Wondering why content moderation is important for user-generated campaigns? Our post dives deep into this hot topic, explaining how content moderation can benefit your brand.
User-generated content (UGC) adds an authentic touch to your brand image. Think of it as word-of-mouth marketing. Let’s say your customers are raving about your products on their social media profiles and blogs. Would their friends head to your store? Yes! 56% of Internet users say they discovered a brand through their friend’s recommendation on social media, according to a report published on Statista.
So, what makes UGC so attractive to prospective customers? Unlike marketing videos or posts made by influencers, UGC represents genuine opinions your customers are willing to share with their peers. From the brand’s perspective, using UGC content cuts down the costs for content production (which is a great bonus).
But when it comes to managing a UGC campaign, it’s a whole different story. Like any other marketing endeavor, managing UGC content requires a well-thought-out strategy and moderation. Some believe that having control over feedback your customers share online may compromise the authenticity of content.
In reality, however, careful UGC moderation has a positive impact on the marketing campaign’s success. Our post explains everything you need to know about handling UGC content to help you get the most out of your marketing efforts.
Table Of Contents
What Is UGC Moderation?
Let’s start off with the basics.
If you have at least one active social media profile, you’ve probably encountered some form of content moderation at some point.
Maybe your comment was awaiting approval on a forum like Reddit. Or perhaps you got a notification that your Instagram story was removed due to violating copyright laws (that’s happened to the best of us). These are all examples of how UGC moderation for UGC creators works.
As your brand awareness grows, so does the need for content moderation. The more customers you attract and convert, the more feedback you get. It’s just inevitable that some thoughts on your product or service will be negative. The way you deal with irrelevant or harmful content that stirs into the mix of opinions on your brand is pivotal for building a positive online presence.
For that reason, online platforms and businesses deploy different UGC content moderation strategies. When we mentioned comment approval on Reddit as an example of content management, we meant pre-moderation. It takes place when a member of your team (a moderator) approves or rejects content before it is published.
On the contrary, post-moderation, which is often used by social media giants like Facebook or Instagram, involves reviewing and filtering content after it has been published.
Let’s look at these content moderation types in more detail so that you can make the best choice for your marketing needs.
Types of User Generated Content Moderation
To help you better understand what forms UGC content moderation takes in different scenarios, let’s break down two examples.
Campaigns Where Brands Collaborate With Ugc Creators
The term UGC creator may confuse you as it goes against the very definition of user-generated content. A creator, as we all know, is a freelancer capable of creating various content types according to the given brief. Add UGC to the formula, and you’ll get a person who produces content that looks like it was made by your loyal customer.
However, what does collaborating with UGC creators have to do with the moderation types we promised to discuss? Well, because it’s a great example of proactive UGC moderation or pre-moderation.
The idea is that the UGC creators have to follow general guidelines and rules developed both by the brand and the platform where the UGC is supposed to be published. If the content doesn’t meet the criteria, a brand moderator can reject it before the post even goes live. This, in turn, saves you time and effort spent on post-moderation.
If the UGC content meets all requirements, it gets published on the brand’s website or social media channels. Usually, a brand pays a certain fee to the creator and tags them in the post, so it’s a double win – the brand gets high-quality content, and the creator receives recognition and compensation.
Campaigns Where Users Share UGC and Tag Brands
Another way for brands to collect native content is to encourage the audience to use the unique hashtag and tag the brand in their posts. For instance, you might run a one-time contest or set it as an ongoing campaign. The consumers will do the rest by sharing content on their personal accounts just because they adore your brand or love a good challenge.
So, which type of UGS moderation do brands typically employ for this type of campaign? If your social manager reviews posts that mention your brand and then decides whether or not to share them on your page, it’s called post-moderation or reactive moderation.
As reactive moderation involves processing large content volumes, some brands combine it with a pre-moderation step. It’s no different from the guidelines brands send to paid influencers, except for the fact that rules are less strict and are posted publicly.
Most brands post minimal requirements, such as using branded hashtags and subscribing to the official pages. This results in tons of content to sift through, but the outcomes are worth it. Netflix, for example, promotes fans’ Instagram posts to create a buzz around new movies and series. In 2017, their show Stranger Things generated 1 million posts with the branded hashtag #strangerthings2.
Why Is Content Moderation Important for User-Generated Campaigns?
There are four key reasons why content moderation is important for UGC campaigns. Let’s delve into them.
Builds the Brand’s Image
The way your consumers perceive your brand heavily influences their purchase decisions. Imagine if a prospective customer lands on your site just to see an offensive comment on your UGC feed. What impression do you think they’ll have of your brand? Definitely not a positive one.
That’s the key reason why content moderation is important for user-generated campaigns. You don’t want hateful or irrelevant posts to damage your reputation that you’ve been building for years. The content your visitors see should be carefully selected and curated to reinforce your brand’s positive image and values.
