User-Generated Content (UGC) for Small Businesses, Small Towns & Rural Regions

Course Overview

This course shows small businesses, destinations, and creators how to turn everyday customers into authentic storytellers. Participants will learn how to encourage, collect, curate, and reuse user-generated content to build trust, increase reach, and drive real-world visits—without big budgets or marketing teams.

Ideal for:

• Small businesses in rural and small-town settings
• Destination marketing organizations
• Tourism operators
• Content creators & storytellers
• Community and economic development teams

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, learners will be able to:

• Understand why UGC outperforms traditional marketing
• Prompt customers to share content naturally and ethically
• Build simple systems to collect and reuse content
• Turn reviews, photos, and stories into ongoing marketing assets
• Avoid common legal and reputational pitfalls