The explosion of social media has fueled tremendous growth and innovation in Social Media Marketing (SMM). Among the various SMM strategies that exist today, one tactic often overlooked and underrated, is leveraging User-Generated Content (UGC). If you’ve ever left a review for a product you purchased on Instagram, or you unboxed a new pair of shoes on a live stream, you have already created what is called UGC. And this type of content adds great value to your digital marketing efforts.
What is User-Generated Content?
User-generated content (UGC) refers to original content that is created by individuals about a product or a service. It can take many forms, such as social media posts, reviews, blogs, videos, podcasts, unboxing videos, Q&A forum responses, photos, or testimonials showcasing products or services. These are not created by the brand itself, but by customers or brand loyalists, who advocate the brand.
What Makes UGC Special?
The most striking feature of UGC is its complete authenticity. It represents the genuine opinions of real customers. Amidst all the elaborate product descriptions and promises in digital marketing today, authentic feedback from customers is what the audience craves. This is what makes User-Generated Content uniquely special.
How User-Generated Content Powers Your SMM Strategy
Several brands achieve remarkable success leveraging UGC as part of their SMM strategy. Research has shown that User-Generated Content drives customers’ brand awareness & purchase intentions. Therefore, embracing UGC can boost brand loyalty, and also contribute better conversion rates.
Furthermore, according to an article in Forbes, here are more reasons why it is important to tap the potential of User-Generated Content in the current digital age:
1. User-Generated Content Reflects Social Proof.
To every individual who is thinking of purchasing a product or service, a stamp of approval from an existing customer can be very reassuring. This social proof, or validation is what prospective buyers are looking for. And UGC helps provide this.
This is because of the simple fact that people do not trust marketers as much as they trust other people like themselves. So they regard UGC as a trustworthy source, similar to recommendations by friends, family, or a professional network.
Therefore, UGC helps build confidence in the brand, and acts as a very effective way to influence your audience and convert them to buyers.
2. User-Generated Content is About Authenticity.
It is unfiltered, genuine, and reliable. When you adopt UGC as your SMM strategy, you are opening the door to two-way communication with customers. This helps establish a deeper relationship with them, promoting brand loyalty.
There are several ways to motivate customers to generate their own content about your brand. This includes rewards and discounts, using hashtags, leveraging influencer marketing, encouraging short-form videos, or organizing social media contests.
3. User-Generated Content is More Personal.
It uses a humanized and more personalized means to communicate with your audience.
Humans possess an inherent need to belong. UGC nurtures this sense of belonging by creating a community around shared interests that embraces individual voices. This community can generate excitement directly from the consumer’s perspective and spread the word about your brand.
As a result, when consumers hear and see others thrilled about your product or service, they want to join in the rising wave of demand. This desire to participate leads to the creation of diverse and innovative content that boosts web traffic, user engagement, brand exposure, and conversions.
What’s the Best Way to Acquire UGC & How Can You Use it?
You can search for hashtags and find user-generated content where your brand is tagged.
Contests, giveaways and discounts are all great ways to encourage your customers to generate content for promoting your brand.
You can also post questions in your social media posts, prompting your followers to answer them. This can improve user engagement.
While these are all various ways to obtain UGC, always remember that you can use this type of content only with the customers’ consent. Once you have the customers’ consent, you can use UGC to promote your brand and build trust. This in turn translates to better sales.
The online market is highly competitive. But UGC enables you to take a personalized approach towards influencing potential customers and their purchase decisions. So, make the most of this powerful tool to drive conversions and boost sales.