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T3’s Guide to Leveraging UGC from Your Next Event

User-generated content (UGC) has become a powerful tool for enhancing event experiences and amplifying your event marketing efforts. Leveraging UGC allows event organizers to create a sense of community, encourage attendee participation, and generate authentic content that resonates with potential audiences.  

 

Our guide features 6 actionable strategies to harness the full potential of UGC during and after your events. 

 

Encourage Content Creation During the Event 

  • Create Shareable Moments: Design your event with social media in mind. Set up photo booths, interesting backdrops, and interactive installations that attendees will want to capture and share. 
  • Branded Hashtags: Promote a unique event hashtag. Encourage attendees to use it when posting about the event on their social platforms, making it easier to track and leverage content. This can be done through preparation communication before the event to displaying banners at the event with the hashtag as a way to incorporate additional décor. 
  • Live Sharing: Set up live social media walls displaying posts in real-time. This not only motivates attendees to participate, but also enhances the event experience. 

 

Host Contests and Giveaways 

  • Photo and Video Contests: Run contests that reward the best photos or videos taken at the event. This encourages attendees to capture and share high-quality content. 
  • Hashtag Challenges: Create challenges where participants must complete certain tasks and share their experiences using the event hashtag. This adds to the event experience and can set your event out from the rest when it comes to memorable moments. 

 

Feature UGC in Your Marketing Campaigns 

  • Social Media: Repost attendee content on your official social media channels. Always credit the original creators to build goodwill and trust for both your audiences. 
  • Website and Blog: Integrate UGC into your website and blog posts. This can include testimonials, event recaps, and user photos. 
  • Email Marketing: Use the UGC from your event in your email campaigns to provide social proof of the activities, and testimonials to highlight the success of the event. This is also a great way to promote future events. 

 

Create Post-Event Highlight Reels 

  • Video Recaps: Compile videos and photos from attendees to create a highlight reel of the event. This can be shared on social media, your website, and in follow-up emails. 
  • Testimonials: Gather quotes and feedback from attendees to feature in future marketing materials. 

 

Engage with Your Audience Post-Event 

  • Respond and Interact: Engage with attendees who have shared content by liking, commenting, and sharing their posts. This builds a sense of community and encourages future participation. 
  • Surveys and Feedback: Send out post-event surveys to gather more content and insights from attendees. 

 

Analyze and Measure Impact 

  • Track Engagement: Use your current analytics tools to measure the reach and engagement of UGC. This data can help you understand what types of content resonate most with your audience. 
  • Adjust Strategies: Based on your analysis, refine your UGC strategies for future events to maximize impact. 

 

 

These strategies give you the ability to fully take advantage of UGC during and after your events, from encouraging content creation to analyzing the impact of these efforts. Engaging with your audience and showcasing their contributions will not only enhance your events, but also build lasting relationships with your attendees. By effectively incorporating UGC, you can transform your events into vibrant, engaging experiences that extend far beyond the event itself. 

 

Ready to take your event to the next level with user-generated content? Contact us today to learn how our expert strategies can transform your event into an unforgettable experience. Let’s make your event the talk of the town! 

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Leveraging User-Generated Content from Your Event

When you think of how consumers get product information today, user-generated content (UGC) has become a powerhouse in these marketing strategies. Therefore, tapping into the potential of UGC, especially when it comes to events, can transform your promotional efforts. Here’s how you can leverage user-generated content from your event to enhance your marketing strategy and build a stronger connection with your audience. 

 

What is User-Generated Content? 

User-generated content refers to any content created by people rather than brands. This can be text, videos, images, or reviews and is often shared on social media, blogs, and other platforms, providing authentic insights and testimonials from real users. 

 

Why should you use UGC in your event marketing? 

 

Authenticity and Trust 

When you showcase UGC, it brings authenticity to your brand. When it comes to events, allowing the attendees to share their experiences can aid in building trust among potential customers.  

 

Engagement 

Encouraging attendees to create content about your event increases engagement and interaction with your brand. Ask for collaboration requests as an easy way to feature their content on your brand’s social media accounts. 

 

Cost-Effective 

Utilizing UGC is a cost-effective way to gather promotional material without the need for extensive resources. You are able to reshare and post what your attendees do and create additional hype for future events and products from their real testimonials and responses. 

 

SEO Benefits  

UGC can boost your search engine rankings through increased content and backlinks. Comment and engage with each attendee’s post for additional boosts on social media. 

