What is User Content. What does UGC content bring to a brand and how to work with it. Positive influence of UGC

What is VPK and unpacked content

What is VPK

First, let's understand what VPK is.
VPK (Valve Pack file) is a game archive format that replaced GCF as a faster and more economical format in terms of disk space.

A bit of history

After the release of Steam, the question arose: "Where will we store the game files?". The answer to it was GCF files, which were a kind of file system with its own specific sections and folders. After the launch of the Steam Community, another question arose: "What if more than one schoolboy plays at the bakery, but also his dad, and on a different account?" aka: "What if there are several Steam accounts on the PC?". The Achilles' heel of the GCF format was the lack of support for multiplayer mode, that is, two copies of the game were downloaded to two Steam accounts, and the disk space became half as much. It looked like this:

C:\Steam\SteamApps\MSPDGM\Half-Life 2\ C:\Steam\SteamApps\EH5X\Half-Life 2\

Do you feel? It smells like fried hard drives!
In this regard, VALVe were forced to develop a new format that supports Steam multiplayer mode, taking up 2 times less space. This is how the VPK format was developed. Also, the texture wallhack cheats became a trigger for the development of a new format.
Interestingly, VPK has a similar structure to GCF.
After the update, if the game is purchased on both accounts, the path to it will look like this:

C:\Steam\SteamApps\common\Half-Life 2\

A little about the structure

The VPK format is a kind of virtual file system.
Archives that store game files have the ending "_xxx" (xxx is a sequence number, 001, 002, etc.).
The "control" archive has the _dir ending, and the entire VPK system is loaded through it.

cstrike_pak_001.vpk cstrike_pak_002.vpk cstrike_pak_003.vpk cstrike_pak_dir.vpk

VPKs can also work separately, as is done by the creators of custom content, in this case, you simply do not need to add any prefixes.

yourmod1.vpk memes.vpk CTmiku.vpk

Because the VPK contains all files in uncompressed form, but only for systematization, for customization, you can also use the unpacked content.

What is unpacked content

Unpacked content is the same VPK, only without shoving all the files into archives.
Unpacked content - all materials, models, sounds, resources, cache files, skyboxes, maps that not packed in VPK and downloaded separately to one of the game content folders (hl2 or cstrike).
Actually, there is nothing to say about the unpacked content, it's just all the game files.

What is the "custom" folder

A bit of history

In GoldSrc, the replacement for the "custom" folder was the "mod_addon" folder, and it was possible to enable support for custom content in the settings, however, not all administrators were happy with this and began to prohibit custom content on their servers, most the best way was a kick. Recently, I found a loophole that allows you to bypass the restriction on custom textures: this is the "mod_hd" folder. The engine was designed in such a way that when checking if there is custom content in the _addon folder, it does not see the _hd folder point-blank, and when sending data to the server, it does not "talk" about _hd generally. Thus, if you transfer all your models from the _addon folder to the _hd folder, you will not be kicked for custom content. In Source, the situation has changed dramatically, because now the engine does not support _hd folders at all, and therefore custom content can only be pushed into the custom folder, and if you change them in VPK, then catch VAC. Also, the server now has the ability to permanently disable custom content using just one sv_pure console command.

sv_pure 0 //Allows the client to change the location of ANY game file. The client can use modified files to gain an unfair advantage by doing things like replacing player models with more visible ones, making walls invisible, placing beacons on C4, and so on. VAC doesn't protect against such exploits, as they don't change how the game is played, and allows the server to decide what clients can do. sv_pure 1 //Allows only content from the whitelist (the list of allowed content). By default, the whitelist allows custom models and any potential exploits such as flashy skins. sv_pure 2 // Forces the client to ignore ALL user generated content and forces the client to use information received from Steam. Sv_pure 2 will also disable user content and custom sprays.

What is she for?

I think, reader, you have already understood everything, the "custom" folder is intended for introducing custom content into the game that does not affect the gameplay and the operation of the engine. Moreover, this folder can be used for not entirely favorable purposes, such as texture walhack (Transparent textures).

