User-generated content (UGC) is fast becoming a primary source for companies to create content in their marketing. From digital ads to social media content, UGC content is proving more successful compared to influencer marketing or brand photoshoot content. The type of content can include images, videos, testimonials, and more. If you are looking to maximize the effectiveness of your UGC content, read on for the best ways you can get the most out of it.
Digital Ads
From website ads to social media ads, your brand can use UGC content in advertisements across the online space. By nature, UGC appears more natural and authentic compared to traditional types of imagery and videos online, which increases the likelihood of your target audience engaging with your ads. If you are planning to use UGC, especially for ads, you need to make sure you have express permission from the original poster to use the content. If you are hiring a UGC content creator to produce content for you, this should be included in your contract.
Social Media Content
Social media is the most popular method for using UGC. Creating content for social media pages can be overwhelming for brands, especially smaller brands, as there are many platforms to keep up with each with its own style and trends to maintain current. Instead of collaborating with influencers or setting up expensive branding photoshoots, using UGC can be a cost-effective and time-efficient way to share quality content that accurately promotes your brand.
If you are looking for a low-cost way to share UGC, invite your customers to share their posts. You can do this in many ways from including it on your website, adding a postcard to all orders, or making the request right on social media. Any post that is shared can easily be reshared to stories on Instagram or Facebook. You can also get permission from the creator to use the content in other places online (including social media).
For a consistent influx of content, it’s a good idea to find UGC content creators to work with, either through an agency, a marketplace, or by reaching out organically. The cost to hire a UGC creator is much less than hiring an influencer and you still get quality content that you can share.
How-To Content
As you think about the type of content you want to share with your audience, it’s a good idea to go beyond simple promotional material. You want to provide your potential customers with valuable information so they don’t only learn about your brand but have a more comprehensive understanding of the product or service. How-to content, which can be done through videos or a series of images, is an excellent way to help educate your customers, both current and potential.
The reason how-to content works so well as UGC content is because of its authenticity of it. It’s not an employee, who is someone with a solid understanding of the brand, sharing how to use the product. Instead, it’s an individual that is just like your target audience authentically sharing how to use the product.
Encourage Testimonials
Testimonials and reviews are incredibly powerful for all brands and industries and are heavily trusted by consumers. Most of the time, consumers are looking for this type of information before they purchase a product or service. They want to know that what they are buying is as good as it claims to be. Your website can promote all day long, but at the end of the day, it’s what real people are saying about the product that makes a difference.
So, as a brand, it’s a good idea to encourage testimonials from customers. On social media, testimonials are often referred to as social proof and are a great content piece to share in your feed. You can encourage testimonials in several ways, but providing an incentive such as a discount on a subsequent purchase or extra reward points helps increase the likelihood of receiving this valuable type of content.
While putting a face to a testimonial further adds authenticity, you can also pull reviews right from your website to use as UGC content. It may not be what is considered traditional, but it is a type of content that is given by the customer that can hold weight with future customers.
Conclusion
User-generated content is a valuable asset of any marketing campaign. With these ideas, you will be able to execute this content in an engaging way to build a strong customer base that is obsessed with your brand.
