UGC: Why Should Marketers Care?

Are you more likely to believe marketers that boast that their products are great or a product fan who insists it is great?

When users see another user’s unbiased opinion, it provides them with more insight into quality than a typical advertisement. So, as an e-commerce brand or marketer, how can you leverage that power?

Bring on the user-generated content.

Therefore, we’ve arrived. Through user-generated content, we hope to assist you in converting your customers into advocates. But, before we get into our step-by-step guide, let’s define UGC and discuss the do’s and don’ts of sharing it.

User-generated content (UGC) refers to unpaid or unsponsored social posts that people from all networks share when they use or adore a product or service. UGC occurs when a friend tweets about a wonderful experience they had with a hotel they stayed at. When your favorite brand reposts Instagram Stories from customers at an event they hosted, this is an example of user-generated content (UGC). When someone uploads a video to TikTok about the best lipstick they’ve ever used, that’s an example of user-generated content.

The medium’s power is determined by how brands use the abundance of user-generated treasure. Despite its organic nature, sharing and re-sharing UGC has the potential to reach many brands and consumers.

UGC isn’t always content that specifically mentions your product. It can also draw attention to lifestyles or values that are like your brand’s ethos and target audience. Vans, a skateboard shoe, and apparel retailer, frequently repost videos of BMX riders, skaters, artists, and anyone else who represents the Vans “Off the Wall” brand esthetic.

What is the importance of user-generated content?

While there are many ways marketers can use to promote their business, user-generated content is undoubtedly one of the most effective (UGC).

User-generated content is, at its most basic level, a vote of confidence. Your most ardent supporters are taking photos, writing reviews, and writing blog articles to promote your products or services – frequently without being asked.

But how can user-generated content benefit your company specifically? We’ve got your back, so don’t worry. To uncover the benefits of user-generated content in marketing, we did research and uncovered some solid facts and numbers.

Businesses were initially hesitant to use user-generated content (UGC) to represent their brand, and for good reason. It was difficult to justify exchanging polished professional content for unpolished consumer content. But, as phone cameras improve year after year and social media platforms make UGC more accessible, brands can no longer afford to ignore it.

Everyday consumers have now surpassed professional content creators as the world’s most prolific creators.

Every day, 350 million photos are uploaded to Facebook, 95 million photos and videos are shared on Instagram, and over 500 million tweets are sent via Twitter.

According to data, user-generated content has become the most trusted, memorable, influential, and freely available source of content for marketers.

UGC is used to influence engagement and increase conversions at all stages of the buyer’s journey. Customer-focused content can be used on social media as well as other channels such as email, landing pages, and checkout pages.

It adds authenticity to the mix.

Nowadays, firms must strive to be visible online, and the battle for audience attention is severe. As a result, shoppers, particularly the notoriously fickle Gen-Z, are becoming pickier about the businesses with which they interact and purchase.

Consumers aren’t the only ones that care about authentic materials. According to 60% of marketers, authenticity and quality are equally critical characteristics of successful content. And no other sort of content is more genuine than user-generated content (UGC).

Don’t fall into the trap of faking your user-generated content or campaign. Audiences will pick up on the false sentiment quickly, potentially damaging your brand’s reputation. Instead, make sure that your user-generated content (UGC) comes from one of three groups: customers, brand loyalists, or workers.

People eventually trust other people, so think of user-generated content as modern-day word of mouth.

And with consumers, 2.4 times more likely to regard user-generated content as authentic compared to material developed by businesses, the time to invest in an authenticity-driven social marketing approach is now.

It enhances brand loyalty and community building.

Instead of being a bystander, UGC allows customers to actively participate in the creation of a company. This has a significant impact on brand loyalty and affinity because people thrive when they are a part of something bigger than themselves and creating UGC allows them to join a brand’s community.

UGC also facilitates communication between a brand and its customers, and this level of brand interaction aids in the development and growth of a loyal following.

Sharing audience material helps to build and strengthen audience/business relationships, resulting in increased brand loyalty.

UGC is a cost-effective method.

UGC is cost-effective in addition to all the above advantages. Instead of spending much time and money hiring creative teams to create a small number of content assets and then having to do it all over again in a month or two (if not a few weeks), this work can now be outsourced to regular people who are already talking and posting about your company online.

User-generated content (UGC) lets content-starved organizations now access a multitude of assets without having to pay a fortune for studios and professionals, thanks to user-generated content (UGC). UGC as a cost-effective marketing technique is an easy decision if people are already producing positive content without being asked—and, for the most part, for free.

It serves as an indication of trust.

Brands must work harder than ever to build their credibility. With 93 percent of marketers believing that customers trust customer-generated content more than brand-generated content, UGC is the ideal medium for businesses to improve their trust score.

Audiences use user-generated content (UGC) as a trust signal in the same way they would seek advice from their friends, family, or professional network. Over half of millennials base their purchasing decisions on recommendations from family and friends, thus UGC can shine in this area because it is exactly that: a personal recommendation.

It boosts conversions and influences buying decisions.

User-generated content is especially powerful in the last phases of the buyer’s journey when you’re trying to convert and persuade your audience to buy.

UGC serves as genuine social validation that your product is worthwhile. Your audience, for example, may see people who look like them wearing or using your product, which may impact their decision to purchase.

UGC is a memorable one.

Marketers are always fighting to break through the clutter and capture and hold people’s attention. What does it matter if you have the best message or graphics if no one remembers them?

Traditional advertising is less memorable than user-generated material. UGC is 35 percent more memorable to millennials than traditional forms of media.

UGC is scalable.

There are so many digital channels and so much desire for updated content, but there is so little time. In today’s digital market, brands can’t keep up with all the channels they’re supposed to fill with high-quality, interesting, and engaging content.

There’s a lot of demand on marketers to produce more content than ever before, whether it’s for landing sites, social feeds, digital ads, or billboards—but it pays off for those who can stay up. The fastest-growing advertisers on Facebook, according to Facebook, generate 11 times more creative assets than their counterparts.

User-generated content types

This season’s must-have approach for social media marketers is user-generated content, which comes in a variety of styles and formats to help you find the appropriate match for your business.

Images

Videos

Social media content (e.g., a Tweet about your brand)

Testimonials

Product reviews

Live streams

Blog posts

YouTube content

Who Creates User-Generated Content?

Knowing that user-generated content (UGC) can be used from the beginning to the end of your marketing campaign (even after your top-tier conversion), the next question is: where do I find UGC?

Because UGC comes from your consumers, it’s simply a matter of locating and organizing their promotional content to select the best content for the purpose. You may either seek UGC (most commonly through social media) or set up a direct submission system where customers can upload content directly to your business during contests and campaigns.

There are three techniques to attract customers to create user-generated content (UGC):

– Encourage buyers to create UGC during specific stages of the purchasing journey.

– Make attractive experiences, physical venues, and unboxing events that people will want to talk about.

– Request that customers create UGC in return for a gift.

It is clear that user-generated content (UGC) is the key to effective marketing, and it is now up to marketers and brands to determine how they will use it in their campaigns.

Need help with monitoring your brand sentiment? Contact us.