{
    "version" : "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1",
    "content" : "news",
    "type" : "single",
    "title" : "The Content Corner: How to Leverage User-Generated Content to Resonate With Your Audience |Digital.gov",
    "description": "The Content Corner: How to Leverage User-Generated Content to Resonate With Your Audience",
    "home_page_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/cm-topics-button-component/","feed_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/cm-topics-button-component/2016/07/11/how-to-leverage-user-generated-content-to-resonate-with-your-audience/index.json","item" : [
    {"title" :"The Content Corner: How to Leverage User-Generated Content to Resonate With Your Audience","summary" : "User-Generated Content (UGC) is a buzzword as of late, popularized recently due to the ever increasing demand for new content.","date" : "2016-07-11T13:30:29-04:00","date_modified" : "2024-04-02T09:45:13-04:00","authors" : {"kyle-s-richardson" : "Kyle S. Richardson"},"topics" : {
        
            "challenges-and-prize-competitions" : "Challenges & Prize Competitions",
            "content-strategy" : "Content Strategy",
            "crowdsourcing-and-citizen-science" : "Crowdsourcing & Citizen Science",
            "mobile" : "Mobile",
            "social-media" : "Social Media",
            "user-experience" : "User Experience"
            },"branch" : "cm-topics-button-component",
      "filename" :"2016-07-11-how-to-leverage-user-generated-content-to-resonate-with-your-audience.md",
      
      "filepath" :"news/2016/07/2016-07-11-how-to-leverage-user-generated-content-to-resonate-with-your-audience.md",
      "filepathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/blob/cm-topics-button-component/content/news/2016/07/2016-07-11-how-to-leverage-user-generated-content-to-resonate-with-your-audience.md",
      "editpathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/edit/cm-topics-button-component/content/news/2016/07/2016-07-11-how-to-leverage-user-generated-content-to-resonate-with-your-audience.md","slug" : "how-to-leverage-user-generated-content-to-resonate-with-your-audience","url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/cm-topics-button-component/2016/07/11/how-to-leverage-user-generated-content-to-resonate-with-your-audience/","content" :"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eUser-Generated Content\u003c/strong\u003e (UGC) is a buzzword as of late, popularized recently due to the ever increasing demand for new content. To define the phrase, let’s look to a shining example of it,Wikipedia, as a source, “\u003cstrong\u003eany form of content\u003c/strong\u003e such as \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog\" title=\"Blog\"\u003eblogs\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki\" title=\"Wiki\"\u003ewikis\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_forum\" title=\"Discussion forum\"\u003ediscussion forums\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_post\" title=\"Internet post - page does not exist\"\u003eposts\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_chat\" title=\"Online chat\"\u003echats\u003c/a\u003e,\u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter\" title=\"Twitter\"\u003etweets\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcast\" title=\"Podcast\"\u003epodcasts\u003c/a\u003e, digital images, video, audio files, advertisements, and other forms of media that was created by \u003cstrong\u003eusers\u003c/strong\u003e of an online system or service, often made available via \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_social_networking_websites\" title=\"List of social networking websites\"\u003esocial media websites\u003c/a\u003e.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"image\"\u003e\n  \u003cimg\n    src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/_legacy-img/2016/07/600-x-400-color-edits-Communication-concept-network-VLADGRIN-iStock-Thinkstock-480561776.jpg\"\n    alt=\"Communication concept network.\"/\u003e\u003cp\u003eVLADGRIN, iStock, Thinkstock\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhether it’s \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/wernerc/status/746348823186808832\"\u003esharing relevant content to your brand\u003c/a\u003e with your audience, or posting \u003ca href=\"https://theiacpblog.org/2016/07/05/lets-all-be-a-player-police-legitimacy-and-youth-engagement-results/\"\u003eguest blogs from influencers or subject matter experts\u003c/a\u003e, we probably all implement user-generated content into our strategy in some way these days. Well, at least there are many reasons we should be.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAcross all sectors – state, local, federal governments, NGO’s, non-profit, private sector – \u003cstrong\u003eif you are in the communication business\u003c/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eyou are in the content-creation business\u003c/strong\u003e. Websites and social media channels that we use as a vehicle to get our message across, constantly demand updating. But in an effort to constantly feed the content machine, we can sometimes get caught off message.