With the growth of social media platforms, everyone is always sharing something online. Wherever you go, you’re constantly surrounded by user-generated content. They’re on your social media feeds, advertisements, and even your favorite brands’ social media page.
User-generated content is typical nowadays, and although it might differ in terms of aesthetics, it can cultivate trust and community in this digital age.
User-generated content comes from real people, which gives the audience a sense of credibility and authenticity— a couple of things that are highly valued in the era of social media. Brands all over the world are trying to emulate authenticity, but nothing can beat the actual thing— content from a real audience.
When you have user-generated content at your fingertips, you have an infinite amount of content to work with. Is there such a thing as too much content?
Crafting content and organizing your posts can be tricky when you’re a big brand with thousands of tagged photos and submissions. So, what can you do to utilize all that user-generated content while creating valuable content for your audience?
The answer is in infographics. These statistical graphics loaded with lots of information are useful tools for sharing complex data in an efficient manner. They come in different shapes and sizes. Infographics aren’t limited to just statistics and data visualizations. Some infographics focus on visual elements, and some utilize words to create a story— it all depends on the message being conveyed. In particular, if you create animated infographics, you’ll catch visitors’ attention right off the bat with the data you share.
Infographics are great at bringing in engagement because they’re credible, valuable, and unique. The use of data and statistics gives infographics an edge that other types of content don’t have. Users love sharing these informational graphics because they carry value. Other than that, the combination of statistics and images gives a unique touch.
Moreover, incorporating vector images in infographics enhances their visual appeal and flexibility. The use of vector images also enables designers to achieve more intricate and detailed illustrations, making the infographics visually captivating and engaging.
When you combine user-generated content with infographics, you’ll have compelling content that users will trust and share with others.
1. Compilation of Content
When you have a steady stream of user-generated content, you’ll have a lot of options for what you can use them for. One way to utilize UGCs would be to create compilations of content. You can decide on a theme or particular topic that you would like to feature and collect user-generated content based on that specific theme.
For example, you could create a compilation of content based on seasonal topics. There are various holidays and celebrations you can plan your content calendar for throughout the year. This will give your feed some variety and is an excellent way to utilize user content.
2. Expert Quotes
Sharing expert quotes is another great way to combine infographics with user-generated content. You’re showcasing your consumer base and building a community by sharing quotes and content from your users.
For example in the image below, Mailbird worked with tech YouTuber Mark Ellis to convert some of his productivity tips into an “Approved by Mark Ellis” infographic.
Source: Mailbird
Doing this is also a good way to show your users your appreciation and increase engagement. It can also build your brand image and help you bring in traffic if your user-generated content contains content from influencers or those with a big following. Depending on what the topic is, you can also include statistics, testimonials, or actual data based on your consumers. You can also feature quotes about progress that motivates and inspire people to come forward and take challenges.
3. Statistics and Data based on UGC
Statistics and infographics go hand in hand. If you have some compelling data and statistics you want to show off, infographics are the way to go. Statistic content would also increase your website accessibility.
Try combining this with user-generated content, and you’ll have a boost of engagement on your social media feeds. Alternatively, you can spread it through email marketing.
Spotify Wrapped is an excellent example of this. They combine statistical data with user behavior to produce shareable content. The results are users sharing their Spotify Wrapped on their social media with friends and family.
You might not be able to access user data as Spotify does, but you can refer to what your users are sharing and tagging you in photos. You can also use insights and analytics to get an idea of how your users are behaving.
4. Survey or Questionnaire Results
Hosting surveys or questionnaires are other ways you can encourage users to share content and increase engagement. This way, you can gather customer profile data and feedback while getting ideas for content creation.
When creating infographics, data and statistics aren’t always necessary but they can add additional value and credibility to your content. Most businesses may not have access to data on their customers, so gathering information through surveys and questionnaires are a couple of ways to do so.
Make sure to create engaging questions, you can also simplify the link of surveys using QR code, and don’t forget to provide incentives for participating.
5. FAQs or Guides
Are you looking to educate your audience about your brand, products, or services? A FAQ or guide can be a great way to teach your users and deliver information in an effective way. Using infographics, you can include a vast amount of information without overwhelming your audience.
You might be wondering how user-generated content ties into this. You can utilize UGCs as examples or use them to emphasize specific points in your FAQ or guide. Having real-life examples can help get your point across and make your content more relatable.
Final Words
User-generated content can be effective when used correctly. When combined with infographics, user-generated content can bring traffic and engagement to your brand. Utilizing user-generated content is a great way to connect with your audience and create content that resonates with them.
So, apart from depending on the marketing skills, brands should start using UGCs in their content marketing strategy if they want to reach a deeper level of connection with their followers.
You can use user-generated content in a variety of ways. You could compile a variety of UGCs to create a compilation, use them to create an expert roundup with quotes, and publish data or statistics based on them.
You could also encourage your audience to share content by holding surveys or questionnaires. Lastly, you can create a FAQ or guide based on user-generated content to educate your audience or answer their questions.
Infographics are excellent for delivering complex messages and are great tools for increasing engagement. User-generated content emulates authenticity and credibility. By using user-generated content to create compelling infographics, you’ll have a variety of content to choose from.
Author Bio
Andre Oentoro is the founder of Breadnbeyond, an award winning explainer video company. He helps businesses increase conversion rates, close more sales, and get positive ROI from explainer videos (in that order).
Twitter: @breadnbeyond
Email: [email protected]
LinkedIn: Andre Oentoro