The Top 5 Social Media Examples
When you talk about user generated content, what do you see? Well, content that has been generated by a user who has input his personal experience, observation or data into the system. You can see it in forums, blogs, newsgroups, micro-blogging, social networking sites and much more. This is very powerful, as users can get involved in generating content for their websites, and that content can then be seen online by many others. As a brand, all you have to do is provide platforms for users to add user-generated content.
For instance, if you have an e-commerce site, you can offer your customers a few different options when they order online. You can offer them a discount if they use a coupon code, or you can offer an instant discount if someone uses your link when they purchase something. You can also offer Instagram photos, and videos of your product, and ask people to spread these links around on Instagram and twitter. As you can see, this platform already has been used for years with digital products, but it can be applied to almost any business. Here are some user generated content examples that you can see online right now.
This one is actually a bit unusual, but it is happening all over the world. Brand owners are using twitter to generate Instagram photos and videos of their brand. They take a picture of their brand, and then they upload it to Instagram with the caption, “instagrammed by #brand”. People browsing the internet can find this instagrammed pic, and if they like what they see, they can click on the link, and it will take them to a website where they can see the full picture. The website with the Instagram image can be built right into the twitter stream, so all the users viewing the twitter stream will see the Instagram photo too. Now, this isn’t the only way to brand owners are using twitter to build online communities, but it is a new way to do so, and it is a fun way to do so as well.
If you have an interesting website or an interesting Instagram account, you can use the two resources to promote your company. Starbucks has used twitter to reach out to their loyal customers and give them ideas on what kind of food they would like to try, and what kind of drinks they might enjoy as well. They have also used the Instagram account to remind their loyal customers about a new drink they just released, as well as remind them about happy hours and happy birthday parties. There are many other examples of user-generated content websites and twitter campaigns being used by businesses all over the world, and you should definitely consider trying them out as well.
Another example of user-generated content comes from the social networking website pinterest. Pinterest allows business owners to create a group page, which will show their latest pictures, recipes, and more. They can add captions, and the rest of the group can comment on whatever they want to. Businesses can then post whatever keywords they want within the comments, and Pinterest will then find those keywords within all of their pages and post them in an easy to read format. Businesses can also share their latest products and services with the group and hopefully get feedback that will help them improve their offerings even further.
The business can also take advantage of the user generated content marketing strategy at Facebook by creating a page for their business and then using the page to post news and information about the company and the products and services they offer. For example, if Starbucks was hiring, a page could be created that features a job ad. People who are interested can click on the ad to learn more about the opening, as well as how they can apply for the position. They can also comment on the post and tell others what they think of the job, helping build a community around the brand. This is one of the easiest ways to do business with Facebook and the most effective, since everyone there already knows about Starbucks, so this is a good way to reach a new client base without much effort on the part of the business.
Pinterest is another place to which businesses can attract their target market through their user generated content efforts. Pinterest is similar to Facebook in that it allows people to pin items they like on their walls. Pins of items that interest the user can be shared among all of the friends in the network. The Pinterest community is large and therefore a highly targeted audience can be reached with very little effort.
Finally, the blogosphere can be a great place for businesses to take advantage of user-generated content. Blog posts, especially ones focusing on current events, may be picked up by individuals who are looking for news about their area of interest, as well as those who have become knowledgeable about a particular topic and would like to disseminate the information they know to their networks. By creating a blog related to the product or service they offer, a business can tap into this crowd and potentially find many new clients. With social media becoming more popular as it is, these user-generated content efforts will only continue to grow in value and impact.