Have you ever thought about the fact that 85% of customers are sure that user-generated content is more useful and influential? The essence of this belief is quite simple – people still trust people. The more humanized your brand is, the more chances it has to win the customers’ loyalty.
At the moment, user-generated content is much appreciated, and soon it will become even more useful. However, not all brands have realized the need for this type of content and the benefits of user-generated content. so, just now is a good time to start using this powerful tool in order to break ahead from many other companies.
What Is User Generated Content?
So, user-generated content (UGC next) is considered to be the content that is created by the audience of the company. This content includes the following elements:
- Reviews and all kinds of public feedback.
- Comments.
- Photos.
- Videos.
Why is user-generated content important? Such content gives a more visible result than usual. But what is more surprising, is that it is a powerful marketing tool that allows you to effortlessly get everything that together gives a mix of several marketing strategies that are expensive for companies. Here are the statistics to confirm this statement.
- User-generated visuals make the stay time on the site longer by 90%.
- 56% of customers would like to see photos and videos created by the brand’s users.
- Millennials ( the most solvent and prone to online shopping category of users) believe that UGC is more trustful and memorable than any other type of content.
- What is more, users really like to share their positive (and yes, sometimes negative experiences) – more than 80% of them would like to write about their positive travel or dining-out impressions.
Using UGC benefits not only the brand but also the users. Undoubtedly, the brand receives valuable benefits which consist of the flow of new ideas, comments on the quality of goods and services, and brand loyalty. But more importantly, it does not require any financial investments.
As for consumers, the development of such content allows them to collaborate with a favorite brand, take part in the fate of the brand, show creativity, receive bonuses, and various discounts in return. That is why they love to do it and will easily agree to create a piece of personal content for you in exchange for some little perks.
Why Does User Generated Content Work?
Most modern brands focus on increasing sales, but this strategy does not always work as we would like. At the heart of campaigns that use UGC in the first place are sincerity and honesty. This approach works better for the modern perception of users -especially, Millenials as we have already stated.
However, user-generated content does not always mean that customers share only positive impressions. As you know, bad reviews and reputation-damaging rumors become widely known much faster.
Yes, a negative response to a brand can damage the brand’s reputation. But what if to consider such responses as a real guide, that the company can use to improve products and services. In this case, the brand will not need to spend a lot of time and money on learning what users think about their brand.
Nevertheless, user-generated content can and even needs to be managed. Surely, there should be an incentive for the audience to disseminate positive experiences and try to prevent the occurrence of negative experiences. But even if you have received negative user feedback, this does not mean that you need to ignore it. Negative feedback is always a chance to correct your flaws, improve a product or service, and show a truly personalized approach to conflict management.
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The Key Benefits Of User Generated Content
It’s time to figure out the most important things that UGC gives. It is very difficult to generate a single advantage since this type of content affects many processes and can replace the implementation of several strategies. Below you will find out the main advantages that you can expect.
Customers’ Confidence
User-generated content is the best way to gain customer confidence. If you show the audience that the brand is interested in the thoughts and ideas of its consumers, this will be a good sign that the company sincerely values its customers. It is necessary to show that the company is open, attentive, and respectful to its audience, and then there will be no need for additional embezzlement to earn brand loyalty.
Reaching New Consumers
When a company gains the trust of some users, others will certainly find out about it. People trust social proof, and the best advertiser is a satisfied consumer. Such an impact tool allows you to quickly gain new consumers and all these thanks to user-generated content. That is, this type of content can strengthen relationships with existing customers and gain the trust of new ones.
Brand Recognition
When a company’s consumer posts something on his/her social profiles, the audience sees it. Of course, they will not immediately remember the brand, but the emotional attachment will work. Even if the company is unfamiliar to them, all the same, when choosing a product from this segment, they will remember the company. Accordingly, the more often a user places user content on his page, the more the audience will remember the brand.
Building Personal Relationship With Your Target Audience
Undoubtedly, custom content is the best tool for effective feedback. It will be easier to hear your audience and show it that you are interested in the opinion of consumers. With the help of reposts, various contests, and tasks, the brand and the buyer get closer. It is like a natural exchange when the brand gets loyalty, and the user gets popularity.
Benefits For SEO
As we have said, UGC extends the time that users spend on the site. The reason is simple – users feel more trust and want to know more details firsthand. These behavioral factors are evaluated by Google, and your site becomes more reliable in its eyes. Plus, custom content very often means creating organic backlinks, and their presence is one more factor Google loves.
How To Start Getting User Generated Content?
The first thing you need to start with is to clarify the following points:
- Determine why such content is needed and how it will be used.
- Find a site to deploy your UGC generation campaign. It can be any of the social platforms, your website, sites-aggregators with customers reviews, and so on.
- Define the format of the action (competition, reviews, and so on).
The next step is to develop a strategy. This can be done both independently and with the help of a specialist.
Here is an approximate strategy development algorithm that can be used as a guide:
- Developing an original idea that will fit the audience. The choice of the type of content (review, contest, challenge, and so on).
- Develop rewards for the best users.
- Development of a call-to-action for participation in the program/competition.
- The choice of platform on which the content will be posted.
- Determining the best content and winners.
- Remuneration and thanks to those who participated.
- Analysis of such a campaign.
As you can see, there is nothing complicated in creating a strategy yourself. This can be compared with the usual for many users Giveaways on Instagram or Facebook. Of course, such an approach requires more intensive actions, but the essence remains the same. In the end, you will get a lot of content, especially if you extend the time frame for creating content and promise a good reward to your members.
The Final Thoughts
Creating user-generated content will remain relevant for several years. If we take into account the fact that not all companies have realized the full power of this type of content, then it’s time to use it. This will allow you to break ahead from the competitors and get many advantages that you got familiar with today.
Guest Post Author Bio
This article was written by Ana Mayer, a project manager with 3+ years of experience. While projects can do without her participation (which means almost never), she likes to read and create expert academic materials for the Online Writers Rating, Best Writers Online review website. Such work gives her the opportunity to write articles on the most relevant topics of today.
