What is User-Generated Content?: Definition, Examples and Benefits
What will give you more confidence: a brand advertisement or a recommendation from a real person who already uses the product/service? Which of these will play a decisive role for you before buying? Definitely advice from a real person. That is why today we will talk about user-generated content, its types and applications in practice.
UGC content: what is it?
UGC stands for "user-generated content", that is, user-generated content. These are various publications created by brand customers on social networks, blogs, websites or other resources.
Such content is useful for both parties: both the company and the audience. The brand gets a lot of new interesting ideas for unique content, so the time to come up with it is significantly reduced. In addition, most often it does not require any large financial investments.
And users get the opportunity to collaborate with their favorite brand, sometimes take part in its transformation (which allows them to feel significant, have influence), win a discount or a product.
And if traditional advertising campaigns are aimed solely at increasing sales and profits, user-generated content focuses on honesty, authenticity, and sincerity. That is how it is perceived by the audience.
Today, companies are increasingly embedding user-generated content on their social media and websites to promote their products. And that's why. For about 85% of UGC users, content has the same effect as a recommendation from a friend. But the content from the brand affects only 21% of all respondents.
Types of User Content
Users can create content in various formats. And here are some options:
- Comments under publications
- Reviews
- Reviews
- Product photo or video
- Content for contests
Perhaps the simplest and most common content from users. Comments from the audience indicate that the brand has “caught” a hot topic and involved it in the discussion. Sometimes even more useful and important information appears in the comments under posts and articles than in the original material, and you can also get an idea for further content there.
In reviews, users talk about their impressions of the purchased product or service. So the brand can get feedback from its audience, and potential customers can get motivation and real proof of quality. Reviews can be left on the official website of the company, on social networks under the author's hashtags or on special review sites.
May be in the form of a photo or video. A person appears as an expert, talking about the properties of the product, its characteristics, advantages, disadvantages and ways of using it. This allows potential customers to see the product and make a purchasing decision.
Another simple way is when the client is simply photographed with the product or in front of it. It’s just that the audience emphasizes that they choose this particular product and this brand.
Brands periodically organize contests where users can come up with a slogan, logo, product name and get a prize for the best idea. Everyone benefits: both the company, which is freed from the torment of long reflections, and the participants who win gifts and take part in the life of their favorite brand.
User Content Benefits
What is the benefit for brands from using user-generated content?
- Increasing the audience's confidence in the company
And this is a huge plus for securing a position in the market and further promotion. If you show sincere interest in the thoughts, comments, ideas of your customers, they will appreciate it, imbued with sympathy and become even more active, responsive.
- Attract new users
If some users trust you and are active on your pages, this will most likely attract the attention of others. According to Crowdtap and Ipsos MediaCT, approximately 50% of all respondents in the experiment trust user-generated content over regular branded ads and posts. And 35% indicated that UGC is remembered better than the rest.
- Increased virality
User-generated content is shared more. Judge for yourself: a person has made a photo/video/post and quite naturally he will want to share it with friends and acquaintances. Especially if it was published in the brand account.
- Positive effect in SEO
User-generated content increases traffic and helps create unique links, which is good for rankings.
- Motivation to make a purchase
One of the most important and at the same time difficult tasks for companies is to encourage users to buy. According to a survey from Stackla , about 60% of people are influenced by user-generated content, consider it as truthful as possible, and based on it make a decision to purchase a product.
To use content from users as efficiently as possible, you need to decide why you need it, what goals you are pursuing. We offer several options:
- Search for ideas to improve the brand, its development. For example, users can suggest solutions for a new website design, slogan or logo, product packaging, etc.
- Search for new unique content. If you run out of ideas about what to write or shoot about, a subscriber can offer interesting options. Moreover, they are the main target audience, so who better than them to decide what should be on your social networks or website?
- Increasing sales by attracting traffic from new customers. Search for users interested in a product or service.
- Increasing loyalty to the company or product in particular. For example, thanks to reviews and reviews.
- Strengthening the brand image, increasing its recognition, creating a positive image of the company.