Installing custom content

Let's get acquainted with the structure of the folder

We have two objects here:

• my_custom_stuff
• readme

Let's read what kind programmers wrote to us in the readme:

This folder is automatically scanned when the game boots for VPK files or
subfolders. Each subfolder or VPK is added as a search path, so the files
inside those VPK"s or subfolders will overide the default game files.

See gameinfo.txt for more details.

For example, you might have the following file structure:

cstrike/custom/my_custom_stuff/<<< This subfolder will be added as a search path
cstrike/custom/my_custom_stuff/models/custom_model.mdl
cstrike/custom/my_custom_stuff/materials/custom_material.vmt
cstrike/custom/my_custom_stuff/materials/vgui/custom_ui_thing.res
cstrike/custom/some_mod.vpk<<< This VPK will be added as a search path
cstrike/custom/another_mod.vpk<<< This VPK will be added as a search path

Mounting a VPK to the filesystem is more efficient that adding a subfolder,
because each time the engine neds to open a file, it will need to make a call to the
operating system call to search the folder. VPKs can be searched by the engine much
more efficiently. Each subfolder is a new search path that must be checked each
time the engine tries to open a file. So for optimal load times, always use VPK files
and don't make any subfolders in this folder!

Note that the following directory structure is NOT correct:

cstrike/custom/models/my_model.mdl

That will add the directory "cstrike/custom/models" as a search path, in which case the
file my_model.mdl actually exists at the root of the game's virtual filesystem.

Good old spent machine translation from sidoji:

This folder is automatically scanned when the game downloads for VPK files or
nested folders. Each subfolder or VPK is added as a search path, so files that have the same path in the VPK will be replaced with custom ones.

See the gameinfo.txt file for details.

For example, you might have the following file structure:

cstrike/custom/my_custom_stuff/<<< Эта подпапка будет добавлена ​​в качестве пути подгрузки
CStrike/custom/my_custom_stuff/models/custom_model.mdl
CStrike/custom/my_custom_stuff/materials/custom_material.vmt
CStrike/custom/my_custom_stuff/materials/VGUI/custom_ui_thing.res
cstrike/custom/some_mod.vpk<<< Этот VPK будет добавлен в файловую систему движка
cstrike/custom/another_mod.vpk<<< Этот VPK будет добавлен в файловую систему движка

Installing a VPK on the filesystem is more efficient because each time the engine accesses the unpacked user-generated content, it spends more time on it, and it spends less time on the VPK
Each subfolder is a separate path for uploading files
And do not make any subfolders in this folder except for games!

Note that the following directory structure is incorrect:

CStrike/custom/models/my_model.mdl

This will add the "CStrike/custom/models/" directory as the load path, and the file will be at the root of that path, not in a folder, so the engine won't see it.

What can I deduce from this:

Originally posted by me:

The "custom" folder can contain both unpacked custom files and VPK arrays or individual archives.
In order to push the unpacked content into the game, you need to tell the engine where to look for certain folders. To do this, you need to create a folder in the root of the custom and give it a name in English, otherwise the engine will not see your models (The my_custom_stuff folder is made for an example, to make it clearer). In this folder, you need to cram all the custom files that belong to this folder, for example like this:
╠╦Custom
║╚╦CSGOawp
║─╠╦materials
║─║╚╦models
║─║─╚╦Weapons
║─║──╠v_awp.vtf
║─║──╚v_awp.vmt
║─╚╦models
║──╚╦weapons
║───╚v_awp.mdl
║
Difficult, right?

With VPK, things are much better, because there you just need to put the VPK archive / array in a folder like this:
╠╦Custom
║╚═CSGOtextures.vpk
║

Or like this:
╠╦Custom
║╠═CSGOtextures_001.vpk
║╠═CSGOtextures_002.vpk
║╠═CSGOtextures_003.vpk
║╠═CSGOtextures_004.vpk
║╠═CSGOtextures_005.vpk
║╠═CSGOtextures_006.vpk
║╠═CSGOtextures_dir.vpk
║

If everything works out right, it should all look something like this:
After reading all this, reader, I hope you understand how and where you need to shove these custom skins and models of yours, and that's it :3

We have released a new book, "Social Media Content Marketing: How to get into the head of subscribers and make them fall in love with your brand."

