Five Strategies to Collect UGC With Email
User-generated content (UGC) is in high demand because it drives action. Brands that leverage UGC, such as video reviews, see higher conversion rates and better engagement with their audience.
For example, 75% of people say they’d buy more from a website with video reviews on their product pages.
As more brands see the value of UGC, they are jumping at the opportunity to produce it.
But you can’t expect UGC to come to you. You have to take ask for it.??
Asking for a favour from your customers can seem awkward at first, but trust us, the results are worth it.
In this article, you'll learn:
How to Collect UGC With Email?
Email is one of the most successful channels for customer outreach. It gives you direct access to your customers and comes with tons of analytics you can leverage to see your impact.?
Whether you’re looking for video reviews, testimonial videos or personal stories, we’ve got the step-by-step email marketing strategies you need to gather UGC videos.
Who to Reach Out To
Before we dive into how to get UGC, let’s explore the audiences you should reach out to.?
Staff
Your staff are a great first ask. They can create videos demonstrating your values and what it’s like to work for you. You can use these videos on your website's career page or on a job listing to attract new employees.?
Customers
Your customers are the most influential people to create UGC videos for you. Sometimes, they will create UGC on their own, typically as product reviews or personal experiences. Your loyal customers have power to influence others to make a purchase. So, these are the ideal group of people you want to ask to create UGC.
5 Strategies to Collect UGC With Email?
1. Start With a Strong Subject Line
If no one opens your email, it's useless. So start strong by writing a compelling and engaging subject line that grabs attention.
Use captivating language, strong punctuation and fun emojis to attract interest. For example, try using a question as your subject line or offer an incentive for opening the email. Stay away from generic subject lines that don’t offer value.?
Here are some email subject line examples to encourage opens:?
Example 1: [Customer name], did you enjoy [product]??
Example 2: ?[Customer name], tell us how we did and get a $10 gift card!
Example 3: We want to hear from you! Give us your rating today ?????
?
2. Be Personal
Get the attention of your audience by using personalization. One of the easiest ways to do this in email marketing is by using your contact’s name in the subject line and your email greeting.?
But let’s face it, that personalization only goes so far. So, go a step further and use your email data to gather insights you can use. For example, if a contact recently made a purchase online, send a follow-up email asking for their product feedback within the next few days.?
领英推荐
This proven strategy will help you build connections to make your customers want to create UGC videos for you.?
?
3. Ask Clearly
There’s nothing worse than an email that’s unclear.?So, be direct, specific and descriptive in your ask to creating UGC videos. You can include suggestions of what you want them to do or have prompts they can follow when recording a video.?
Be concise in your email and get to the point. This strategy will help build trust from your customers and have them more inclined to record a video for you.
?
4. Use Your Creativity
Motivate your customers to create UGC by getting clever and looking outside the box.?
Think video contests and coupons. Send your customers exciting emails announcing a new campaign they can participate in. Or promote an upcoming game where they can win something by sending in a video.?
When you offer your customers an incentive, there’s a greater chance they’ll do it.
Remember, social proof is gold for your business. So, leverage social media to do two things at once; encourage UGC from your customers and then repurpose the videos on your social profiles.?
Here’s an example of an email template you can use:
Subject Line: [Customer name] share your experience on video and get entered to win a prize!
Email Body:?
Hey [customer name],
We're running a video contest about [product], and you could win big!
All you need to do is to send us a short video of your experience using [product] by [date/time]. Once you submit, you'll be entered into our prize draw to win a [prize].?
Hit reply and send your video back to us.?
Good luck!
?
5. Don't Go Overboard
There's a chance your customers won’t want to create video for you, and that’s okay. The best thing you can do for your brand is to be respectful and understanding. Make your customers feel comfortable even if they choose not to respond to your email.
?
Use StoryTap to Collect UGC Videos Using Email
Email marketing is a great tool to collect UGC. We’ve given you a few tips to get your customers recording UGC videos. But, we know it’s not always an easy task, seems, especially when it's manual.
At StoryTap, our video platform is equipped with an automated email system to ask your customers to record videos on your behalf. Our platform will expertly craft and distribute the emails to your contacts without damaging your list hygiene.
Our patented video technology makes it easy to produce hundreds or even thousands of binge-worthy videos at scale.?
Learn how StoryTap can help you produce and distribute UGC videos on your website. Book a demo with our team today.
This article first appeared on the StoryTap blog at www.storytap.com/blog/collect-ugc-with-email