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRecently, \u003cem\u003eNewscred\u003c/em\u003e, a content marketing software company, held the \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23ThinkContent\u0026amp;src=typd\"\u003e#ThinkContent Summit\u003c/a\u003e 2016, and discovered from a survey of 463 attendees that there is a major disconnect between what marketers spend their time, budget, and resources creating compared to what they themselves actually want as a consumer.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis \u003ca href=\"http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fimages3.newscred.com%2FZz1lNGFiMzYxMzRhYTE0NThmOTc1MjhkOTQ4NWRmNzUyYQ%3D%3D\u0026amp;t=YmZhNzhlMDAxYWUyMTkwNjNhOTQ3OTFlMWU3OTBiMmUyZDY2ZDk4YyxUcWlBMlFxNA%3D%3D\"\u003eHow Marketers Create and Consume Content infographic on their website\u003c/a\u003e says it all – \u003cstrong\u003eKeep the CONSUMER first\u003c/strong\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo why the disconnect? It seems that, perhaps, \u003cstrong\u003esometimes when we get so involved in “doing our job” we can forget the point of “why” we do it\u003c/strong\u003e. Using UGC you can get audience participation, and hope to have loyal brand followers as a result. \u003cstrong\u003eAt the core of its definition, user-generated content is about being audience-oriented\u003c/strong\u003e, involving them in expressing the interests of your brand. And isn’t that what we should all strive to do – connect better with our audience to drive actionable results?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJust a few other benefits of UGC include:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAdditional streams of content to populate your content calendar\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLearning about your audience\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStaying relevant to your audience\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eInfluencer marketing\u003c/strong\u003e is one example of UGC that is trending, especially in the private sector with large companies seeking YouTube influencers, for example, to develop branded videos. But, keep in mind, whatever the tactic—\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e“\u003ca href=\"http://www.socialmediatoday.com/marketing/influencer-marketing-collaboration-not-transaction\"\u003eAuthenticity is key – if you don’t believe what someone is telling you and you don’t think they are being genuine or telling the truth, then it means nothing.\u003c/a\u003e” – Dan Neale, Social Media Today\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs previously stated on \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/cm-topics-button-component/topics/content-strategy/\"\u003eThe Content Corner\u003c/a\u003e, “\u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/cm-topics-button-component/2015/09/21/the-content-corner-harness-the-power-of-user-generated-content/\"\u003eusers (especially Millennials) demand authenticity from any brand/entity/agency they interact with\u003c/a\u003e.” So, whatever the tactic, be genuine!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are many ideas for how to implement user-generated content into your content strategy. I’ve gathered several case studies from across the government, to provide a glimpse at some of the many ways agencies are seeing the value in UGC.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo highlight community policing efforts in action, the Community Oriented Policing Services Office hosts a \u003ca href=\"http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/photocontest\"\u003eCommunity Policing in Action\u003c/a\u003e photo contest to celebrate examples of community policing and showcase the work of American law enforcement.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"image\"\u003e\n  \u003cimg\n    src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/_legacy-img/2016/07/600-x-172-Community-Policing-2016-Photo-Contest_WebBanner.jpg\"\n    alt=\"Community Policing 2016 Photo Contest banner.\"/\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"tmblr-full\"\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNational Archives\u003c/em\u003e, through the \u003cem\u003eNational Archives Foundation\u003c/em\u003e, hosted a \u003ca href=\"https://www.archivesfoundation.org/event/archivesjuly4-transcribe-thon/\"\u003e#ArchivesJuly4 Transcribe-a-thon\u003c/a\u003e where participants using their computers on site, helped to unlock info to put in the records on the National Archives’ online catalog.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"image\"\u003e\n  \u003cimg\n    src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/_legacy-img/2016/07/600-x-300-National-Archives-and-Records-Administration-July-4th-Transcribe-a-thon.jpg\"\n    alt=\"National Archives and Records Administration graphic for the July 4th Transcribe-a-thon.\"/\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"tmblr-full\"\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEarlier this year, the \u003cem\u003eNational Institutes of Health\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/cm-topics-button-component/2016/06/13/nih-image-gallery-data-call-success/\"\u003eheld a data call\u003c/a\u003e highlighting NIH-funded scientific research to help populate their \u003ca href=\"https://www.nih.gov/news-events/images\"\u003ecentralized image service\u003c/a\u003e for the dissemination of primarily scientific, biomedical, and disease related imagery. Their efforts were deemed successful as they received over 50 image submissions from 24 different funded institutions.