User-Generated Content Guide - Your Customers Are Your Influencers!

User-Generated Content (UGC) is content created by customers and followers of the brand. This type of content is free and shouldn't be confused with paid influencer content. Your customers are your influencers!

Research shows that 86% of millennials consider UGC when choosing brand quality, and 68% of social media users ages 18-24 look at UGC before buying a brand.

Statistics Don't Lie UGC is incredibly useful, if not essential if you want to not only reach a wider audience but also interact with your community and increase the likelihood that engagement will be converted into actual sales.

We're giving you a UGC 101 so you know exactly why it's so useful, the different types and how to go about encouraging these.

Why Is User-Generated Content So Useful?

People trust and appreciate user-generated content, but why? UGC proves to potential customers that your products are not only popular but that they look like and work as they do on your site, and people appreciate what your brand produces. Rather than potential customers just having to take your word for it, UGC actively shows them that your products/services are not only credible but liked.

UGC is also incredibly beneficial for you as a business because it allows your content to be reached by a wider audience. This typically happens in two ways. Firstly, when more you repost a photo from a customer wearing your product, they will most likely then repost that/comment on it/engage with it, and they will increase engagement on the post and make it available to a wider audience. Secondly, when customers share a review, post an Instagram story of your product arriving with them, or tag you in their photo, your brand is suddenly displayed to their audience, growing your reach.

Another useful element of UGC is that it shows you who your audience is. For example, rather than just looking at your Instagram Insights to see who follows you, UGC lets you see the type of people that are your real customers. Then, in future digital marketing campaigns, you know your real demographic.

How Can You Create User-Generated Content?

In addition to voluntarily posting photos, taking stories, and writing reviews, there are two main methods that you can use to encourage user-generated content creation.

Using Gamification 

Gamification is about creating a game-like element in the user experience to properly engage users. Put simply, it rewards the customer for creating UGC. You will see many companies do this by offering a 10% discount code when you share a photo by tagging it or offering loyalty points and special bonuses when you buy a product/service. 

Gamification shows good results, after all, customers always want something more when it is offered to them. So use this concept to generate UGC! 

Carrying out a hashtag or tagged competition 

Having a hashtag or tagged competition (either when the consumer adds a photo with a specific hashtag or marks you in their photo), you can also create UGC. 

For example, create a contest like "Our favourite style with our (insert product) wins a $100 coupon, tag us on your photos to make sure we see them!" 

This will bring you an influx of UGC, and as long as you get the permission of the people whose pictures you want to repost, you can use those photos for your social media and website content! 

User-Generated Content You Can Use: 

Now you know how to promote user-generated content, it’s time to take a look at the different types of UGC you can use to boost your reach, make your social page look a little more diverse, and prove to potential customers that your brand is trustworthy.

Repost Reviews 

Reviews are the most obvious and oldest type of UGC, but that doesn't mean they should be overlooked. When selling a service, workshop, or program, reviews are especially important as they allow potential customers to learn about other people's individual experiences and make them feel more confident about joining/signing up.

Tip: Publish ratings in your Instagram Stories and create a specific story highlight for your ratings. This makes it super easy for people to find! 

Republish Images 

This type of UGC is incredibly important if you are a company that makes and sells physical products. Of course, you still have your photoshoot photos and product images, but nothing is more reliable and authentic than having your real customers on/with your products on their social media and website. 

In this case, your customers will become your influencer, you don't have to hundreds (or thousands!). 

Seeing how you use real people and customers in your advertising will make a huge difference to prospects. Authenticity and diversity are incredibly important in today's digital world and people are actively looking for brands that showcase real people and their experiences. 

Create Video Content With Real Customers 

Whether your customers are taking a short video of themselves and your product (using the concept of gamification), joining a video of multiple customers, or encouraging your customers to take an Instagram video when your package arrives, video content is very attractive and one of the biggest digital marketing trends of 2021. 

Video content enables potential customers to truly connect with the brand (even if it's UGC), it makes the brand appear more trustworthy and it keeps attention longer than a photo. Research shows that 87% of video marketers say videos increased website traffic, so focus on that and prepare to reap the rewards! 

It's time to promote user-generated content creation and grow your brand reach, grow your audience, empower your community, and increase the likelihood of converting followers into real customers! However, if you are still unsure how to navigate UGC, or if you are not a digital marketing expert, reach out to our team of experts and we’ll be glad to help.