User-generated content is the materials on the site that are created by its visitors.

More videos on our channel - learn internet marketing with SEMANTICA

Let's take a look at a simple example of what user-generated content is. Almost every girl had her own diary. She beautifully designed it and sent it to “walk” around the class. Each student left a note in this diary. In fact, the document belonged to the girl, and all the notes were left by its readers.

Every person sometimes wants not only to find something on the Internet, but to express their thoughts. They run their own blogs, columns, etc.

For example, there is an information portal. Its users form an online community around the site. Some may maintain their own personal blogs on the same site. This is an example of UGC.

How to use user generated content

Positive influence of UGC

• It helps to feel, see goods and services in reality.
• Increases confidence: "if someone has already bought it, then I can buy it."

As for UGC for online stores, there are only pluses in its use.

Website visitors can sell your products and services. Instead of paid editors, website content can be created by enthusiastic users: quickly, voluntarily, in bulk and free of charge. And the task of the project administrator is to create all the conditions to find active editors and encourage them to do so.

(abbreviated CC or in Russian User Content) are modifications, files and items for the game created by third-party users / players / fans, that is, NOT an official developer of Electronic Arts. User content means any third-party mods, skins, items for the purchase and construction mode, repaints, default replacements, textures (patterns) and much, much more. Such content is also created in third-party utilities developed by The Sims fans. You always install user content into the game at your own peril and risk, since you cannot be sure of its quality and stable performance. Sometimes this is simply due to a low level of performance, sometimes it depends on the program in which the thing or mod was created, and sometimes on the version of the game, the engine and its “perception” of third-party files in general. There are situations when things of different people or even works of the same person from different sets cause conflicts between themselves.

People who create user-generated content are most commonly referred to as creators (creators), makers, or modders. Hence the name of the very process of creating SS - creation, maker, modding.

User Content in The Sims

User Content in The Sims 2

User Content in The Sims 3

User Content in The Sims 4

The main categories of CC in all parts of The Sims:

• Ready Sims (Characters)
• Clothing and footwear
• Accessories (earrings, glasses, bracelets, rings, pendants, bags, scarves, etc.)
• hairstyles
• Genetics (skintones, eyes, eyebrows, etc.)
• Cosmetics (lipstick, shadows, eyeliner, blush, makeup, etc.)
• Repaints and patterns (a category of recolors for in-game items or texture samples in the Sims 3 game)
• Objects for shopping mode (upholstered furniture, cabinets and tables, decor, objects, lighting, household equipment, plumbing, electronics, etc.)
• Build mode objects (windows, doors, doorways, floors and wallpaper, columns, fences, soil, trees and greenery for the garden, stairs, roofs, awnings, etc.)
• Finished lots and districts (community lots, residential lots, finished houses, new cities and districts, etc.)
• Hacks and mods (poses and emotes for sims, animations, new careers, global mods that change gameplay, new traits, new food in recipes, new functional additions, default replacements, graphics mods, etc.)

Sometimes User Content is also referred to as Additional content , but they are actually slightly different things. While User Generated Content is only created by third parties, Extra Content can include both third party content and those created by the official game developer EA, such as items from The Sims 3 Store.

Works created without the use of User Content are usually marked with , which literally means no Custom Content. Such examples include a residential building, in which only initially game objects are involved. Creations of such a plan are very much appreciated, because they work for almost any player, do not require downloading unnecessary unknown files, and behave in the most stable way.

When it comes to making a purchase decision, who are you more likely to trust - the brand or another customer who is already using the product?

User Content(or UGC) is any form of user-generated content about a brand or product. Companies do not pay for UGC, while users voluntarily advertise their product or service.

User-generated content is especially popular on Instagram, where it can be easily found and published on the brand's official page.

An opportunity like this is simply not to be missed. After all, 76% of users trust content shared by the average consumer more than branded content. In addition, almost 100% of users trust the recommendations of other people.

In today's article, we'll take a look at 10 examples of the most successful Instagram user-generated content campaigns.

