An easy, yet effective, strategy to incorporate into your marketing is user-generated content or UGC. Promoting user-generated content can be very effective in boosting your brand, increasing engagement and driving sales. From social media and your website to external marketing materials, user-generated content is an inexpensive way to build a loyal audience. Whether it’s collecting customer reviews or engaging on social media, growing your brand is made easier with content created by genuine and loyal consumers.
What is user-generated content?
Simply put, user-generated content is content that your customers or clients make. This could be photos, videos, captions, text, reviews or testimonials. In an online world, it is easy for a customer to snap a picture of themselves using your product, or review the service your business provides and upload it online. Whether this is on social media, an online reviewing platform or on your own website, all of this is valuable for your brand.
How can user-generated content boost your brand?
Even a simple strategy like implementing user-generated content as part of your social media marketing can add so many benefits that many businesses haven’t thought about before. Bear in mind that you should ask for permission from the creator to cover your business from copyright issues before using any user-generated content. Some of the key benefits of UGC include:
Saves time
With user-generated content, a business has ready-made content created for them by their customers, meaning it frees up time elsewhere. Collating photos and reviews takes much less time than creating that content in-house. Incorporating user-generated content into a content library allows a business to have a bank of ideas ready to go at any time, especially with no impending launches, announcements or news to share. Create a unique hashtag for customers to use so the content can be viewed and saved in one place.
Social proof and credibility
By using content created by customers, it encourages conversations between them as they share their experiences online. From this, their own followers may also search for you and potentially become paying customers themselves. Sharing such content makes consumers feel like a valuable part of your business and improves your credibility among future clients with real-life testimonials. In fact, 85% of consumers say they find user-generated content more influential to them than content created by the business itself. Online social proof can be the difference between browsing and a sale.
Customer loyalty
Sharing customer reviews and testimonials keeps your customers returning time and time again. Whilst a business website can be full of information and content, hearing it from someone else who has purchased a product or used a service solidifies it. Your customers will start to sell for you simply by sharing their authentic images and reviews, which you can then use within your marketing strategy. Engaging with a customer community will always encourage repeat sales as they will feel a sense of belonging.
Get to know your audience
When customers share your products and services online, you’ll start to learn exactly what they’re purchasing as well as how they use it. This information is invaluable for a business when reviewing a product range or how they engage with their customers. For example, a product description on a website could state one use, but customers may share photographs of multiple uses. You can then update your online content to reflect this and even have an archive of how to use the product. Furthermore, social media analytical tools are available to give your business an in-depth look at your audience’s demographics.
User-generated content is invaluable to any business, regardless of their industry or the products and services provided. Customers purchase based on other recommendations, and what better way to showcase that than using user-generated content in your marketing strategy.
