What is User-Generated Content? And Why's it Important in Content Marketing?
Have you ever wanted to show off some new clothes you just bought? How about a new product or service that you just got? Chances are you will most likely take a picture and post it on social media for your followers to see. Or maybe you decided to record a video and post an unboxing video to your YouTube channel. These are examples of what is called user-generated content.
What is User-Generated Content?
User-generated content, also known as UGC in short, is a type of content marketing strategy where content is created by someone who is not an official representative of a business. They are created by customers to showcase a brand they are using. UGC can come in several different forms of media, such as social media updates, reviews, videos, podcasts, or pictures. If the content involves a brand, and no employees or affiliates are involved, it is considered user-generated content.
Where Does User-Generated Content Come From?
- Customers
Customers are the ones who post about a product or service on their point of view. Best way to find user-generated content are videos or posts published by users on social media platforms like Instagram or Facebook. Usually they organically decide to share content about a brand or they might submit content like a review or testimonial for an email campaign.
- Brand Loyalists
Better known as loyalists, advocates, or fans. This is typically the group that is more passionate about worshiping a brand and they create content about a brand’s product or service because they genuinely enjoy it.
- Employees
Although content created by employees is not technically considered user-generated content, team members can still contribute in creating organic content for a brand. Examples could be behind-the-scenes pictures or videos, which are both great to show that the employees are just like customers who love and use the product or service. Creating behind-the-scenes content can be useful in increasing brand recognition for people to better recognize an emerging brand.
- User-Generated Content Creators
These are people that create sponsored content that acts original, but meant to showcase a specific business or product instead. As UGC creators are not creating traditional organic UGC, rather they are being paid by brands to create content that will follow traditional UGC.
What Makes User-Generated Content a Successful Technique?
Marketers and advertisers are often viewed as untrustworthy. When taking notes of products and services in their best light, and during the process, people may not include details or improve pictures to change the customer’s buying decisions.
Source(s): Instapage, Digital Synopsis
The example above is McDonald’s Angus Deluxe Third Pounder hamburger product. The one on the left is the burger depicted on advertisements, while the one on the right shows an actual burger that someone is expected to get. An improvement could be making fast food look like something someone is most likely going to eat. In fact, according to the State of UGC 2023 Report, 93% of marketers do agree that consumers trust UGC more than content created by brands. UGC allows people to further evaluate their buying decisions by seeing the reality of a product or service being used in action, as opposed to brand-created content that fakes a product for it to look visually appealing in ads.
User-Generated Content Examples
- T-Mobile break-up letters
Source: T-Mobile
T-Mobile invited cellphone users to submit “break-up letters.” This allows them to input their reason for leaving their current phone provider, as usually one of the main reasons could be due to rising phone bill fees lately. In exchange, T-Mobile would pay off the customer’s costs related to switching from their current carrier. Through a branded app, users submitted their letters and even shared them to social media. At the moment, over 113,000 letters have been written and the campaign saw over a whopping 67 million social impressions!
- Warby Parker’s #warbyhometryon
Source(s): Instagram, Warby Parker
Warby Parker, an eyewear brand, allowed customers to try on five pairs of glasses from the comfort of their home. Customers can then keep the pair(s) they like, pay for them online, and return the rest with ease. Before they purchase, the eyewear brand encouraged trial wearers to post photos of themselves wearing the glasses to social media by using the hashtag #warbyhometryon. This was good to feature people looking for and giving advice on which Warby Parker eyewear to choose from. To date, there are over 20,000 posts on the brand’s Instagram page.
- Walmart’s #BackToSchool
Source(s): Instagram, Walmart
Walmart held their social media campaign on back-to-school. They posted a video of an employee shopping for school supplies. You can see aside from the hashtag typed in the caption, they gave credit where it is due by tagging the username’s account. This is an easy and effective way for a brand’s social media account to upload or repost UGC that makes it feel more original and relatable.
User-Generated Content Strategy
- Always ask for permission
It is a must when you want to share content that is not yours. Always ask before reposting or using a customer’s content. People can use your branded hashtags without having to know you used them first for a UGC campaign. Re-sharing that content without any permission is a bad way to annoy some of your best brand advocates. By asking permission, you show the original poster that you do like their content and get them excited about sharing their post with your audience.
- Credit the original creator
When you share UGC on your social media profiles, do give credit to the original creator. Tagging them directly in the post is the most ideal way to get them to know that you shared their content on your profile. Check how the creator wants to be credited on the various social media platforms. Providing proper credit is very important to acknowledge the work of content creators and helps in making sure they still have interest in using and posting about your brand. This will help fans and followers identify that the content was indeed truly made by someone outside of your business.
- Be clear about what kind content you are looking for
UGC creators want you to share their content, which is an indication that they want you to tell them what kind of content you are more likely going to share. A survey done by Business Wire found that only 16% of brands mention specific directions on how users should create and share UGC. Do not feel hesitant in being specific and make it easy for people to share content that aligns with your needs.
- Plan and set goals
You will need a social media strategy if you want to know what type of UGC content to ask for. Creating a simple statement that tells users specifically what kind of content you want to feature is a good way to begin. You can share it anywhere people are likely going to interact with your brand like your profile bios, other UGC posts, or your website. You should also keep in mind that your UGC strategy also goes in-depth about how you want to succeed more with your campaign. Luckily, tools such as Skillshare and HubSpot can help get you started with a strategy you want to formulate.
Final Thoughts
UGC is a content marketing method where someone creates content about a brand, but they may not be sponsored. There are various ways to create content and post on numerous social media channels. Videos, pictures, and posts are some examples. Overall, UGC is a brilliant way for users to create content about a brand and increase brand awareness.
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