User-generated content can boost marketing campaigns by offering a fresh voice for brand messages and building trust through authenticity. However, all UGC must be vetted to make sure it isn’t toxic or offensive.
To do so, business must employ UGC content moderation, which consists of scanning UGC for text, video or images that violate rules such as sensitivity or nudity. This can be done manually or using automated methods.
1. Pre-moderation
Brands need to ensure that their communities are protected from harmful content, and this is where pre-moderation comes into play. This moderation method requires a moderator to approve all text, images and video content before it is displayed online. This safeguards your community against legal ramifications and provides you with high control over what content ends up online.
However, the drawback of pre-moderation is that it slows down the pacing of conversations in your community as comments are not posted in real time and remain in a pending state until they have been approved by a moderator. It is also a more expensive option than other UGC moderation methods.
It’s important to remember that the UGC generated by your customers is often highly personal and can be incredibly damaging when it’s misused or misinterpreted. That’s why it’s essential that you work with a company that has both trained professionals and artificial intelligence that can detect and quickly remove inappropriate content in real time.
2. Post-moderation
When a brand uses user-generated content, it must ensure that all submissions are safe and comply with community guidelines. Otherwise, the company may face legal ramifications and a damaged public image.
Moderation can be done by human beings, automated software or a combination of the two. Companies that conduct numerous campaigns and rely on online consumers must have a scalable moderation process in place.
Reactive moderation relies on community members to flag content they deem inappropriate, which is usually accomplished via a reporting button that alerts the site’s moderators. This method offers quick scalability, but it can lead to a delay in removing offensive content from the website or community platform.
Reactive moderation can also cause problems when a certain type of content is constantly reported, such as sexually explicit images or abusive language. This can overwhelm a moderator team and reduce the overall quality of the platform’s content. Alternatively, an organization can use a real-time content analysis tool to prevent toxic content in the first place.
3. Manual moderation
When companies rely on their customers to create content, they give up some control. But that relinquishing of power also carries some risk that the content may be inappropriate or offensive. That’s why many savvy brands prioritize having a scalable moderation process in place.
A well-trained moderator can quickly identify whether a piece of UGC is problematic or not. They can then flag it for review, or decide not to publish it altogether.
This allows brands to benefit from the engagement and trust that comes with user-generated content moderation, without allowing offensive or inappropriate content to harm their brand. In addition, it gives them the ability to uncover interesting customer insights, like how people are using their products or services. In short, UGC can be a powerful marketing tool if it’s done correctly. But without proper moderation, it can become a liability that alienates customers. Learn more about how to use UGC effectively in your 2022 strategy by downloading our free checklist.
4. Automated moderation
When you don’t have the resources to monitor UGC in real time, the best solution is automated moderation. This involves a system that scans comments and images for keywords or expressions that are prohibited, then filters out or flags content that contains those words.
This method is not without its drawbacks, however. It can be difficult to identify and remove specific kinds of images or text – and it may flag legitimate content. And it’s important to understand that even a well-designed system can be fooled by new tactics used by users to evade detection (for example, by reworking a banned expression or changing the context of a message).
The best way to mitigate risks and ensure that your UGC campaigns deliver on their promise is with a combination of live human moderation and intelligent automation. The right team will be able to identify the nuances in language, photos and videos that AI cannot. This can prevent toxic, fake or inappropriate content from being published and avoid costly lawsuits or brand damage.