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"image\"\u003e\n  \u003cimg\n    src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/_legacy-img/2016/07/600-x-120-nih-image-gallery-photo-montage.jpg\"\n    alt=\"NIH image gallery photo montage.\"/\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"tmblr-full\"\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCrowdsourcing can be another tactic to reach out for user-generated content. \u003ca href=\"https://www.challenge.gov/\"\u003eChallenge.gov\u003c/a\u003e has many good examples of successful crowdsourcing efforts to accomplish solutions to problems, and leverage the talent of the citizens we serve.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy providing an incentive, in this case cash and other prizes, Challenge.gov receives useful solutions:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"box \"\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003eLast week, the \u003cem\u003eSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration\u003c/em\u003e completed a challenge for \u003ca href=\"http://www.samhsa.gov/newsroom/press-announcements/201603041100\"\u003eparticipants to create a mobile app\u003c/a\u003e to provide opioid recovery support for patients. They provided tiered prizes for up to eight participants, with the top app developer receiving $15,000.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cfigure class=\"tmblr-full\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"image\"\u003e\n  \u003cimg\n    src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/_legacy-img/2016/07/600-x-80-SAMHSA-Opioid-Recovery-App-Challenge-banner.jpg\"\n    alt=\"SAMHSA Opioid Recovery App Challenge banner.\"/\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/figure\u003e \n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/\"\u003eNational Park Service\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"https://www.ncpc.gov/\"\u003eNational Capital Planning Commission\u003c/a\u003e recently completed an ideas competition called \u003ca href=\"https://future.ncpc.gov/\"\u003eMemorials of the Future\u003c/a\u003e, with the goal of site-specific designs for memorials in Washington, DC. One submission virtualized National Parks using ultra-high definition videos and audio recordings through an interactive, immersive installation.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSimilar to Challenge.gov, \u003ca href=\"http://www.citizenscience.gov/\"\u003eCitizenScience.gov\u003c/a\u003e is designed to accelerate the use of crowdsourcing and citizen science across the U.S. government. At the time this piece was written, 301 projects represented by 25 agencies are live and mapped in their \u003ca href=\"http://www.citizenscience.gov/catalog/\"\u003evirtual catalog\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"box \"\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003eIn an effort to increase “surface observations” \u003ca href=\"http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/\"\u003eNOAA’s National Severe Storms Laboratory\u003c/a\u003e recently announced, “Summer Spotlight: \u003ca href=\"https://www.citizenscience.gov/2016/07/06/noaa-summer-spotlight-mping/\" title=\"Permanent Link to NOAA Summer Spotlight: mPING!\"\u003emPING!\u003c/a\u003e” a \u003ca href=\"https://ccsinventory.wilsoncenter.org/#projectId/24\"\u003ecrowdsourcing project\u003c/a\u003e to collect public weather reports through a free app available for smartphones and mobile devices.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\n  class=\"video\"\n  style=\"position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; padding-top: 30px; height: 0; overflow: hidden;\"\n\u003e\n  \u003ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/bf129k6ZiF8\" title=\"Bite-Sized Science: The mPING App\" style=\"position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;\" allowfullscreen=\"\" frameborder=\"0\" \u003e\u003c/iframe\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003ca href=\"http://www.fs.fed.us/\"\u003eU.S. Forest Service\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"http://www.usda.gov/\"\u003eU.S. Department of Agriculture\u003c/a\u003e host many \u003ca href=\"http://www.citizenscience.gov/catalog/\"\u003eprojects in the catalog\u003c/a\u003e that collaborate with NGO’s, schools and state and local governments, that, among other things, support conservation goals/policy and research advancement, build new technologies, and gather or classify data.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThere are many more examples of effective user-generated content. How have you, or can you, implement it into your content calendar? Please share your thoughts in the comments below or reach out to me on \u003ca href=\"https://www.twitter.com/SSgtKRich\"\u003eTwitter @SSgtKRich\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eYou’ve just finished reading the latest article from our Monday column, \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/cm-topics-button-component/topics/content-strategy/\"\u003eThe Content Corner\u003c/a\u003e. This column focuses on helping solve the main content issues facing federal digital professionals, including producing enough content and making that content engaging.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n"}
  ]
}