Why user-generated content?

UGC helps to increase engagement on Instagram, such posts get more comments and likes. And engagement is very important for a brand’s success on social networks, because the more popular the content, the more likely it will be displayed in subscribers’ news feeds and in search results in the first positions.

Many global brands repost user content in their profile:

To appreciate the importance of user-generated content, let's take a look at some of the most successful uses from brands on Instagram.

1. The UPS Store

The UPS Store uses an Instagram account to promote its small business customers. They post content using #TheUPSStoreCustomer:

Posted by The UPS Store (@theupsstore) Feb 25, 2017 at 9:03 AM PST

This campaign should be taken into account by all B2B brands, especially if your product or service is difficult to tell in an interesting way. Photos of packaging materials and boxes will seem attractive to few people, but the stories of real people told under them really sink into the soul.

Posted by The UPS Store (@theupsstore) Apr 13, 2017 at 12:38pm PDT

Conclusion for marketers: use user-generated content to highlight an unexpected or unique side of your brand. These could be stories from your customers, users, or community members. Ask people to talk about a little-known side of your brand.

2. Aerie

Womenswear brand Aerie's #AerieReal campaign is something to strive for. It is simple but effective.

There has been a lot of controversy around the over-processing of marketing photos for a long time. Many are sure that such images negatively affect the self-esteem of girls and distort their idea of ​​a real female figure.

Therefore, Aerie decided to stop retouching photos of their models in swimsuits. And for each photo of each subscriber who shares their raw photo with the hashtag #AerieReal, the brand donates $1 to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA).

Posted by aerie (@aerie) May 26, 2017 at 1:49 pm PDT

Conclusion for marketers: give people a reason to get involved in your campaign that goes beyond Instagram. Customers love to buy from companies that stand up for themselves and want to help others. If you have the opportunity, support an actual movement or charitable organization. Such a gesture will warm up interest in your campaign. You will do good while increasing user engagement and building brand awareness. Isn't it wonderful?

3. Buffer

Posted by Buffer (@buffer) May 31, 2017 at 12:05 pm PDT

4 Wayfair

Posted by Wayfair (@wayfair) Mar 8, 2017 at 5:52 pm PST

Wayfair then reposted the user generated content and added a link to the products shown in the picture. A great combination of real feedback and inspiration.

Wayfair is running another campaign that is not as popular but helps to show the brand's product in action - #WayfairPetSquad.

Conclusion for marketers: use user generated content to help find and buy your products. Remember, people trust reviews. If you show them how other customers are using the product effectively, then they are more likely to want to visit your site.

5. IBM

Tech giant IBM posts customer and community content on Instagram using the #IBM hashtag. They have a fairly simple strategy, but it allows you to look "behind the scenes" of the world's largest corporation.

Posted by IBM (@ibm) Nov 21, 2016 at 1:49 AM PST

It's great to see how people work at IBM and use the brand's products and services in everyday life.

Conclusion for marketers: show the human side of your brand, especially if your product is not easy to visualize. Share customer, employee, and community content to show it in action.

6.Netflix

The popular video service Netflix shares fan posts about certain series and movies.

A great way to tell everyone about upcoming premieres. After all, everyone is already looking forward to the new show, which awakens a natural interest in the subject of heated discussions.

Conclusion for marketers: if you're releasing a new product or want to break the news, use UGC to spark interest in a topic. So more users will know about you and your new offer.

7.Hootsuite

SMM service Hootsuite uses the hashtag #HootsuiteLife to talk about what it's like to work in their offices around the world.

The brand is proud of its culture, and user-generated content helps it attract talented employees.

#HootsuiteLife is about employees and community members who have a lot of fun working at Hootsuite.

The secondary UGC #LifeofOwly campaign explores the life of the company's mascot.

8 Starbucks

Every December, Starbucks launches the #RedCupContest campaign to promote seasonal drinks. The brand encourages users to share photos of their red cups for a chance to win a gift card. And fans are always actively participating in the competition - more than 40,000 photos with red cups have already been published.

