We now live in a world where everyone can have their say. In the past a simple ‘letters column’ in a newspaper or even the dulcet tones of Terry Wogan on Points of View were enough to satisfy an audience that their voice was being heard. Now, thanks to the growing popularity of social media, web users are hungrier than ever for a way of exchanging their ideas and opinions.
From tweets to comments on blogs, to questionnaires and quizzes, allowing your members to take the reins is a sure fire way to engage and connect in the right way. By doing this you make your members feel like it really is their organisation. Your members have given you their information and gone to you for knowledge. It’s important to give something back, so you can run your organisation together.
Here are a few things you can do to create user-generated content:
A comments section
It’s no secret that asking what a person thinks or feels about something is a good way to make them feel respected and engaged.
Live twitter feeds
For some there’s nothing more exciting when you see you’ve been retweeted or favourited by a person or organisation you care about. This engages members and makes them feel they’re being heard.
Questionnaires
You can find out exactly who your audience is and what’s important to them by simply asking them.
Quizzes
Adding an element of fun to your questionnaires is very engaging. Make sure this is ‘shareable’- word of mouth is a powerful way of reaching more people.
A clear and obvious ‘contact us’ section
Might sound like an obvious one, but if you hide your contact section it might look like you don’t want your members to talk to you!
Feel free to get in touch through our Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Google+ or contact us
Words: Christine Hassall
Graphics: Charlotte Richards