In the sea of content brands bombard us with on social media every day, you may notice an increasing number of posts that appear natural, featuring user-shared photos and videos. Is this a result of marketing agencies and community managers being lazy, or is it something entirely different?
The average social media user is becoming increasingly indifferent to promotional content. They seek the experiences of other users, reviews, and genuine photos not taken for promotional purposes. To address this trend, marketing agency owners and digital department employees are increasingly turning to 'user-generated content' —a collective term for content created by users of a product or service.
Today, brands don't have to create content themselves; users do it for them. This concept not only saves time but also boosts sales and engagement on the company's social media pages. Studies have shown that brands utilizing this form of communication achieve six times more interaction than those that do not.
Additionally, users find this type of content 2.4 times more interesting than other content on social media. It's a win-win situation as users enjoy seeing their photos on the company's profile, encouraging other users to share content from your establishment in the hope of being featured. Over time, it strengthens the bond between the brand and the user, enhancing the credibility of the product or service.
User photos and this concept have existed for much longer, but the proliferation of quality cameras on mobile phones and the popularization of social media platforms have contributed significantly to their popularity among photo and digital content enthusiasts.
Some corporations use tools like Tint, Revinate, or Hypera, but UGC can also be collected without additional tools. From our experience working with large hotels such as Le Meridien Lav in Podstrana with 370 rooms or Radisson Blu Hotel in Split with 250 rooms, this content comes naturally. During the summer, we would receive dozens of high-quality photos from hotel guests daily. However, I believe UGC is not reserved only for large establishments and corporations; it can be perfectly applied to small businesses as well. You can find user photos by searching social media by location, profile mentions, and tags, ensuring you pay attention to user data protection. For each photo, obtain written permission from the owner, using the opportunity to communicate with the guest/client, thanking them for the photo, praising their photographic skills, and expressing hope they enjoyed their time at your establishment. In addition to obtaining permission, when posting a photo, always mention the image owner in the text.
Establishments struggling to collect such photos can further encourage guests or clients to share content from their premises through well-prepared contests that include photography, collaborating with influencers, encouraging employees to make such posts, or setting up 'Instagram corners' that inspire guests to take photos.
