8 Rules of UGC

We have been working on some user generated content campaigns recently and we feel we are getting pretty expert at how to do them. Magic 105.4 FM is now London’s biggest commercial radio station and we have been inviting their listeners to create a photo sharing site. We also ran an experiment to see how much user involvement we could get while spending no media money for an amazing new retail idea called The School of life.

After some rigorous brainstorming and several cups of strong coffee we settled on 8 rules all conveniently starting with the letter R.

Rewarding
Its not rocket science but people will only do stuff they are genuinely interested in and will bring them some reward. It might help them become famous, or let them have some exclusive content or just share a viewpoint that they want to talk about. Too many brands seem to think users will do things because the brand thinks it is important. When we asked Magic listeners to upload photos that lifted their mood people thought it would be a fun thing to do. And they thought it was fun to look at what other listeners had put on the site. Yes there are lots of baby and kitten shots – but people love babies and kittens!

Relevance
A UGC site is only worth the marketing dollars if it is relevant to the brand. This will only happen if the brand defines an agenda for itself that is important to people. So when the The School of Life says it is about ideas then it can engage people in new and interesting ideas and so build their brand.

Realistic
Don’t get carried away with what you think people might do. Yes people will upload a couple of shots of, say their favourite bit of London – if they already have those shots. But very few people will be bothered to get their cameras out to shoot what their morning looks like. We learnt the painful way so you don’t have to. Keep the invitation simple!

Relinquish
Bit of a stretch – another cup of coffee! Its obvious to say, but a user site must be exactly that – somewhere for users to play and make their own. Too much editing and controlling and no-one will be bothered. Keep it inspiring and people will respect what the site is trying to do.

Refresh
If people are going to keep coming back to the site the content needs to be constantly refreshed. Part of this is being clear about how long the site is going to last. Is it just a short term campaign site or are you looking to build something of long term value. If it’s long term you have to think about the investment required to look after the site and keep it fresh and perky.

Respond
You have to be part of the site. If users are putting stuff up you should be rewarding them with comments and appreciation. Turning user stories into editorial is a simple way of doing this.

Recruit
Sites don’t start all by themselves. Populating the site from the start is vital to get things going. It can be a really good way of involving the whole company. The soft launch of the Good Mood Site at Magic involved everyone at Bauer uploading their good mood pics first. If ever there was a great way to communicate a brand’s values internally this is it! It also helps to set the bar in terms of standards. Good early stuff will attract better stuff later.

Research
More of a benefit than a rule. But hey its starts with an R so it makes the list. This stuff is real – not just what people say in groups. If anyone wants to know what a Magic listener looks like, what kind of homes they l live in and what lifts their mood, go to GoodMoodFilm.co.uk.

So that’s it. Follow these 8 golden rules and you will soon have a huge community of faithful fans hanging out with your brand and enthusiastically spreading the message through their social network.

Magic 105.4 has risen from 3rd in the London radio market to 1st in the last three years. www.goodmoodfilm.co.uk

The School of Life achieved 2000 new subscribers and 150 000 hits on the site. www.dailyaphorism.com