A customer’s honest photo or review can do more for your brand than the slickest ad campaign. Recent research from Salsify found that 40% of consumers rate user-generated content as extremely or very important to their purchase decisions. Here’s what that means for your brand, and how to start putting UGC to work.
What is User Generated Content?
User-generated content (UGC) is original, brand-specific content created by individuals rather than by brands themselves. It can take plenty of forms, from images and videos to product reviews.
What are the benefits of UGC?
Allow you to reach a wider audience
UGC opens the door to a wider, more diverse audience than branded content can reach on its own, including people who follow a particular creator but have never come across your brand before. It also blends naturally into the social media feed, without feeling like an ad.
Provides social proof
Talking up your own brand only goes so far without social proof behind it. When customers see a relatable person actually using and enjoying your product, they feel more confident in your brand and more likely to buy.
Perceived as authentic and trustworthy
People tend to trust UGC more than brand-produced content, since it shows real customers enjoying your product in a genuinely relatable context. Simply seeing that kind of content tends to make a brand feel more authentic and trustworthy by association.
Cost-effective
Influencer partnerships can get expensive fast. UGC is a far more cost-effective way to put your brand in front of new audiences, which makes it especially appealing for smaller brands or anyone working with a tighter budget.
Brands that are taking advantage of UGC
Apple
Apple’s 2014 #ShotoniPhone campaign set out to prove just how capable the iPhone’s camera really is, encouraging people to share their best shots on Twitter or Instagram under the hashtag. It worked far beyond expectations: the hashtag has racked up over 30 million posts to date.
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola’s Share a Coke campaign launched in Australia in 2011, printing hundreds of popular first names across its cans and bottles and inviting customers to post photos of their namesake bottle under #ShareaCoke. The campaign’s success saw it spread to countries around the world, ultimately producing 1.5 billion personalised bottles and generating over 100 million social media interactions.
Starbucks
Starbucks’ #WhiteCupContest is still one of the most-cited examples of brands doing UGC well. Customers were challenged to decorate their cups and share the results on social media, with a $300 gift card and a chance to see their design printed on a reusable cup up for grabs.
How to get started with UGC
Before reposting anyone’s content, always get their permission first, and credit the original creator once you do. On Instagram, that’s as simple as tagging them in your caption or directly on the image.
A branded hashtag makes it much easier to collect UGC, since it gives customers a clear place to post under and gives you a simple way to find content to share. It’s worth being selective about what you repost though; not everything that comes in will fit your brand, so choose content that genuinely aligns with it. Giveaways and contests are another reliable way to generate buzz and get more people posting about your brand.
Ready to experience the benefits of user-generated content for yourself? Get in contact with us at hello@omdigigroup.com to find out how we can help.
