Information in this blog post was obtained from hootsuite.com, personifycorp.com, and hubspot.com.
Do you like to share your post-event pictures on social media? Maybe you watch out to see who won an event or catch a picture of the guest speaker speaking. As student marketers, we navigate the realms of social media daily. Whether its curating weekend photo dumps or eagerly scrolling through our friends' updates, we are no strangers to the power of social sharing. People love to post weekend photo dumps or we love to see what our friends were up to. When you share a photo of yourself, you may encourage a fellow follower to attend next time. Today, we will give you practical tips, insightful strategies, and real-world examples to elevate your event promotion game and leave a lasting impression on your audience by using user-generated content.
What is User-Generated Content?
User-generated content, also known as UGC, is a very popular form of social media posts whether you know it or not. Every time a person takes to the internet to share images, videos, event reviews or feedback, testimonials, or even a podcast about a product or company, they are creating user-generated content. User-generated content is unique because it can come it two different forms: paid versus unpaid.
#1. Paid UGC
Becoming popular, paid user-generated content is a simple way to purchase advertisements. Typically, companies will reach out to leaders, customers, brand loyalists, or even employees in the industry to share photos, videos, etc. of themself using their product or attending their event.
#2. Unpaid UGC
Unpaid user-generated content, also known as organic, comes directly from a consumer who posts an authentic picture or review at their own will. Photos are one of the most popular forms of organic UGC. Maybe someone loves their new sweater or the photo booth at your event was a hit with attendees. In both of these instances, there was zero persuasion or incentive for the social media user to share this on their own.
While there are benefits to both, a company should examine what its brand stands for and the budget they have to use. When selecting user-generated content as an option for your event promotion, there are several key benefits.
Brand Loyalty & Authenticity
According to Hootsuite, only 32% of Americans have a "fair amount" or "great deal" of trust in the media. This means that it can be hard to advertise to consumers and get them to believe in your company. By using user-generated content, you can enhance brand loyalty. When consumers share their image on social media, it creates a sense of community. Community drives and deepens consumer-to-business relationships, which increases brand loyalty. By showing real customer examples on your social media, your consumers are directly endorsing your upcoming event or brand. The ultimate connection is when a consumer believes the content you are creating is authentic and relatable, all key qualities found in user-generated content.
Cost Effectiveness
Hiring cost-intensive influencers can greatly hinder an event promotion budget. One of the best ways to combat this is with user-generated content. UGC is one of the most cost-effective methods to diversify your content and promote content your potential event attendee audience wants to see themselves. Most people will be excited to be featured on your social media channel. Meaning, there is no need to invest dollars in expensive ad agencies or flashy campaigns. If you are a smaller business or just getting started, user-generated content is cheap and easy to manage.
3 Ways to Use UGC For Event Promotion Marketing
#1. Organize Contests
Contests are one of the most organic ways to create user-generated content. By requesting your guests to share a selfie with your product or at your event, you can offer this contest across all social media platforms. For example, you could say, “Take a photo with your group at the registration area and use #CompanyName and #Event2023.” By doing this, you will have plenty of posts from participants to boost your event’s social media presence. You can then offer free registration or a prize during your event that encourages attendees to get active online and create user-generated event promotions.
#2. Implement a Social Media Wall
Looking for an online community to house all of your event attendees' pictures? Create a social media wall. Attendees can share their selfies and pictures with a hashtag that is being used during your event. Before speakers or whatever your event is, you have a display rotating through pictures that have been shared by event attendees. This encourages others to post in hopes of seeing themselves on the screen. Overall, this boosts the morale of event attendees and is a simple way to gain event promotion with user-generated content.
#3. Event Testimonials
Testimonials can go a long way in authenticity and boosting your ticket or exhibition sales. By showing people on social media that your event is the place to be, you are creating hype and trust with your consumer. This tactic is also very helpful to persuade guests who are on the fence about coming to your event. It can build confidence in their event decision.
Word of Mouth
Ultimately, user-generated content takes away the feeling of a company pushing their content on them and it shifts to the word of mouth of the consumer. While UGC is not directly word of mouth, I decided to touch on word of mouth to allow you to fully grasp what UGC can do for your event promotion.
According to Hubspot, "an RRD survey of 1,000 consumers, 55% learn about products through word of mouth. 40% made purchases based on those recommendations. 28% would rather use word of mouth than any other form of discovery."
Buyers really like to invest in the opinions and experiences of the people they trust. This is not only done through word of mouth, but through event promotion of user-generated content. By creating buzz around an event, UGC and word of mouth go hand in hand as a cost-effective event promotion strategy.
Conclusion
In conclusion, user-generated content is a powerful tool for event promotion in today's social media landscape. Whether it is paid or unpaid, UGC allows event marketers to tap into the authenticity of their audience to create persuasive content. They can foster brand loyalty, authenticity, and trust among their audience.
With its cost-effectiveness, UGC facilitates word-of-mouth marketing, which remains one of the most influential factors in consumer decision-making. By encouraging attendees to share their experiences and recommendations, event organizers can amplify their reach and create buzz around their events.
Disclaimer: No AI was injured in the production of this content. AI (ChatGPT) was used as a tool to supplement, enhance, and make suggestions in writing this blog post.
Resources
Beveridge, C. (2024, March 26). What is user-generated content? and why is it important?. Social Media Marketing & Management Dashboard. https://blog.hootsuite.com/user-generated-content-ugc/
Carmicheal, K. (2022, September 20). Word of mouth marketing: What it is and how to make it work. HubSpot Blog. https://blog.hubspot.com/agency/how-online-word-of-mouth-marketing-is-changing
Knupp, D. (2022, November 22). 4 ways to use user-generated content for event marketing. Personify. https://personifycorp.com/blog/user-generated-content/
OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT (3.5) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com
Comments