 

User-generated content is a goldmine when you are looking to amplify your event marketing efforts. By encouraging content creation, featuring UGC in your campaigns, and engaging with your audience, you can build a more authentic, engaging, and effective marketing strategy. Remember, the key to leveraging UGC is to make it easy and rewarding for your audience to participate. So, at your next event, make sure to create opportunities for attendees to capture and share their experiences—your marketing efforts will thank you! 

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Think3’s Guide to Choosing the Right Branded Apparel

 

Branded apparel is one of the most sought-after promotional items. Almost anyone in any industry can make use of a new apparel item, making it a great component for your promotional merchandise strategy. Apparel has the potential to generate multiple impressions of your brand for many years to come.  

 

USE 

When choosing what apparel items to source, think about your audience. Are they active and would prefer more athletic-friendly materials designed for moisture-wicking and sun protection? Are they more practical and would like a good, quality t-shirt or sweatshirt? Are they interested in a more business casual item they could wear to home or office like a fleece vest? Knowing what your audience wants will make your promotional items more valuable to them and increase the likelihood that they will use it over and over. It is also an extension of your brand so choose items that are complimentary to the brand essence (i.e., rugged, outdoorsy, corporate, whimsical, etc.). The goal of promotional merchandise is to promote your company and also to be a value to your customer! 

 

QUALITY 

Let’s talk quality. When making the decision to invest in branded apparel, it is very important that you don’t just choose the lowest cost item. Lower cost items generally have lower quality materials that aren’t always comfortable and may not hold up well after a few washes. The last thing you want is for your logo design to be peeling or faded or for it to end up in the trash after a couple of uses. There are a variety of fabrics used in apparel items. Below illustrates some of the most common fabrics, their characteristics and common uses: 

 

MATERIAL 
CHARACTERISTICS 
USE 
100% Cotton 
 breathable, comfortable, cost-effective  t-shirts, sweatshirts, polo shirts 
Cotton-Poly Blend 
 comfortable, durable, less shrinking  fleece vests, t-shirts, hoodies, office wear 
Polyester 
 moisture wicking, long-lasting  fleece jacket, fleece vest, polo shirts, sportswear 

 

COLOR 

Choosing the right colors for your promotional apparel involves using a few tactics. One of the most common is to choose colors that complement your company’s brand and logo or artwork.

Tip: Many companies have branding guidelines that can direct the use of logos on various apparel items. Another tactic is to choose a color that is neutral like, white, black or gray, and would go with most logos. Also keep in mind the industry. For example, if the industry is construction or environmental, a white t-shirt may not be a good color to choose due to the nature of the job and being exposed to elements. Bright and neon colors while attention grabbing, may not be attractive for the every-day use. Again, the goal is for apparel to be valuable to the customer and to be used over and over again.  

 

DECORATION 

When decorating an apparel item with a logo or artwork there are a few different methods used. The first and most common is screen printing. Screen printing is a method where a screen is custom designed to the artwork of choice and t-shirt paint is then applied via that screen to imprint the design. This method is very cost-effective and long-lasting, resulting in vibrant colors. It is a method that takes longer and is often used for larger orders. Another common decoration method is heat-transfer. This is a method where a design is printed on transfer paper and is then imprinted onto an apparel item via a heat press. Heat transfer is good for smaller orders and for orders with more complex color designs or photography-based designs. Embroidery is one of the most traditional methods often used in the promotional apparel industry. This method is where a digital artwork file is converted to an embroidery stitch file and then embroidered onto an apparel item with a machine. It works best on thicker fabrics like jackets, vests, hats, or backpacks. An embroidered logo tends to last longer and leaves a professional and sophisticated look. 

 

LOCATION 

Most apparel items have multiple imprint location opportunities. This allows for more exposure and creativity in how your brand or artwork is reflected. Front, back, sleeve, and pocket are all common imprint locations. You can also pair logos, slogans and artwork all on the same apparel item by making use of different locations. For example, a logo can be printed front-left chest and the slogan can be printed larger on the back. Get creative but remember not to clutter apparel with artwork. Too much artwork will detract attention and confuse the branding. 

 

Promotional apparel is a fantastic component to be added to any marketing strategy for internal campaigns, product launches, brand awareness, and other marketing campaigns. Here at Think3 we have a team of professionals who are experienced in sourcing and helping clients design their promotional apparel merchandise. Feel free to browse our online store here and reach out any any time for assistance in designing your apparel strategy!