Why is Content Moderation Important for User-Generated Campaigns

What is Content Moderation?

Raving fans? Yes, please! Trolls? No thanks.

E-commerce brands have caught on to a more lucrative marketing strategy; user-generated campaigns. Replacing influencer marketing and actual brand content creation, UGC on user-generated platforms has proven effective, cost-efficient, and, guess what?

It's also seen as more trusted.

Now, more than ever, consumers care about what they're purchasing. Like, a lot. They're looking up reviews, hauls, and checking out what people are saying on social media. From unpaid video reviews to comments on your socials, genuine praise must be earned by brands.

That's why as social media grows and, naturally, the content with it, content moderation should be at the forefront of your strategy — preserving the story you've worked so hard to build.

Don’t let random, unfair, or spammy content on user-generated platforms like Facebook, Youtube, and Tiktok, slip the digital crack and negatively impact your business.

Scroll below and find out how to take the driver’s seat in your digital narrative and make bank!

Why Would You Need a Content Moderation Solution?

Every voice is tied with yours. It’s your job to filter in the good and filter out the bad, illicit and illegal.

The Good

How do you inspire consumer participation to create kick-ass content for your business?

Tell them what to do. In an Offerpop survey, more than half of users said they want to be directed when making content, noting they wished more brands would provide sample photos or videos for them to copy.

Let’s be honest. On-brand content won’t create itself.

Only 16% of businesses are comfortable giving this type of guidance, often trying to go the opposite direction, not wanting to seem "pushy."

Use this to your advantage. Guide users to create content toward the story you want to tell.

Users will be thankful they had a template to go off of instead of the blank page fear of starting from scratch.

The Bad, Illicit, and Illegal

While you shouldn’t police what people say, if you see that they have left you a bad review on a user-generated platform, you must filter truly horrific material.

Stats show that on Facebook alone, 3 million plus items are reported daily by Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems and users for the potential warrant of removal.

This inappropriate content includes graphic violence, exploitation, extremism, abuse, and suicide.

So if you want a good name, you must have the integrity to back it up. You protect all the innocent and vulnerable in this new digital age by putting filters and systems in place.

Types of Content Moderation

With more than 4.74 billion users on social media, and with that number growing exponentially, keeping up with workflow is virtually impossible to do solo.

Businesses have turned to AI, human moderation, or use a mix of both to keep up with the high volume of content coming in daily on a variety of user-generated platforms.

Here are some general tips that any brand can use to keep its social media presence clean, tidy, and thriving:

1. Brands v. Consumer: What kinds of content do users produce for you? What type of content do you create? Choose moderation methods that best match how you interact with customers.
2. Be Clear: The gray zone isn’t where you want to be. Create clear rules and guidelines for everyone. This helps employees understand what should be filtered in-and-out and leaves users with no surprises.
3. Plan Ahead: Don’t let the content stack grow and get behind in business. Get your content blueprint laid out ahead of time. It will save you headaches (and money).
4. Provide Quality: Users come to you for enjoyment, to solve a problem, etc. What they don't want to see is something that distracts them from that goal or message.

While all content should technically be moderated, focusing on high-risk categories, such as anything illicit or illegal, is always a safe wager.

AI Content Moderation

Machine learning is fast these days. Artificial intelligence has been used to catch almost 99.9% of spam on Facebook and other user-generated platforms.

This is good for brands because as user-generated content continues to grow and expand, you’ll need a fast system to keep up.

Let’s break down how it works:

• Computer Vision: Computers have 20/20 vision on what to keep out. It analyzes pictures and videos, keeping spam at the gate.
• Natural Language Processing: This great feature uses keyword filters and will alert moderation teams when it senses words associated with sensitive topics such as abuse, violence, or online bullying.
• Built-In Knowledge Bases: Simply put, humans put information into the computer. This can include regulatory frameworks and business procedures, so AI does the work for you when the content smells fishy.
• Algorithm: This is where the magic happens. Not only can this identify material that’s already been banned, but it self-learns to improve on what might come.

This has been used to sniff out misinformation about brands and overall spammy content.

It’s important to keep in mind that while computers are wicked smart, there are just some things only a human can catch.

Human Content Moderation

Think about the human language for a second. Figures of speech, context and even intent add to the overall message.

Take, for example, an e-commerce brand selling nutritional supplements to get fit. People may be posting before and after photos on your socials. Sports bra, half nude. FLAGGED!

False positives can raise issues about censorship and ruin customer relations. No beuno.

People are at the center of every business, so it's essential to consider your workers' psychological health. Being exposed to graphic content daily is a slippery slope. That's why we recommend mixing both AI and human moderation into your strategy.

Both Human and AI Screening

The two complement each other. When you choose AI to take the bulk of your work and add a touch of human personability, you will feel in control of how you show up in the digital space and keep your customers satisfied, safe and happy.

Everyone is on a spectrum of how far they choose to lean into each, but evaluating factors such as costs, value, and accuracy are always important considerations.

How Cohley Frees Up Time and Resources for Content Moderation

Whew! That takes a lot of brainpower. Not going to lie--with content moderation across user-generated platforms, there is a lot to consider.

From choosing the right filters, and moderation systems, achieving the perfect balance of the two, and keeping your customers happy, plus all the money flowing in.

The content stack grows every day. How are you going to keep up?

Cohley helps plan your e-commerce business goals and automates daunting tasks like shipping and hand-picks creators for User Generate Campaign for you.

Ready to create a killer campaign?