Great user-generated content comes from great brand planning. MindComet explains how to create a framework for creativity.

Question:
eMarketer pronounced on April 17, "(t)he user-generated content movement is no longer a fad," in its piece "Can User-Generated Content Generate Revenue?" But UGC still seems to imply giving up control of my campaign. Does it have to be that way? What should I be doing to take advantage of UGC's popularity safely?

Answer: 
Good question.

The article you mention projects that the number of UGC creators will rise from 77 million in 2007, to 108 million in 2012, which is a big number. On its face, UGC does seem like a volatile way to carry a message or build a brand. Many marketers are struggling with the dichotomy of campaign control verses the popularity and cost savings associated with UGC options.  

I reached out to Tara Lamberson, vice president of marketing at MindComet, for some perspective and tips. Lamberson has four years of leadership experience at the interactive agency and is a recent co-author with MindComet President Paul Lewis of the book "Gen Y: Inside the Mind of Millennials."

"UGC is popular, but it can get out of control without the right parameters," Lamberson confirms. "UGC campaigns are more than funny videos or a vehicle for internet celebrity, although that is what many marketers associate with UGC. Ironically, great UGC is actually about great planning -- setting up a framework so that the user creativity can shine within a proscribed setting. This can prevent many of the pitfalls we commonly associate with bad UGC. It doesn't have to be an either-or scenario."

The type of framework, Lamberson says, depends on your campaign goals. But first, you must identify your target audience. Then, you can determine how you want to engage that audience, whether it's by having people submit commercials or simply contribute their own experiences to your brand messaging.

Whichever direction you choose, it helps to frame your UGC campaign as a competition and offer an award for participation. "Otherwise there isn't enough incentive for consumers to act, to put themselves out there," Lamberson says.

Making it a competition also provides for setting up quality control from the beginning with your rules for submissions and contestant registration process. "It is very important to get these pieces right," Lamberson says.

But even with rules and restrictions, "some UGC creators will get carried away," she adds. "So it is vital to also have a process that manually reviews and filters submitted UGC for profane and or obscene content prior to them being posted on the campaign site. We typically use a hybrid method leveraging an automatic technology solution in addition to the human element for manual reviews."

Another way of creating some structure is by giving creators a template or roadmap to follow. "Creating two or three starter or seed videos gives UGC creators examples to reference," Lamberson says.

Seed videos provide an additional benefit in that they can start the buzz online, serving as teasers to your promotion on YouTube and throughout the web. "Working with blogger networks to distribute seeded videos and information about the campaign site helps -- when individuals post on their blogs it creates several links back to your campaign promotional site, providing the initial exposure needed to tap into the mainstream online audience," she says. "It is critical in any word-of-mouth outreach to determine key influencers within the audience that will in turn spread the message."

According to Lamberson, search engine optimization -- making sure your home website or microsite is optimized so UGC creators can easily find it -- is equally important as seeding videos and blogger participation. "Optimizing pages and keywords within your campaign site increases organic search engine results," she says.

A final step in managing a UGC campaign, Lamberson says, is to implement an email communication campaign. "Email communications with UGC creators should follow a rough three-step design sent to users during the course of the campaign," she says. "First there should be an intro email, redefining the campaign and reiterating the rules of the contest. Second should be a referral email encouraging users to invite their friends to participate or to pass along content. The third email element should be winner notifications, announcing weekly winners and the grand prize winner."

For more insight on how to keep your brand from being harmed by user-generated content, see "Sandwich eaters spark UGA debate."

If anyone else has strategies to share, please add them to comments below.

And send me your questions -- yours might get featured in the next Dear Dawn!

Dawn Anfuso is senior editor at iMedia Connection.