Are you fond of watching ‘product hauls’ and unboxing videos of YouTubers? How about product reviews and testimonials on TikTok? These are called user-generated content or UGC – all of which can be a powerful marketing tool for businesses like yours.
You can leverage UGC to keep people talking about your brand and eventually drive more leads and revenue for your business.
In this post, we’ll discuss the benefits of UGC to businesses and how you can use it to your advantage. Keep reading to see how this digital marketing strategy might be the ‘secret ingredient’ your brand needs!
What is user-generated content (UGC)?
User-generated content includes videos, images, reviews, testimonials, and other materials produced by actual product or service users.
Unlike content made by marketing teams, UGC provides a more authentic take on a specific product or service. After all, it’s delivered through the consumers’ point of view and actual experience, which are extremely powerful in persuading potential customers to follow suit.
So, where does the power of UGC as a marketing tool come from? It all boils down to social proof.
Social proof is one of the building blocks of customer trust and loyalty. When you get to show them content from their fellow consumers, they are more likely to relate and adjust their perception of your business.
And guess what? About 92% of consumers turn to user-generated content for referrals over any other online resource.
Overall, UGC can be organic, meaning it’s created voluntarily by online users. On the other hand, it can also be a partnership between customers (a.k.a. influencers) and brands to reach and convert a wider range of target audiences. Either way, it will be helpful in promoting your brand and driving quality leads to your sales team.
Benefits of user-generated content for businesses
So, how does UGC help your business? Here’s why it’s such an effective digital marketing strategy nowadays:
- Increased authenticity. As they get saturated with marketing campaigns, your potential customers get more and more meticulous in filtering out the content they consume. However, with a generated content strategy, your target leads are more likely to trust recommendations made by consumers like them.
- Better brand awareness. Many brand discoveries happen through user-generated content on social media. From beauty products to fashion, event planning, and whatnot, UGC can drive more brand recall than any other marketing campaign you may have.
- Cost-effective strategy. Nothing compares to free testimonials and recommendations from actual customers. They allow you to gain authentic social proof without impacting your marketing budget.
- Higher customer engagement. User-generated content can promote a community around a specific product or service. This indirectly boosts loyalty toward your brand, not to mention the constant online presence it gives your business.
- Added SEO advantage. UGC can also provide SEO specialists with an additional list of fresh keywords and content that they can use to rank business websites higher on search results.
- Instant social media presence. User-generated content can be your springboard for scaling your social media accounts. You can launch a hashtag campaign, highlight customer stories, or encourage your followers to share the content.
What are the most popular user-generated content platforms?
There are dozens of UGC platforms, but not all of them would be a suitable choice for your business. But if you’re looking for a foolproof option, here are some platforms where your brand should be present nowadays:
1. TikTok
Need we say more about the power of TikTok? Beyond the dance challenges and quirky trends, TikTok is now the biggest user-generated content platform across brands and industries. It’s a goldmine of UGC, ranging from short testimonials, reviews, challenges, and more that showcase a product or service.
And if you’re still unconvinced, just let the 77.8 billion views of the hashtag #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt prove how profitable this platform can be for any business.
2. Instagram
A worthy runner-up to TikTok is the social media platform Instagram. Much like the video-sharing app, Instagram also allows users to share videos they created featuring various brands. However, aside from videos, Instagram also lets users post photos, which can catch your target leads’ attention.
Aside from that, Instagram is also a great place to partner with ‘micro influencers’. These are accounts with 10k to 50k followers who are likely to be interested in your brand.
3. YouTube
YouTubers are considered ‘kingmakers’ in the marketing world. With just one viral video, they can make an unknown brand a huge success. However, unlike TikTok or Instagram, user-generated content on YouTube is often longer and more comprehensive, giving meticulous consumers a more in-depth take on the product or service they are interested in.
The best part is that you can easily share and embed this user-generated video content on your website and other online platforms (with consent, of course).
4. Pinterest
Pinterest has a huge wealth of inspiration, ideas, and recommendations from millions of users. This is specifically a huge platform for businesses in industries such as fashion, interior décor, home design, beauty and cosmetics, travel, and events.
