Right. Just get in. Marketing is hard. Being unique is damned well harder. And within a world really hungry for authenticity, the brands are so far ahead in terms of how well they may tell their own story. That’s where User-Generated Content comes in, in the ‘no’ trend zone, but is, in fact, a movement that rewrites our communications with the audience.
Image Source: https://gorevity.com/harnessing-the-power-of-user-generated-content-in-marketing/
UGC is anything and everything that actual users of your product or service create: pictures, videos, reviews, and testimonials. It’s raw, it’s real, and most importantly, it works. People trust people more than they trust brands. That’s just the way it is—no second thoughts on this.
What is User-Generated Content?
It’s just word-of-mouth in the digital age. These are things that your audience will create and publish to share your brand without you having to lift a finger. We are talking about Instagram posts with your product, YouTube unboxings, or even that amazing review on Yelp.
Not that it is the big brands like Nike or Starbucks, but indeed, small businesses, entrepreneurs, and all kinds of start-ups can stake a claim in this goldmine of free content. And yes, UGC is free-almost. You’ll have to cultivate and engage your audience, but compare that to paid media and UGC is as organic as it gets.
We have all scrolled through our Instas or scrolled down just to read about what other people think about a product and failed to make a distinction between what is real and what is not.
- Paid ads? Oh, so fancy but dubious.
- Sponsored posts? Close to an interview, sitting on the couch.
But then again, you have your friend who talks about his favorite stuff, or you follow someone who just keeps going on and on and on about it. That’s something else.
That’s the magic of UGC—it humanizes your brand by letting real people speak on your behalf. A quick stat: 79% of people say that UGC considerably influences their purchasing decisions. So huge! Your brand becomes credible when somebody else speaks up for you.
Benefits of UGC: More Than Engagements
The actual benefits of UGC are way beyond those cool Insta feeds.
- 1. Authenticity & Trust: You see somebody else using and enjoying stuff with your logo on it, and right away, that becomes believable. Instead of you telling them how fantastic your product is, someone else does that job for you.
- 2. Affordable Content Production: Now, imagine all the time and money you are committing to branded content. That you’re open yourself, so you can access that same content your users already created through user generated content—meaning free advertising with a trust level you cannot buy.
- 3. More Engagement: Consumers love their own content flung back at them in the brand communication that is their brand. It’s a reason for UGC, a form of community building and engagement. The simplest, most natural “thank you” comment or readily repurposed repost becomes a lifeline of loyalty.
- 4. SEO Boost: The more UGC, the more material floats around your brand on multiple channels. Every time your brand name is discussed, or utilizes tags and reviews, it is little breadcrumbs that can flow all the way to you—it can actually work for improving your SEO rankings just as much as furthering your brand as a whole.
| BENEFIT | IMPACT |
| Authenticity | It has credibility in it as it is produced by the actual user other than the brand. |
| Cost Saving | Saves on developing content in-house. |
| Loyalty | Common content engages the user, which also makes him or her brand loyal. |
| SEO Booster | Enhances your digital presence and improves organic search. |
Kinds of User-Generated Content You Should Familiarize Yourself With
Not all UGCs are alike, and the type that is going to be a more effective addition to your marketing efforts depends on a few other factors. Let’s understand them:
- 1. Customer Testimonials And Reviews: These are the bread and butter of UGC. User feedback fills up Yelp, Amazon, and Google Reviews. Customer experience testimonials can play a profoundly influential role in determining how prospective buyers will act. Trust me; no one will care about your self-bragging efforts extolling how great your product is.
- 2. Social Media Posts: Cool stuff is just user-generated content through social media—that is, Instagram photos, TikTok videos, and Facebook shout-outs. Get them to tag your brand or use a custom hashtag and find and share their posts with ease. Sharing is free advertising!
- 3. Video Content: Most people like things on video. Your product unboxing tutorials and demos are really raw and basically, the more time and effort somebody puts into doing a video about your product, the bigger and better thing that is.
- 4. Blog Posts and Articles: Can you imagine this? Someone wrote excellent pieces about your business on their blog? Gold! The same is true of blogger UGC, but with credibility attached, as well as extra SEO efforts because of backlinks and mentions.
- 5. User-uploading Photos or Videos: Contests make users upload pictures or videos; whatever they capture, showing that it’s based on how they use your product or the best moment with your product is good. In this way, you get awesome content, and simultaneously, they engage with your brand.
How to Feed UGC: from Zero to Hero.
You might be wondering: “Well, how do I actually get people to create some content for me?”
Good question. UGC does not grow overnight. You have to nurture it. Here are some tested and proven strategies to get the user-generated content ball rolling:
- 1. Create a Branded Hashtag: Another way to create a UGC for your audience is with a branded hashtag. Ensure that your hashtag is catchy, memorable, and unique enough for your brand. A hashtag itself will appeal to the principle of tagging photos and videos with your content, thereby increasing your chances of noticing and sharing them.
- 2. Competitions and Organization Competition: Who does not like free stuff? You run a contest and, be pretty much sure, you will get some good user-generated content from your users. That would make your audience share pictures, videos, or reviews for the chance of winning something precious. The entertainment part of this lies in keeping it aligned with the brand’s values.
- 3. Show Your Audience: The best motivator are people who intrinsically enjoy their target audience. Whether it’s retweeting their post on Instagram, whether it’s including their testimonial on your website, people just love to be recognized. Show appreciation, and you will have brand advocates for life.
- 4. Reward Shoppers: You don’t have to give the product for free. Instead, you do a shout-out, run a discount, or even provide access to new releases before anyone else so people will create content about you. The more you engage your audience, the more they will want to contribute.
Best Practices Using UGC: What to Keep in Mind
Although UGCs can be so powerful, a few things need to be kept in mind when using them in your marketing strategy:
- Ask permission in every case: Absolutely, it makes sense to ask permission in every case before posting or sharing any user-generated content. That’s easy enough: a comment or DM will do and that will also be fairly chivalrous to the creativity of one’s audience.
- Credit Where Credit is Due: Share UGC with proper credit by tagging the creator and giving them a shout out. That is how you are giving proper credit to the creator and, at the same time, extending your audience and brand relationship.
- On Brand: Not everything that’s being created and uploaded as UGC will have a value to it. Focus. Highlight the best-of-the-best, most representative content for your brand that is one your audience actually cares about.
- Example: GoPro’s Success Story with UGC
Ready to see some UGC done just right? Take a gander at GoPro. They built a fully developed community around user-generated content. Customers are required to film extreme sports, travel experiences, and personal highlights using GoPro cameras. This is the approach of GoPro, to make users share their experiences has been a winner. Further, the best content will appear on the social channels of GoPro, and sometimes even in its advertising campaigns. With UGC, GoPro created a very real and interested community which continually provides valuable content for free.
Final Words—Be a Part of the UGC Revolution
It’s high time to get started with UGC. Trust me, there’s a lot more marketing in this than any of your other startegies. It makes your brand look a real human, creates community, and relieves pressure on your marketing team. So, gear up and get ready to board that wonderful flight of user-generated content. Now is the time for you to turn towards that digital world and connect with your target audience.
Ask them to write their stories, and before you know it, you would be having an invaluable treasure trove of content that would seem real, trusted, and most importantly, human.