Creates a Positive Online Environment
As an experienced marketer, you know that consumers want to be a part of a bigger movement, a community. User-generated campaigns allow them to feel connected to your brand and share their experiences with others. But without proper content moderation, this sense of belonging can quickly turn into chaos.
UGC content moderation helps you to create a positive online space where people can freely express themselves. The benefits of this approach are endless. When you manage the UGC content on your website or social media platforms, you keep visitors engaged, build trust towards your brand, and strengthen your online community.
Gives Insights into Customer Behavior
UGC content moderation is a valuable source of insight into customer behavior and pain points. Analyzing UGS helps you understand how consumers interact with your product, what attracts them to your brand, and what they are looking for.
We’re not just talking about global metrics. The micro-interactions, like your customer’s opinions on specific products or trends your brand promotes, can be a gold mine of information.
Identifying your customers’ behavioral patterns can also help you fine-tune your content marketing strategy. This is particularly useful if you want to convert more leads into paying customers.
Improves Your SEO
Yet another benefit of user-generated content moderation is that it helps you boost your search engine rankings and generate more traffic to your website.
Consumers perceive UGC content as more credible than the content crafted by professional marketers. That’s why positive reviews posted on independent review websites like TrustPilot or Yelp are more likely to drive traffic than all of your ads and paid content combined.
The same goes for social media posts. If your friend shares a story featuring their new hand watch, you will likely go to the brand’s page and check out their products. That’s how social proof works, a phenomenon in which a person’s behavior is influenced by their social circle.
But why does this impact your SEO? The search engines love fresh, relevant, and authentic content. When you repost user-generated content on your website and social media channels, your audience will more likely engage with it and share it with others. This, in turn, signals to search engines that your content is valuable and trustworthy.
UGC Moderation Best Practices
Now that you’ve grasped the basic concept of UGC content moderation and its benefits, let’s put theory into practice! Here are some insightful strategies:
1. Boost Your Moderation with Top-Notch Affiliate Services
If you’re looking to incorporate the UGC content into your affiliate marketing strategy, team up with top-quality affiliate programs like Bizzoffers. Their professional content team will assist you in creating the most attention-grabbing product reviews, social media posts, blog articles that will generate more traffic to your website and inspire your audience to create UGC.
How does it work? Well, Bizzoffers provides ongoing support for its affiliates. That means their team will constantly monitor your content performance. Upon analyzing your data, they will develop personalized strategies to encourage your audience to create and share UGC.
2. Define Your Community Guidelines
Be open and transparent with your audience. Implement clear community guidelines and post them on your website and social media channels. This way, people will know what to post and how your UGC moderation strategy works.
3. Mix It Up with Manual and AI Moderation
Leverage AI-powered tools to help your team filter, categorize and moderate your UGC. These tools can quickly detect irrelevant content based on pre-set rules and keywords. Your content moderation team can then manually review, approve, or reject suggestions made by the AI.
4. Take Quick Action to Remove Irrelevant Content
If you’ve detected irrelevant or harmful content on your platform, take immediate action to remove it. Timely reactive UGC moderation will protect your brand’s image and prevent any negative impact on your community.
5. Apologize if Needed and Welcome Feedback
You can’t control what people say about your brand on social media or forums. Some customers will leave negative feedback despite your best efforts. Take the opportunity to improve your products based on their feedback and show empathy by apologizing for any negative experiences they may have had.
6. Ask for Additional Information
To ensure high-quality UGC content moderation, ask your customers to add more information when submitting a review or comment. This will benefit both you and your new clients. You’ll get a better understanding of how to improve your products or services, and potential customers will get more insight into what they can expect from your brand.
7. Use UGC to Improve Your SEO
Tap into creativity and add UGC content shared by your customers to your website or social media profiles. For instance, you add a gallery of social media posts with your brand’s hashtag or pull quotes from customer reviews to display on your website.
Final Words
Using UGC content in marketing campaigns is a growing trend, so if you haven’t jumped on board yet, now is the time to do so. A bit of strategy – and moderation – can take your marketing efforts to the next level. Having authentic and relatable content from real customers can help you showcase the reality of your brand, build a strong community around your products or services, and ultimately increase sales.
Now that you know why content moderation is important for user-generated campaigns and how to effectively implement it, leverage the creativity of your audience and watch your brand grow!
FAQs
➤ What are the most effective UGC moderation strategies?
Apart from general UGC moderation practices outlined in our post, you should consider your brand’s scale, types of UGC, and resources at your disposal when developing a moderation strategy.
➤ Why is content moderation important for a successful UGC campaign?
Leveraging UGC content comes with its own set of risks, mainly due to the unpredictable nature of UGC. Hence, you need to develop a moderation strategy to ensure that UGC shared by your customers aligns with your brand’s values and guidelines.
➤ How does UGC moderation affect SEO and online visibility for affiliate marketers?
If used correctly, UGC can significantly boost your SEO and online visibility. Authentic and relevant UGC drives more engagement and increases the time users spend on your website, which in turn signals search engines that your content is valuable.
