The different types of user generated content

User generated content is a fantastic resource for every business out there. You'd be hard pressed to find a company that wouldn't benefit from it in one way or another. But where do you go to find it, and how can you begin to use it? In this post, Never.no explores the different types of user generated content, and how you can use them to your advantage.

Photos One of the best and most accessible kinds of user generated content, you can never go wrong with photos. It's quick, it's easy and hey, it works, too!

Instagram is a goldmine for content creators who are looking for user generated content. Well, given that 95 million photos and videos are shared on here every single day, you'd be out of your mind not to tap into this treasure trove.

But what you need to collate all of the photos people are posting about you is a hashtag. Make it a unique one so that no one else will be using. It's a quick and easy way for the brand in charge to access everything a person is saying about them at the touch of a button. Here's some of the ones we think are the best...

#ThisGirlCan - Sport England

#LikeAGirl - Always

#LetsDoLunch - Domino's Pizza

#TweetFromTheSeat - Charmin

#ChooseBeautiful - Dove

Share the best ones who use your hashtag on your own social media accounts, with credit back to the original poster. It's a great incentive for people to break out some of their best photography work as they'll beam with pride at their snaps getting likes and comments.

And when you share photos of people using and enjoying your products, it sends a signal to other potential customers that you are a decent and trustworthy brand. These happy snappers wouldn't be using you otherwise!

Videos It's a common misconception that you aren't going to get exposure on YouTube without shelling out big money for a big name YouTuber. And while it's true to some extent, writing a cheque isn't the only way.

Of course, you could make the content yourself. But did you know that fan videos are viewed 10 times more often than owned videos, as in, one's you make and push out yourself? If that doesn't tell you that user generated video is valuable, we don't know what will.

Influencer marketing is a route that is well worth exploring, especially if you're in a fashion, beauty or another product-based industry. Find a few YouTubers who aren't necessarily the biggest or most-viewed in their field, and send them your product. Of course, don't send a gaming YouTuber a box of beauty products; find ones who fit your niche. Believe it or not, people love to make and watch unboxing videos.

A well-viewed YouTuber who unboxes and explores your product can be a huge boost to your brand, and give you the kind of exposure that traditional advertising wouldn't be able to.

And you don't just have to rely on the big YouTubers. Encourage your users and buyers to post video content about your products. Just like with Instagram, give them the incentive of being featured on your social media, and before you know it, you have some perfect content for your next Facebook ad.

Long story short, video is a platform you need to be taking advantage of.

Tweets Twitter is a fantastic resource that you need to capitalise on if you're looking for some customer feedback and photos. Despite the small but recently increased character count, it's not as limited as you may have thought! But what sets it apart from other photo-based social media networks like Instagram is the ease of sharing and the reach potential.

All it takes is one click to retweet a customer's photo or comment and all your followers will see other customers bigging up your company for you.

Twitter is also the place to be if you want to enter into a conversation with your customers. A great way to do this is to pose questions and ask for contributions. This could be asking for help naming a new product, asking for feedback on your existing products and services, or even something bigger to do with your brand like a logo or slogan.

Retweeting and replying to people's comments and questions is the best way to use Twitter. Too many brands don't take the time to even hit the like' button, which is sometimes all it takes for a customer to feel heard.

Reviews This last one is an important one, perhaps the most important of all. Reviews and ratings online are incredibly valuable because they show that you are reliable and trustworthy. It gives those who have purchased from you a place to voice their thoughts, and it is somewhere those who are yet to buy from you can learn more about you.

92% of people now read online reviews (compared to just 88% in 2014), and 88% of those readers incorporate reviews into their purchasing decision. So, as you can see, the numbers don't lie. Reviews are incredibly important.

Positive reviews are fantastic, and they make for easy user generated content. You can share them on your social media to shout about how good you are.

Now when it comes to negative reviews, many businesses seem to think that the best way to deal with them is to either ignore or delete. While the former is still a safe and viable option, the latter should never ever be done. Looking back to the numbers, 95% of people will suspect censored or faked reviews if they don't see bad scores .

Instead of deleting or ignoring, respond to the review. Even if the writer doesn't reply themselves, it shows others reading that you listen to whatever people have to say and are open to feedback, both positive and negative. You never know, they might respond and you learn a thing or two about your products from people who have actually used them.

There are plenty of types of user generated content out there. You just need to know where to look.

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