#RedCupContest is a well thought out UGC campaign. It invites users to compete for a valuable prize, promotes seasonal products and helps increase sales - after all, in order to take a photo with a red cup, you must first buy it.

Sometimes it's hard to imagine what software will give you until you see it in action. The UGC campaign helps Adobe showcase the capabilities of its products.

#Adobe_InColor is the brand's themed campaign that has amassed over 300 posts in just a few weeks. User-generated content allows a brand to communicate customer talent and promote its unique values ​​and culture.

10. BMW

BMW uses the #BMWRepost hashtag to share content from happy owners of the brand's vehicles:

BMWs sell high-end cars to consumers who are proud of their accomplishments, and user-generated content helps spread that pride to everyone around them.

Conclusion for marketers: give users a reason to seriously consider buying your product. At the same time, it is not necessary to offer luxury goods. Many brands have loyal fans. Let them talk about their love for you to attract even more loyal customers.

User-generated content is an indispensable tool in the arsenal of a modern marketer. Motivate followers to tell their stories and share unique brand-related photos. After all, sincere recommendations from users are more effective than any even the most ingenious advertising.

Sometimes each of us needs a muse to start moving forward. We have prepared for you an adapted translation of the article by Amy Milwood from the Yotpo agency with 8 examples of advertising campaigns created using user-generated content and a few tips on how to replicate such success.

By using user-generated content, you will not only increase consumer loyalty, but also become the subject of word-of-mouth marketing.

How to encourage users to create content? And most importantly - what to do after it is created? How to distribute it to other potential users?

The following few examples will give you new ideas for launching user-generated content campaigns and help improve the bottom line.

Ideas for crowdsourcing (on the example of Lay's)

As part of Lay's "Do Us A Flavor" campaign, customers were invited to come up with their own flavors and then let fans of the brand vote for their favorite new items. The winner of this user-generated content campaign was offered a very attractive prize. Lay's promised to pay one million dollars for the top three flavors.

A huge number of participants gathered (to be more precise, 3.8 million applications were submitted). Lay's went further: having selected the top three flavors, the organizers invited users to choose the winner themselves by voting for it on Facebook and Twitter.

Users were well motivated in this epic campaign, and as a result, companies of all sizes can learn some valuable content advertising tips.

• Allow users to be creative, give them the opportunity to create unlimitedly, enjoying the creation of content.
• Make your content really interesting: let the share counter go off scale! People love to share with others what they like.
• Extend the duration of user engagement: invite them to participate in the process at several stages in a row, fueling interest in the brand. For example, Lay's asked customers to come up with content, vote for it, and then share it on social media. The more steps a user has to participate in, the more likely they are to stay in the process.

Brand philosophy as a way of life for users (on the example of Lululemon)

Lululemon, a sportswear and yoga brand, has a huge and loyal following. They were able to wisely use this advantage in their campaign. #theweatlife.

Using their Instagram profile as a starting point, they asked users to tweet or post an Instagram photo of them exercising or just moving around in Lululemon. The hashtag #thesweatlife must be included in the application.

This campaign became successful due to the fact that the organizers emphasized the lifestyle approach: the main advertising message here is to be active with us. For the main core of the audience, such content is not advertising, but a way of life. So, for example, users were happy to publish photos where they demonstrated not only the products of the brand, but also an emotional connection with it.

By launching ads featuring user-taken photos, Lululemon ran one of the most successful social campaigns to date. The Lululemon website has a separate tab with user photos, now a potential buyer can view them if he wants. In addition, the gallery can act as a visual bait, showing the customer what the product looks like in motion. And if you click on the photo itself, the site, using hashtags, will direct you to the page with the brand's products, where you can immediately buy them. This makes the buying process much easier.

There are many more examples of how brands implement a lifestyle approach, and this technique works great.

• To touch the user's emotional connection with the product, launch campaigns that focus not only on the product itself, but also on the brand philosophy.
• Encourage fans of your brand to post photos and reward them publicly with gifts for using your products.
• Create a couple of campaigns with catchy hashtags that showcase your brand philosophy.
• Make it easier for the customer to purchase the product directly through user-generated content.

