According to Adweek, 85% of people believe user-generated content to be more effective than brand-created content. The best thing about UGC is that it builds trust, which is arguably the most powerful force behind purchasing decisions online. In this post, we’ll get into how you can use user-generated content to achieve marketing goals faster. Let’s get started.
Using User-Generated Content for Marketing
A Little About UGC
User-generated content is the type of content that’s created by customers of a brand. It comes in many forms, including videos, text, and images. An example would be a video testimonial from a customer praising a product they bought recently. UGC can have a huge impact on the buying decisions of your target audience, which makes it one of the most powerful marketing resources for brands. As a brand, however, you do have to use it in the right ways and on the right platforms.
Why Use User-Generated Content?
UGC is Authentic
User-generated content humanizes your brand, making it more authentic in the eyes of the end consumer.
UGC is Cost-Effective
Think about how much you’d invest in planning, creating, and publishing content on social media. You don’t have to do all that for UGC content since it’s produced by your customers. This saves you money and time while helping you achieve your marketing goals faster.
The ROI of UGC is High
Consumers trust real customers more than marketing messages from a brand. This means that user-generated content can help you generate more conversions with virtually no investment.
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How to Collect User-Generated Content
You don’t have to wait for customers to create UGC. In fact, 50% of customers want brands to guide their content creation efforts.
Start a Contest: A simple contest can motivate a lot of your customers to create content for your brand. Just make sure it’s for something worthwhile.
Add a Request on Your Site: Add a section on your website to collect feedback from existing customers.
Use Email: If you have an email list, ask them if they’d like to review the recent purchase. Include a few important pointers to make the process easier for them.
Offer Rewards: A powerful way to accelerate UGC is by creating a reward system. For instance, offer 30% off to anyone who creates a testimonial video about your product.
How to Use User-Generated Content for Marketing
Just like any other marketing strategy, you need a clear plan to make the most of UGC.
Keep It Real
Consumers tend to trust other consumers when they’re making a buying decision online. This means using celebrity endorsements may not be the right way to go. You want to generate UGC for your brand from the people who’ve used your product. In addition to that, never fake UGC; people are smart enough to tell you that it’s fake, which will put your reputation at stake.
Decide on Your Goals
Start by deciding how you plan to use this content.
Brand Awareness: If you want to leverage UGC for brand awareness, create a catchy hashtag and promote it.
Conversions: If you’re looking to increase conversions, focus on generating more reviews and testimonials.
Inform People: There’s nothing better than user-generated content when you want to inform people about how your product works.
Save Time: Why spend time creating content when you can get it for free? User-generated content can keep the ball rolling for your social media accounts, saving you a lot of time in the long run.
Identify the Right Type of UGC
To make UGC work, you need to find what works at each stage of the buyer’s journey. For instance, video reviews work best for prospects that are at the bottom of the sales funnel.
Use a Variety of UGC
Not all UGC is perfect for all platforms. For instance, if you’re a restaurant, food photography on Instagram will work great. Moreover, reviews on a service page would be perfect for a hotel business. If you’re not sure about what type of UGC will work best for your business, don’t hesitate to test.
Request Permission
Reach out to the person and ask for their permission before reposting their content. Otherwise, you’d risk losing a loyal customer.
Give Credits
Giving credit to the original creator of a post is a common social media best practice. Here’s the biggest benefit of tagging the creator in a UGC post: It tells your followers that the post is authentic and isn’t created by you.
Promote Your UGC
Once you have enough pieces of user-generated content, it’s time to incorporate them into your marketing strategy. Share them as posts on Instagram and Facebook. Use video testimonials on TikTok and other video platforms. If you’re targeting prospects via Facebook ads, use testimonials and reviews to boost conversions. As you can see, although you’re not the one creating UGC, to make it work, you need a well-thought-out plan.
Track Your Progress
The only way you can be certain of your UGC campaign’s success is by tracking it. The parameters you should be tracking include:
- Total reach
- Impressions
- Traffic
- Interactions
- Conversions
- Revenue
- Ad spend
- Click-through rate
- ROAS (return on ad spend)
- ROI (Return on investment)
FAQs
What is UGC and why is it important?
UGC stands for user-generated content and refers to content created by users instead of the brand. It’s a marketing asset as people tend to trust real customer testimonials and reviews before investing in a brand.
What are the benefits of user-generated content?
User-generated content builds trust and credibility in the eyes of your target customer, which can lead to more leads and conversions.
What is user-generated content in SEO?
User-generated content in SEO includes customer reviews, client testimonials, photos, videos, and more
Conclusion: Using User-Generated Content in Marketing
Are you using user-generated content to achieve your marketing goals? If not, there are multiple reasons why you should start using it right away. For one, UGC can save you a lot of time, allowing you to focus on other aspects of business growth. Plus, user-generated content builds trust for your brand, helping you attract more followers on social media. Content like video testimonials can even help you boost conversions. So, incorporate UGC into your marketing strategy to achieve your goals faster and more cost-effectively.
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