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Instagram is a great channel for customer engagement – which can lead to higher sales, brand loyalty, and more growth for your company.
The posts with the highest engagement on Instagram tend to consist of user-generated content (UGC). Data shows that Instagram posts with UGC get 70% more likes and comments than those with only brand content. More importantly, campaigns integrating UGC see a 29% higher conversion rate than those not using this content.
Why is UGC so powerful? People tend to trust content created by other users more than brand-generated posts. Like user reviews, UGC serves as social proof, showing other consumers an open and honest experience with a product or service so others can make a better decision.
User-generated content is a great asset in your marketing toolkit — and REVIEWS.io’s UGC Manager and UGC Publish are here to help you monitor, curate, and display UGC from Instagram. Here’s how these features work and how to use them to unlock higher engagement and sales from your Instagram campaigns.
REVIEWS.io’s UGC feature is made up of two sections, Manager and Publish, to help you collect and publish dynamic review content in a visually engaging way. These tools put the power of UGC in your hands, helping you drive conversions and boost brand loyalty. Here’s how they work.
UGC Manager allows you to easily monitor what users say about your products, providing access to valuable images and videos that can be leveraged in marketing. Whenever an Instagram user tags your company in a post, it will appear in your UGC Gallery, part of your REVIEWS.io dashboard.
When you click on the UGC gallery in the left navigation menu, you’ll be shown a collection of all user-generated photos and videos that were left in reviews. Connect your Instagram page, and the gallery will also pull image content that your brand has been tagged in on Instagram.
Your UGC gallery gives you plenty of content to choose from to share on Instagram. However, keep in mind that you need user permission to share someone’s beautiful image or video testimonial on your own feed.
Luckily, UGC Manager makes it easy to get permission right from your dashboard. Simply click the button “Request permission” on the Instagram content you want to repost. REVIEWS.io creates a message you can copy and paste to send to the user.
One way to start curating UGC is by filtering by media type. This filter pulls specific content, such as product reviews, into one gallery. Pull content from your reviews or Instagram tags, curate a gallery, and then tag images with a product SKU code to create a shoppable UGC gallery.
When someone visits your website and lands on the gallery, the UGC becomes a shoppable feature, leading the viewer directly to the product page where they can learn more and buy the item.
UGC Publish and Manager go hand-in-hand. Publish transforms UGC into engaging galleries, making these images shoppable and enhancing your e-commerce experience.
UGC Publish offers several ways to showcase content and drive conversions. Set up a gallery that shows as a carousel, grid, collage, or story carousel. UGC images will be shown with review content and links to product pages, all of which can be customized with brand colors, formatting, and more.
UGC galleries can be saved as widgets and used across your website and in email marketing.
This tool is a great way to get more bang for your buck when it comes to Instagram UGC. Rather than being limited to simply sharing user content on your Instagram page, UGC Publish gives you a way to share it with a broader range of viewers.
Integrating Instagram UGC into your galleries boosts your authenticity — and can directly impact your conversion rates. UGC has increased conversions by over 10% globally when included as part of the customer journey. UGC Publish gives you an easy way to share great content with shoppers when they’re on the path to purchasing and engaging with your website.
User-generated content has become a cornerstone of effective marketing strategies. Brands like Apple, Coca-Cola, and Sephora have demonstrated how UGC can be used in media campaigns to boost engagement, build brand loyalty, and increase sales. Apple’s “Shot on iPhone” campaign is a prime example of UGC in action.
Apple’s campaign was massively successful, with over 70 million interactions (likes, comments, shares) on Instagram alone. It’s a perfect example of how to integrate UGC into a broader marketing strategy, too.
Why should you try this approach? One reason is that consumers increasingly trust content created by their peers over traditional advertising. One study of shoppers in the US, UK, and Australia found that 80% of consumers were more likely to purchase a product online if the website features photos and videos from real customers.
Millennials and Gen Z consumers, in particular, prefer genuine brand interactions over overt self-promotion. UGC aligns perfectly with this preference, making it an essential component of marketing strategies targeting these demographics.
At the end of the day, the biggest benefit of UGC is that it drives conversions and boosts your bottom line. But, there are other reasons for integrating UGC from Instagram using REVIEWS.io’s Manager and Publish features.
User-generated content from Instagram is known to drive higher engagement than brand-generated content. When it’s used on product pages, reposted on Instagram, or shared in email campaigns, UGC results in 29% higher web conversions compared to campaigns or websites that don’t use it.
Showcasing user-generated content also creates social proof that can encourage higher conversion rates. How often have you purchased a product based on a recommendation from a friend or family member? Instagram UGC works similarly by showing real people enjoying a product.
UGC Publish gives you an easy way to put powerful, user-generated Instagram content in front of the customer at key moments. These testimonials validate the appeal of your products and make it easier for consumers to click buy.
You could spend thousands of dollars each month creating new photos, videos, and infographics for Instagram. Many brands do that — and there’s certainly a time and place for high-quality product imagery. User-generated content, however, helps you get more bang for your buck.
Use UGC Manager to request user permission to feature content generated by your customers. This way, you can be sure that you’re complying with copyright laws (and protecting your reputation) while incorporating authentic content into your marketing without the need for extensive resources. UGC makes a great supplement to your digital media, allowing you to keep your content fresh and engaging while reducing overall marketing costs.
Real customer content feels more relatable, leading to not only higher engagement but also a sense of community around your brand.
“UGC fosters this sense of belonging by building a community around shared interests that welcomes individual voices,” wrote Forbes. “When consumers hear and see others elated over a product or service, they want to take part in the burgeoning moment of demand.”
It’s also exciting for the person who created the content to be highlighted. UGC Publish enables brands to interact with influencers who mention them online. This feature allows your brand to foster relationships that can lead to high brand loyalty and a more extensive community.
User-generated content, especially reviews, can enhance your SEO strategy. Search engines tend to favor websites updated with a continuous stream of fresh content. UGC Manager makes it easy to pull new content from Instagram, Facebook, and your reviews. By regularly updating your on-page UGC galleries with posts from your followers, you can signal to Google’s bots that your page is active, engaging, and credible. And, in return, Google will reward you with more organic traffic.
UGC Publish can significantly shorten your customers’ path to purchase. Now, someone can see a post on Instagram with one of your products they like. They can follow the tagged post to your website and browse a gallery of UGC content that you’ve curated using UGC Manager.
When they see the post that led them to your page, all they need to do is click on it to go directly to the product page and check out. The entire process is easy for shoppers to find and purchase products that catch their eye on social media.
[Read more: 6 Proven Strategies to Increase Sales with User-Generated Content (UGC)]
REVIEWS.io's UGC Manager and UGC Publish are great tools for e-commerce brands looking to stand out in a crowded marketplace. We make it easy to leverage Instagram content on your website, email, and social media in a way that builds trust, enhances authenticity, and fosters customer loyalty.
User-generated content allows brands to showcase real experiences from satisfied customers. This content resonates deeply with shoppers and can nicely supplement (or even replace) your traditional advertising. UGC is a useful tool for building a community, providing social proof, and, ultimately, driving conversions.
Companies of all sizes can rely on REVIEWS.io’s UGC features to efficiently manage and publish user-generated content. Creating shoppable galleries and interacting with followers gives you a seamless way to turn customer experiences into powerful marketing assets.
Learn how REVIEWS.io can elevate your marketing efforts by signing up for a demo.