Use funny and useful content (using the example of Lowe's)

In just six seconds, Lowe's perfectly demonstrates the creativity of customers. Lowe's launched a social media campaign called "Fix in Six" in which users filmed and posted vines - six-second videos.

According to news site AdWeek, of all marketers, Lowe's employees have found the best use for short-format videos.

The vines proved to be really popular and helped Lowe's to refresh the brand and attract the attention of a younger generation of buyers. In the Fix in Six campaign, users filmed six-second stop-motion videos demonstrating how they can quickly and easily improve their home decor.

The videos they shot were informative and creative in equal measure, helpful and a bit silly, giving users a fresh look at the old brand.

When it comes to a user-generated content campaign, it's incredibly important that it be implemented on a specific social platform: Lowe's did an excellent job of this.

• Experiment with new social networks to reach new new audiences.
• Turn on creative thinking to show your brand to users from a new side. This way they will keep their interest longer.
• If you want to collect new fans, look on the resources that they use.
• Useful - not necessarily boring. Be sure to think about how to create a campaign with engaging and valuable content.

Grow your fan base with real-time advertising campaigns (using Old Spice as an example)

Old Spice launched a user-generated content campaign that evolved in real time. This happened after Isaiah Mustafa, now known as “The Man Who Smells Like a Real Man,” became the face of the brand.

Users' attention was captured by provocative descriptions and eccentric commercials. Further, the campaign developed on the basis of user-generated materials, the hero of which was exclusively Mustafa.

The members of the Old Spice team were able to respond to user requests as quickly as possible, which provoked the fastest growth in the popularity of the brand on social networks in a short period of time.

• Don't be afraid to deviate from your plan. If there's something in your customer acquisition strategy that deserves attention and piques their interest, go for it.
• Find ways to get customers to dive deeper into the world of your brand and keep that connection constant by answering their questions quickly and personalizing each one.
• Respond to users on social media in real time to show that you are really discussing the campaign, and not just waiting for user reactions to it in order to continue promoting the product.

Personalize like Coca-Cola

As a result, thousands of people printed personal messages on bottles (birthday greetings, marriage proposals). This campaign filled the lives of thousands of people with positivity and reminded them of their love for the Coca-Cola brand.

Users participated in the campaign virtually, they had many opportunities to share the material, but at the same time they also had a real product as a reward for their efforts on social networks.

• Simple campaigns with a positive attitude are incredibly powerful.
• Campaigns that involve many people naturally spread around the world.
• Create a platform for your product where users can see it in action and smile or connect with brand fans.
• You should not thank the user solely with coupons or posting their photos on your site. Think about why and how you can give them your product.

Release fun seasonal content (using T-Mobile as an example)

One of the most unusual campaigns is T-Mobile's breakup letter. “What is special about her?” - you ask.

T-Mobile has made it easy for its competitors' customers to "break off" relationships with mobile operators. The organizers of the action suggested that everyone who wants to go to their service pay a commission for them for a unilateral termination of the contract with the old operator, and at the same time describe the reasons for dissatisfaction.

What is the result of the campaign? It's really amazing: 80,000 people posted a breakup letter! T-Mobile not only found an original way to attract new customers, but also gained valuable knowledge about what their customers really want.

• Think about how you can connect a user-generated content campaign and storytelling to your brand. These campaigns are the best way to get to know all about the needs of customers directly from the mouth.

Cavendish Hotel and #ValentineVine

The hotel chain Cavendish Hotels launched a competition in which they invited participants to rent a romantic vine. As a result of the competition, the winner was promised a free stay in one of the hotels.

The Cavendish Hotels campaign is another great example of how good product and service visualization works on social media. In addition, the prize offered was relevant to the needs of the audience filming the vines. This feature is what made the campaign such a big success.

The hotel chain Cavendish Hotels was one of the first to use vines in its activities to promote the brand. They managed to combine running a contest and promoting their brand through simple short-form videos.

• Don't be afraid to experiment. The hotel chain has clearly demonstrated the success of someone who is not afraid of experiments. They hoped for the success of the new social platform, launched an original campaign and did not fail.