But as with any UGC platform, it’s important to seek permission first before sharing any Pinterest content. To make your UGC campaigns more effective, you should use high-quality photos that will stand out to users.
5. Reddit
The anonymity Reddit offers makes it a great platform for those seeking answers for anything under—and beyond—the sun. The same goes for people who are looking for authentic recommendations for all sorts of things, from perfume brands to Your-Money-Your-Life (YMYL) niches.
Aside from that, many search results have a Reddit page as the top result. This makes it an effective tool to boost your online presence in addition to your usual SEO campaigns.
Types of user-generated content that works best for businesses
Below are some of the best user-generated content examples that could be effective for your brand:
- Reviews and testimonials. Nothing screams ‘credibility’ than authentic user reviews and testimonials. This type of content has the power to sway consumers’ purchasing decisions online.
- Hashtag campaigns. If you’re hosting a brand event, a hashtag campaign would be a great strategy for harnessing relevant user-generated content.
- Social media content. Any videos, images, and content relevant to your brand that users share on social media can help your marketing efforts.
- Unboxing videos. If you’re selling physical products, unboxing videos are a big hit with consumers. They give them a close-up and actual view of the product before they buy it for themselves. Sometimes, creators of unboxing videos also double them as review content, making them more effective in attracting potential leads.
- Tutorials and how-to guides. A very good example here is makeup tutorials on YouTube, where video creators recommend certain makeup brands or products that their viewers can use. This can also be applied to other industries, such as technology, health and fitness, pet care, etc.
- Blogs and articles. Many consumers write about their experiences with certain products or services. These written articles provide good insight into your brand, which might be what you need to convince potential leads to reach out.
Best practices for user-generated content marketing
If you’re planning to leverage UGC as part of your marketing efforts, here are some of the tried and tested practices you can implement:
1. Launch social media advertising
Many brands run social media advertising campaigns using the user-generated videos of their customers. It gives their advertisements an authentic and relatable appeal, which customers are more likely to engage with.
Overall, social media advertising is a great way to reach your target audience on some of the biggest online platforms. For example, you can run ad campaigns on TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram to gather as many leads as possible.
2. Make it as organic as possible
According to a survey, 39% of consumers don’t trust influencer marketing. Although influencer marketing remains a very effective strategy, you should still try to use organic user-generated content to make your brand messaging as authentic as possible.
Always remember that UGC doesn’t have to be a perfect material to work for your brand. In fact, consumers can perceive branded content over candid ones created by their peers.
3. Choose what content you share
Not all user-generated content is meant to be shared on your business platforms. You should only choose those that align with your brand and relate to the pains and aches of your target market.
For example, if you’re selling home cleaning products, the best UGC examples would be cleaning tutorials and cleaning hacks, as these provide additional value to your customers. Also, it helps your target market realize the value and uniqueness of your offers from your competition
4. Go big with hashtags
When sharing UGC on your social media accounts, always include relevant hashtags. These tags will make your posts show up whenever users look up certain keywords.
If you can’t come up with hashtags on top of your head, you can use hashtag generator tools like Hashtagify or Keyhole. You can also browse related hashtags on social media that you can add to your own posts.
5. Promote authentic engagement
It’s also important to build a community around your user-generated content. You can do this by sharing real-life feedback from customers, commenting on their posts, and encouraging them to share user-generated content on social media.
Always remember to be real and authentic in your interactions. Avoid spamming your followers and customers with canned responses or repetitive messages, as this will reflect poorly on your brand.
Launch the best user generated content campaigns with Top Position!
User-generated content is a powerful combination of authentic and engaging material that your customers find appealing. You can also use this content to promote your brand and drive more leads to your business.
The best thing is you don’t have to do everything on your own. Here at Top Position, we can launch your user-generated content campaign to make your brand stand out from the competition.
We have a team of specialists who will scale up your social media presence, engage with your audience, and find the best content that showcases your brand. We’ll do everything for you so you can focus on serving new customers while we build your business online.
If you’re interested, you can book a free consultation with us today! Our specialist will walk you through how our services can help boost your revenue!
