing the creativity of the audience for a consistent flow of fresh, relevant, and valuable content.

Although UGC comes with obvious benefits (such as social proof and improved engagement), there are also numerous challenges. By embracing UGC, brands relinquish partial control over content production and consumer engagement.

The pros of UGC outweigh the cons, making it indispensable as a part of an effective social media strategy.

Keep reading to discover the best ideas to enhance engagement rates with user-generated content on Instagram.

What Is User-Generated Content Instagram?

Millions of posts, images, and videos are uploaded daily across a wide range of social channels. Only a fraction of them come from brands and businesses. Much of the content we see on social media platforms is created by users.

Most social media users are creative souls; they don’t want to be mere spectators. They share their thoughts, opinions, and experiences of products and services they come across. This form of content, created by users showcasing a brand, product, or service, is called user-generated content.

Lately, we have seen social media users with a sizeable following endorse brands or create content on products and services. This is done as part of paid influencer marketing, and the individuals who post images, text, and videos promoting a brand are called influencers.

In contrast, Instagram UGC is an unsponsored and unpaid content strategy. UGC has greater acceptance among consumers because it’s genuine, natural, and relatable.

For businesses, UGC is an important part of the marketing strategy because this form of content engages the audience in the beginning and later influences their purchasing decision.

UGC is particularly effective on Instagram. Why? Brands will have better success engaging the audience if they can easily share and repost UGC. Instagram provides the best features to gain user permission and distribute their content.

It would take a long, long time to identify users who create content mentioning or promoting your brand. However, users can use certain Instagram features to make their content easily discoverable by brands. The three common methods are:

• Users can employ stickers such as ‘hashtag’ and ‘mention’ to reference other accounts in their posts. This action gives tacit permission for the ‘account’ to share and repost the content to promote their brand.
• Similarly, the inclusion of either ‘invite collaborator’ or ‘add tag’ in a new post is an indication for other users (or brands) to repost the content.
• Finally, Instagram’s Remix feature allows users to record their Instagram reels along with the video content of other users. This is an excellent feature for users to collaborate with brand content or vice versa.

The Importance of User-Generated Content

We just discussed what makes Instagram the ideal platform for using UGC. Now, let’s look at the reasons you should invest your time, effort, and resources in UGC.

Content Diversification

Let’s start with the low-hanging fruit first. There are many reasons for including UGC in your social media content strategy. First and foremost, UGC helps you reach a wider audience and also addresses diverse consumer preferences.

Sometimes, consumers are put off by content that openly preaches, promotes a product or service, or compels consumers to make buying decisions. Adding UGC to the content mix can make your approach more authentic and personal.

Also, it saves you a ton of time. How long does it take to edit a video? In this case, nil. You can share and repost the UGC content to engage your followers.

Better User Engagement

The creative and authentic content draws more viewers on social media. This statement is validated by the data that user-generated posts witness 28% higher engagement than content created by brands themselves. UGC also encourages viewers to share their experiences, opinions, and questions, thereby boosting engagement.

Increase in Trust and Credibility

Not all, but many consumers don’t blindly believe the details or promises made by brands regarding their products or services. Even marketers, a whopping 93% of them, agree that UGC begets trust.

Since UGC is unpaid and unsponsored content, it’s the social proof that consumers look for to make an informed decision about a product.

Brand Exposure

By bringing in more features that allow users to create and distribute their content, Instagram is only addressing the growing demand. Yes, more and more brands rely on this type of content to increase exposure and reach out to new consumers.

The best example one can give is that of sports brands running UGC campaigns to promote sports merchandise. These brands rely on high-engagement content produced by sports fans to enhance views, which may spark interest in the brand and ultimately result in more sales.

Types of User-Generated Content

Although the target audience on social media channels, such as Instagram, is the same as those who visit your website, their content expectations and preferences are quite different. Here are the types of UGC that appeal to the audience on Instagram:

Product Unboxing Videos

Product packaging is as important as the product itself. Content showcasing the unboxing of a product captures the excitement mingled with the expectation one feels at the moment. It encourages viewers to purchase the product to experience the same feeling.

How-To Content

Perhaps the most popular user-generated content on the internet. It’s always easier to master the use of a product by watching other customers than learning from brand in-house videos. 

While brands show you the things you can do with a product, customer content takes this a step further to demonstrate creative ways of using a product and what not to do with the product (which is a valuable lesson for potential customers).

Branded Hashtags 

Users on Instagram want to enjoy creativity, fun, and entertaining content. One way for brands to encourage users to create appealing content is by running hashtag campaigns. 

Come up with hashtag topics that increase participation, and before reposting and sharing, use Instagram direct messaging to seek permission from the user.

Customer Stories 

In most cases, customer stories aren’t independent. It’s a collaborative effort by the brand and the customer. On Instagram, such content is posted by the brand to showcase the customer’s positive experience and the impact of using the product on their lives. 

Customer stories can also become part of Instagram Ads. For example, users of cosmetic cream for dry skin talk about their skin health before and after using the product.

Testimonials

Reviews and testimonials on Instagram carry greater weight than those published by the brand. On Instagram, user-generated reviews can be visual or text-based. 

To engage potential customers better with the content, ensure the customer reviews are genuine. Brands should encourage users to share both positive and negative points about the product. Honest product reviews will generate more engagement and create a greater impact.

How to Use User-Generated Content to Boost Engagement

User-generated content helps spread the word, reaching beyond your current followers and fostering community engagement and expansion. Instagram UGC can significantly enhance engagement when effectively generated and utilized.

