User-generated content (UGC) is the backbone of marketing through micro-influencers, customer advocates, or celebrity endorsements. This is hardly a huge surprise, either. It’s an efficient kind of interaction because it’s a two-way street: marketers connect with fans who showcase their product or service organically, and those fans, in turn, become seen, highlighted, and may even create their own followings. Since the pandemic, user-generated content has revolutionized the social media engagement between businesses and their customers.
This is our purpose for being here. Through user-generated content, we want to assist you in converting consumers into brand ambassadors. Before we dive into the specifics of our how-to, though, it’s important that we define user-generated content and discuss some of the dos and don’ts of distributing it.
What is user-generated content (UGC)?
User-generated content (UGC) refers to the content about your brand that is created by a user rather than an employee of your company. It might be a social media status update, an online review, a product video or picture, a podcast, consumer feedback, etc. User-generated content is any content that features your brand but is not produced in-house.
Since user-generated content is experience-driven and honest, it is typically seen as more credible, trustworthy, and genuine than brand-pushed marketing content. For these reasons, marketers actively seek out this kind of valuable user-generated content.
Step 1: Choose campaign-relevant social networks
It’s crucial to know where your audience and advocates are on social media. Instagram is wonderful for sharing visuals, but I question whether your target audience is there. When picking a social network, think about your audience and objectives. A study suggests that 86% of customers are more inclined to pick a brand they follow on social media. Selecting a network and developing a social environment to offer information and communicate with consumers helps you stand out and build long-term partnerships. Not only should marketers consider where they have an existing social presence, but also where their customers want them to interact more.
Step 2: Set defined objectives for user-generated content
Like any other component of your content strategy, the success of your UGC plan requires clear objectives and rules. Certainly, UGC tends to be informal and spontaneous. But brands can use it to comprise a larger portion of their entire business plan. Here are some typical user-generated content objectives that correlate with wider social media objectives:
- Boosted conversions – UGC and social commerce combine well. People rush to social media for research in competitive industries. 53% of customers follow businesses on social media to learn about new items. Unboxing, reviews, and social takeovers can boost marketing conversions.
- Greater brand engagement – Setting engagement as a UGC marketing objective is wise. Influencers’ material sparks discussion. More likes, comments, and mentions indicate success. However, you need the proper social media analytics tools in order to measure your progress.
- User education – Start by monitoring social media for typical inquiries and issues about your brand. You can determine if the same questions are asked before and after your UGC campaign by listening to discussions. Influencers excel at breaking through the clutter and offering a concise response.
Step 3: Inform your audience of the content you require
50% of customers want brands to instruct them on the sort of content to generate and share. How will your audience know to contribute user-generated content if you don’t explicitly inform them? Whether you’re requesting consumer photographs or feedback, your advocates need precise direction. Be upfront with brand guidelines about UGC. There are several strategies to promote user-generated content, including campaign hashtags and social media competitions. With a single hashtag, you can direct your audience to produce content inspired by your campaign and generate targeted attention.
Step 4: Encourage customers to generate content in the form of videos
Video is a very successful method for generating user-generated content regardless of the subject matter. It can facilitate a connection with your audience in ways other media cannot. Videos made by your audience have a greater chance of becoming viral and being widely shared, both of which will increase your audience size. UGC videos provide authentic viewpoints on your products, so bolstering the legitimacy of your business. They provide trustworthy insights into your brand’s authenticity and integrity, enhancing your brand’s reputation. The use of user-generated content videos is preferable to more conventional forms of marketing since they allow you to interact more effectively with your target demographic and demonstrate your consumers’ loyalty.
Step 5: Showcase your products to customers without losing their interest
An overwhelming majority of social media users (57%) say that “too many advertisements” is the main reason they stop following brands. Frequent self-promotion is a certain way to lose followers and annoy your intended audience. The manner in which brands display their products must be subtle, or consumers will swiftly abandon them.
User content fills this need. Customer-generated content is a win-win for businesses and their audiences since it demonstrates the value of items without seeming too promotional. Today, your audience demands more than simply a product. They’re looking for hands-on time with your product. Companies should make the most of each chance they have to expand their sales efforts beyond standard product pages. Use a real-world location to showcase your items for a more striking visual impact and to enable your audience to better see themselves as part of your brand’s community.
Conclusion
User-generated content can boost your business’s visibility and brand image, giving you a competitive advantage. Using the aforementioned tips, you can harness user-generated content to establish a solid online presence and increase audience engagement. There’s no one-size-fits-all strategy for collecting user-generated material. Your UGC approach depends on your company objectives and audience. Effective approaches may guide your UGC activities. Include user-generated content in your digital marketing plan and expect favourable outcomes since authenticity governs marketing.