How I Used Facebook to Gather User-Generated Content

Part of being successful with social media is identifying what makes your audience unique. And if there is one thing I have learned about Harman fans, it's that they're incredibly loyal and proud of their status as a Harman stove owner. While my focus generally centers around attracting new consumers to join this group of satisfied Harman stove owners, it was time to face facts. Weather and oil prices weren't exactly behaving in favor of pellet stoves, and I needed to find a new way to engage consumers.

From these insights, the Why Harman campaign was created.

This contest encouraged stove owners to share their reasons for choosing Harman to heat their homes. They were allowed to submit photos, videos and captions.

My reasoning for this type of contest was to leverage the loyal fan base Harman has. I was able to increase positive sentiment around the brand, encourage conversations about pellet stoves in a very natural and organic way, and collect powerful testimonials.

Beyond submissions, the Why Harman campaign sparked engagements on social media. The conversation will live on, entries becoming the basis for an evolving user-generated content gallery on the website. When you're trying to tell the story of your brand, there is nothing more authentic than the words that come from your customers - words that will now be used to help new audiences make their purchasing decisions.