Nowadays when marketing is becoming mainstream for any brand, how can the audience trust the paid products promoted by renowned brands collaboratively with influencers, celebrities and more? Wait, there seems to be a way that’s winning – User Generated Content- the most authentic way for a brand to win its audience’s trust and connect with its audience.
What is User Generated Content?
User Generated Content also known as consumer or audience-generated content is the raw form of reviews, feedback or what a user feels about the brand and why or why not they would recommend it to their connections. This content is unpaid and created by the users themselves. It can be in all forms available on the online marketing end – image, video, audio, article, blogs and podcast.
Why is User- Generated Content important and why should brands collect more and more UGC for their products?
1) Most Authentic Content – In the age where we all are skeptical about the marketing and advertising reviews we hear or see in any format about the brands, User-generated-content by a user of a particular brand plays a natural role in influencing its connections in using the brand and its products. When brands embrace such content, it depicts that they are open and willing to build deeper connections with their consumers. Overall, this helps the consumer to trust the brand even more and plants a long-term relationship between the brand and the consumer.
2) Cost-Effective Content: As Hootsuite summed up “ USG content allows the audience to participate in brand growth instead of just being a spectator.” Cost-effective because the brand has not made any paid collaborations with the user to source this content, it is the most effective and authentic review about the brand.
3) Organic source of SEO: Content created by users often includes relevant keywords and phrases which help to push the search visibility of the brand.
Why should startups rely on user-generated content? Being the most cost-effective and authentic reviews about the brands from its users, user-generated content can be a game changer for new brands entering the market and can help to win their audience. This will enhance community building, growth in brand engagement and reduced advertising costs through interactive content and might boost their SEO results as well. Additionally, it provides valuable customer insights, helping inform product development and marketing strategies while turning satisfied customers into brand advocates.
How to source User Generated Content? 1) Plan Hashtags campaigns which promote user-generated content like, the “Share a Coke” campaign by Coca-Cola, Apple sharing the content shared by their users in “Shot on iPhone” and more.
2) Promote photo, video or more format contests for your brand to acquire the most authentic and rich quality user-generated content. Here is a case study by Schbang one of my favourite marketing agencies on the ice cream brand –London-Dairy.
3) Look around, google business page or more wherever your brand users can leave reviews for your brand, video testimonials are also a rich and authentic source of UGC which can be used on your social media and website.
4) Interactive Content, like Q&A, surveys and polls to gather user opinions and experiences with the brand, sharing these results as content on your platforms.
Conclusion: From a start-up to a multi-million dollar company, user-generated content has the most powerful impact on their audience’s mind as a brand due to its ability to build community, and authentic connections and drive significant brand loyalty.