1. Request Customer Feedback and Reviews

We strongly believe in seizing the moment. After a purchase, along with a ‘Thank You’ note, kindly ask customers to share a video or image review of the product/service on Instagram. Additionally, encourage them to create an ‘unboxing’ or ‘how-to’ video showcasing the product.

Wayfair

The online furniture retailer initiated a UGC campaign, encouraging customers to share their experiences with the retailer’s products. The #WayfairAtHome campaign amassed over 55,000 social media posts.

2. Hashtag Campaigns

Initiate a hashtag campaign to inspire Instagram users to create and share content associated with your brand/product. Ensure the hashtag is relevant to your brand or a specific campaign. A simple hashtag search later will aggregate all UGC in one place for your review. Feel free to share or repost selected content to engage your Instagram followers.

Aerie

Aerie launched a UGC campaign, #AerieReal, requesting customers to share unedited and untouched images of themselves wearing the brand’s women’s clothing. Additionally, they announced a $1 donation for each post to the National Eating Disorders Association.

3. Pose a Question 

Enhance engagement by focusing on content that resonates with your target audience. Rather than collecting all forms of UGC, post a question to your audience, seeking their views and preferences.

4. Run Instagram Contests 

Similar to hashtag campaigns, brands can organize Instagram contests to generate more UGC. Clearly outline the contest rules and how users can participate. Brands can increase participation by promoting the contest using Instagram ads. For instance, request Instagram users to create a post or upload a video showcasing unique ways to use a product.

Starbucks

The coffee company Starbucks initiated a #WhiteCupContest, wherein consumers submit the doodles they create on Starbucks white cups. This marketing campaign turned into a tremendous success.

5. Partner with Influencers

A great idea to generate UGC and boost engagement is collaborating with Instagram influencers with sufficient follower counts. Influencers understand their audience’s preferences and can create content that maximizes engagement. Brands can find suitable influencers within their budget, such as small businesses teaming up with micro-influencers with a niche following.

Amber Fillerup Clark

Amber Fillerup Clark is a popular blogger and social media influencer. This Instagram mom covers topics ranging from family experiences and travel adventures to her preferences in fashion and home décor. Additionally, through collaborations with various brands, she crafts influencer content showcasing their products.

6. Instagram Stories 

Enhance the visibility of UGC by featuring them in Instagram Stories. Make UGC a part of your story highlights to showcase the content for an extended period.

7. Engage with UGC Posts

Like your audience, content creators also aim to grow their followers and expand their reach. Engaging with users through likes, shares, and comments will make them feel valued. It also shows the brand appreciates their efforts in creating content for them.

8. Highlight Users

Create a user spotlight series or a similar program where a user is featured each week. Discuss the user’s brand-related content, history, experience with your product/service, and more.

This strategy will inspire other Instagram users to get creative and generate content for your brand. Additionally, consider providing early access or exclusive discounts on products to select UGC contributors.

9. Share Behind-the-Scenes Content

Encourage employees or team members to share entertaining behind-the-scenes content. This content will reveal your brand culture and showcase its human side.

10. Maintain Consistency 

Utilizing high-quality content from users should not be a one-time effort. Consistency allows a brand to remain in front of the audience, increasing the chances of engagement and conversion into sales.

Best Practices for User-Generated Content on Instagram

Not everyone creates user-generated content expecting brands to pick it up for their marketing purposes. This means you need a UGC strategy in place to effectively find, engage, and redistribute the content to improve customer engagement. Here are some tips to effectively use UGC on Instagram.

Create UGC Guidelines

Increase the chances of success for your campaign by developing UGC guidelines. Use them as a reference to select customer content suitable for sharing. Alternatively, if users express willingness to create content for your brand, share the UGC guidelines to educate them about the type of content you need.

Seek Permission 

Even if you don’t know the source of content, there are enough tools nowadays to find it. Hence, always ask for the permission of the original creator before using it in your post. If you plan to make the content part of your UGC campaign, then comment or DM with a message requesting the use of the visual or image.

Give Credit

UGC providers want their work to be recognized and appreciated. Brands can develop a bond with users by crediting them through tagging or adding their Instagram usernames to the content.

Comment on the Original Post

We know that customer content enhances a brand’s reach and boosts engagement. That said, UGC can also benefit the user (content provider). Brands that recognize the contribution and appreciate the creators by commenting on their posts help the user gain more exposure and feel special. This simple act by the brand may earn them a loyal customer for life.

Inform How You Plan to Use the Content

You need a clear policy on how you plan to use UGC. This should be mentioned in the guidelines. Additionally, you need to convey this information to the user (content provider). For example, you may be planning to take the visuals (videos and images) beyond Instagram, which some users may not agree with.

Monitor UGC Performance

Curating UGC can be a laborious process. Luckily, there are plenty of tools that can assist you in collecting, organizing, and monitoring user content on the platform. To measure engagement and tweak the UGC strategy, you can use Instagram analytics tools.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, we have explored ideas and tips for enhancing Instagram engagement through user-generated content. We commenced with a brief introduction to UGC and its significance, followed by an overview of UGC types, guidelines on utilization, and recommended best practices to amplify Instagram engagement.

Numerous creative strategies exist for leveraging user-generated content to expand your reach and engage the audience. Start with the information provided in this article and establish a robust foundation for stronger audience engagement on Instagram.