A contribution to greatness from Pizza Hut

Another great hashtag campaign #CommitToGreatness(literally - "Contribution to greatness") in honor of St. Valentine's Day was held by Pizza Hut.

They created a dedicated OKCupid profile on Instagram and Vine and asked their clients to propose to them on the networks.

By reaching out to their loyal customers in a fun, intimate way, the pizzeria has managed to spread the holiday spirit to a huge number of people and get a lot of natural responses from those who love their pizza.

Images and videos are a great way to launch a fast and powerful campaign. So Pizza Hut easily found a lot of participants for their campaign by simply asking them to take and post their photos and videos.

• Visual content is the type of user-generated content that never goes out of style. Campaigns that focus on photos and videos quickly resonate with users and remain in their memory and soul for a long time.

How best to use user-generated content

Now let's discuss how best to use user-generated content to get the most response and the best result.

It is important not to constantly create as much content as possible, but to be able to use existing content in different ways.

Now we will tell you how several brands cleverly reused their old publications. This strategy will help you reduce resource wastage and increase your return on investment. The following examples show how to use user-generated content in marketing and advertising in new ways to get the most out of it.

Distribution of user-generated content on social networks

Social networks are the most obvious place to start distributing user-generated content, because in them it automatically falls under the strongest user protection. User-generated content is the key to a) generating and maintaining user trust in your product on social media, b) selling it more effectively, and c) getting more targeted traffic.

See how Wet Seal is using the #WSonMe hashtag to bring their social media collection to one place:

They show their post on both Instagram and Twitter, doubling the traffic from the same photo:

Your user-generated content will also be useful to share on social platforms, but you should not stop there. Create collections of your user-generated content around different themes, products, or sales, then run individual campaigns to promote relevant seasons, discounts, or holidays.

Use user-generated content as advertising fuel

The use of user-generated content in advertising is not just an example of good branding, but also advertising benefits. The ROI is always higher for user-generated content ads than regular branded ads. This difference is especially noticeable in social networks.

• CTR (click-through rate) is 300% higher
• CPC (cost per click) lower by 50%
• CPA (Cost Per Action / Conversion) 50% lower

Advertising, in order to remain in front of the eyes of users, must not only be bright, it must fit into the environment. Be sure to combine social experience and real user feedback in your Facebook ad to make it slimmer and more attractive.

Dilute marketing content with user-generated content

Everyone wants to become popular on the Internet for at least 15 minutes. By sprinkling your newsletters, blog articles, and other marketing materials with user-generated content, you become the hero of free social media marketing and increase your brand's fan base with those who want to get noticed.

People who like your posts are more likely to share them on their social media pages.

So studio Marc by Marc Jacobs launched an Instagram campaign, inviting users to upload their photos and get a chance to become their model.
Fans of the brand not only applied for participation, but also shared it on social networks, increasing campaign traffic hundreds of times.

Play on people's desire to be known by simply including user-generated content in regular marketing posts from your brand.

Use User Content to Create an Interactive Product Catalog

One of the most effective ways to reuse old content is to run online visual merchandising based on user generated content. In this way, you not only recognize brand advocates, but also learn what your customers are actually wearing or using your products from your collection.

By using user-generated photos or descriptions, you can create a custom catalog that naturally promotes your brand and builds the trust of potential buyers.

For example, IKEA launched an Instagram campaign asking users to take photos of their favorite products. After that, the Finnish company was constantly discussed on social networks, as IKEA created a unique electronic catalog that showed photos of users and their favorite products:

Modest user-generated content can remain relevant for a very long time. Using old user-generated content in your posts can be not only an effective tool, but also an incentive for brand fans.

Conclusion

Give users more freedom. Of course, it is very important to monitor whether the ongoing campaign matches the style of the brand and whether it helps to achieve the set goals, but it is also important to allow the user to independently and freely express themselves, enjoying the process. In addition, be sure to include the user in different stages of the campaign, and not just one.

Learn marketing trends and come up with new ideas for using user-generated content. Look for inspiration for new marketing campaigns in the latest social media advertising trends. This way you will find new platforms and strategies to make your unique campaign stand out.