If you decide in advance which of these motives drives you, you will be able to properly build a strategy for obtaining user-generated content. And most importantly - to motivate the audience to create it.
User Content Use Cases: Brand Examples
Björn Borg
The Swedish sportswear brand is a real motivator for its customers. He regularly holds challenges and contests for members of the Team Borg loyalty program, drawing bonuses and gifts once a week or once a month. Followers share their workout photos and videos on social media under the brand and challenge hashtag, tag the account, and Björn Borg add the best to their profile and website.
Thus, the company increases the loyalty of its customers and promotes its products. Subscribers feel like they belong to a large community, are inspired by the examples of others and strive to get on the page of their favorite brand, talking about their successes. So the brand unobtrusively advertises its products through real photos of real people.
Karl Lagerfeld
The world famous luxury brand Karl Lagerfeld has created a World of Karl section on its website. Under the branded hashtag #karllagerfeld, everyone can publish their bow in designer clothes or layout and end up on the site.
The section is connected to the online store, the system itself finds the brand's clothes in the photo and adds a link to the corresponding product from the site. So the client, looking at user posts, can immediately order the item they like.
Tarte
The Tarte cosmetics brand gives points to members of the Tarte Rewards loyalty program for posting reviews about the brand's products. The site has a Tarte Talk section, where photos of products with comments are posted. Each new review is added at the time of publication.
And on the product pages, even photos of the users themselves are added. The system finds and saves them using the #rethinknatural hashtag and company tag, linking them to the corresponding product card. This gives customers the opportunity to see how cosmetics look in real life.
Aerie
The brand produces lingerie and swimwear and actively promotes body positivity, the natural beauty of the female body. In the company's advertising, you can see models with different physiques, in particular, even clients. And most importantly - there is no retouching and embellishment.
Now the brand has organized a charity event #AerieReal. For every photo in lingerie from the company that a client posts on Instagram without retouching or photoshop, the brand donates $1 to the National Eating Disorders Association. The retailer posts some photos to his account, thus helping girls to love themselves and their beauty.
Olympus
Olympus, one of the world's leading manufacturers of photographic equipment, gives points to those who participate in the Olympus Rewards loyalty program. Bonuses are awarded not only for the purchase, but also for reviews and publication of pictures from the brand's cameras.
Users independently upload photos to the site in the gallery, where you can find the necessary category according to the subject of the picture or the technical characteristics of the lens. Potential buyers will be able to analyze the quality of shooting and decide on a purchase.
The company also arranges an annual photo contest. Users are invited to publish their work on a specific topic: for example, abandoned places, sea beaches, masquerade, etc. the main condition is that the photos must be taken on Olympus. The winner in each category is selected by a professional photographer. As a prize, the user receives a cashback for the next purchase of equipment from the brand.
Where to find user generated content?
- Company hashtag
- Competition
- a selfie, post or story on a specific topic related to the brand;
- a combination of online and offline, when the user needs to come to your establishment, take a picture against the background and publish this picture on social networks, marking your account;
- a photo with a product to demonstrate a novelty or in support of some action, idea.
- Social campaigns
- Cooperation with bloggers
You will find the most UGC content on social media. We recommend the following ways to generate and search for it:
Come up with your author's hashtag, under which users can publish their posts. Remind yourself of this regularly and repost the most interesting photos to your account.
Motivate customers to create content. Play some interesting and valuable prize for them in exchange for a review / review / idea for a slogan, logo, design, etc. You can use one of these popular technologies:
People are more likely to create content for a brand when they share its values. Choose a hot social topic or issue and launch a promotion that will be related to your product or service. So you are guaranteed to get a response from the audience.
It can be cooperation for money or on a barter basis. An influencer posts a photo or video of a product and a testimonial to capture the attention of their audience. This is the so-called native advertising, which helps in brand promotion.
If you haven't implemented user-generated content to promote your brand yet, now is the time to do so. This is perhaps one of the most reliable and effective ways to gain the trust of the audience and motivate them to buy. And most importantly, now you will be closer to your users, which will help you to always be aware of their current problems, preferences, needs and use this for your development and promotion.