User Generated Content: A Win-Win Scenario
You may not have realized it, but the most effective marketing campaign of all time is right in front of you. It’s called user generated content (UGC).
It’s a phenomenon that has been around since the dawn of social media and continues to resonate with people across all demographics today. Just look around and you’ll see it everywhere.
User generated content (UGC) is a term that refers to content that is created by consumers and now sometimes even by professional content creators. It can be in the form of reviews, photos, videos, or even social media posts. The rise of UGC has been a great boon for businesses because it helps them to gain trust and credibility through their users' eyes. Integrating UGC into your marketing campaigns can also help increase engagement and sales for your business and help you reach a larger audience.
It's a win-win situation: businesses get the word-of-mouth marketing they need to thrive and grow, while customers get a platform where they can share their experiences with other potential customers.
What is user generated content?
User-generated content is content that is created by people who are not part of the organization or business that's using it. These users are usually consumers, but they can also be fellow employees or even other businesses.
User-generated content can come in many different forms: reviews, blog posts, photos, videos, and more. It can be used to inform potential customers about your products or services, to answer questions they might have about those products or services, or even just to entertain them.
When you're considering how you want to incorporate user-generated content into your marketing strategy, there are a few things you should keep in mind:
Where does the user's voice fit into your brand? Is it an organic fit? Or do you need to make some adjustments?
How can you keep track of all this user-generated content so that it remains consistent with your existing branding standards?
How to Use UCG
With all these benefits of User Generated Content, it's hard to think of a reason why you wouldn't want to utilize it in your marketing efforts. Let's look at some ways that you can start leveraging content from your users and customers today:
Borrow from existing content. If existing customers have already created reviews and testimonials, use those! Similarly if there are employees willing to talk about their experiences working for your company, encourage them to do so.
Create your own content as a result of user-generated inspiration. If a customer has an idea for a new product or service, could you build it? If they've got an interesting story about how they used one of your products or services in an unexpected way, share it!
Use UGC on social media channels. Ask questions. Get people sharing photos using your products or services with a branded hashtag. Request video submissions of people using your products (with an incentive for the best submission). Have fun with it!
Promote your upcoming event with an Instagram post that promotes your event hashtag, and include some UGC photos of last year's attendees enjoying the event.
Host a product launch, and share pictures of happy customers using your new product all over social media.
With the help of your dedicated fans and followers, curate all relevant news coverage related to your brand or industry into a tweet or Facebook post.
Showcase the fun culture at your company headquarters by sharing an office photo taken by one of your employees.
If you have a dining establishment, ask customers if they’ll send you their photos of the food they ate at your restaurant in exchange for free dessert on their next visit. If you sell workout clothing, hold a contest asking customers to post before-and-after photos of themselves wearing your product.
When showcasing UGC on your site, show it off! You can add user generated content widgets so that new customers can see what others are saying about the experience right away.
A Win-Win Scenario
You might be wondering, what's the big deal about UGC?
UGC is a win for brands and consumers alike.
For brands, it's a way to engage customers, increase brand awareness, and open up opportunities for real-time marketing.
For consumers, the content feels authentic and it's a way to share their experiences with products and services, as well as connect with other consumers who have had similar experiences..
UGC increases engagement between brands and consumers: As opposed to traditional advertising messages that are often ignored or even blocked by consumers, UGC is considered more trustworthy because it comes straight from the source. People want to see what their friends think about products or services before making a decision about them themselves!
UGC helps build trust and relationships with customers: When people feel like they know a company or product better because they've seen it from different perspectives through UGC, they're more likely to purchase from that business later down the road when needed again
It can boost sales by as much as 40%. That's right—40%.
Is UGC right for your brand/organization?
As you can see, user-generated content is a great way to reach new customers and increase your sales. UGC can be an incredibly valuable asset to your brand, but it's not for everyone.
If you're still not sure if UGC is right for your brand, there are a few things you can do to find out. First, consider your target audience—who are they, and what kinds of things do they like? Then, take a look at where they're getting their information from—is it primarily through social media? If so, then UGC might be the best way for you to reach them.
It's also important to think about whether or not your product lends itself well to being shared by customers. For example, if your product is very expensive or complicated to use, then it might not be practical for customers to share pictures about it online.
If you think that UGC could be beneficial for your business but aren't sure where to start or how much time it will take, consider hiring an agency like Slantics- we specialize in creating content specifically for brands. We'll help guide you through the process so that everything goes smoothly from start to finish!