In a world where content is king, there are very few ways of getting that perfect piece of social media content. There are even fewer still that come ‘cheap’. Without devaluing your brand, running an influencer campaign can be out of reach for most new businesses. This is why understanding User Generated Content (UGC) is more important than ever.
What is UGC? 🤔
UGC is content created for your brand for ‘free’ by your end-user or customer. For example, if you are a fashion brand, it’s that mirror selfie uploaded on a night out by one of your customers. If you are a brand that manufactures bicycles, it’s a picture of a customer heading off on a charity bike ride. There are endless variants, the more bizarre, the better, in our opinion.
Why is it useful? 👍
Depending on permission from the customer(s) UGC is FREE! It’s content your brand can use to promote your product. There are no photographer costs, no sets needed, and no budget required. It’s incredibly simple but very effective. The beauty of UGC is that it also builds your brands reputation, as the people who are endorsing your product are the users themselves. They have paid for the item, and therefore have no obligation to promote it, unless they like it!
User-generated content has become one of the most potent ways of empowering your audience to not only purchase your products but also to actively endorse your business to their followers. The content produced and the way a brand can use it varies depending on the platform used by your customers.
So here are some ideas.
Insta, the gram or whatever else you may call it. One of the most popular social media platforms when it comes to UGC. As the platform encourages its users to show snippets of their everyday lives, people actively share the products they have recently purchased. Whether that’s a new pair of socks, an expensive suit or a lawnmower, people want to share, and share they will.
Make the most of the content your users create on Instagram, ask permission to reuse the photo as your own. Some brands rely solely on Instagram UGC to fill their profiles rather than having expensive photoshoots with models and sets. Think outside the box and work your UGC into what you already have, let it work for you.
Facebook ads are short and concise, meaning you have a very short window of opportunity to capture the users’ interest. It has been found that adverts using UGC rather than generic product shots are more engaging. This means using a user-created image in your campaign can pique the interest of other users substantially.
UGC on Twitter is, in general, really underestimated. That’s because businesses continuously find the need to stand out when, in reality, too much standing out can alienate people. Sometimes it is much more strategic to fit in than to stand out.
The use of user-generated content on Twitter is just that. The content produced by your customers is much easier to digest and can therefore fit naturally within the timelines of your potential clients.
Youtube
There is a common misconception that your customers can’t produce good video content. They definitely can.
The biggest brands are usually the most frequent to use user-generated video content. This is mostly down to the fact they have the biggest audiences and are more likely to be able to find video content. However, if done correctly, you could do it too.
Whether the videos produced are snippets of your excellent work or are of your product doing its job exceedingly well. Both can be used across your social media. By utilising this type of content, if done correctly, UGC can have endless possibilities.
If you believe your business could benefit from a marketing plan that brings in UGC, get in touch with us today! We can’t wait to hear from you and to learn about what it is that your business does, and what it wants to achieve. From branding, web design or digital marketing; if you want to find out more about the type of work Create8 can create for you, get in touch today, we can’t wait to hear from you.
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