There are endless possibilities when it comes to digital marketing tactics. From email marketing to social media marketing and everything in between and beyond. For marketers, 2020 is not just a new decade. They welcome the freshest digital marketing tactic that keenly strategic brands are heavily using: User-generated content or UGC for short.
In this article, let us take a closer look at UGC to give you a clearer picture of what it is and how your brand can leverage on it.
What is UGC?
UGC or user-generated content is any form of content such as photos, videos, or reviews that have been created, posted, and shared by consumers and customers on their social media platforms.
The main reason why marketers value UGC is that, amongst all forms of digital marketing tactic, it is the most authentic, trustworthy, and reliable because it is from real and firsthand experiences, ideas, opinions, and feedbacks of consumers and customers. Which in return, has a huge impact on the brand’s identity and greatly affects the purchasing decisions of potential users and buyers.
Today, UGC has become a staple for businesses and an expectation for consumers when they make purchasing decisions. Over 86% of businesses have some sort of user-generated content strategy in place. Meanwhile, today’s consumers with purchasing powers – the millennials, trust user-generated content advertising up to 50% more than traditional marketing messages.
UGC as a Digital Marketing Tactic
In many marketing books, it has been said that content is king. When in fact, content by consumers and customers is the royalty. Could UGC be as simple as sharing and showing off your consumers’ posts about your brand? Some of the biggest brand players in social media answered “Yes!”
There are a lot of ways to promote and advertise your brand but most of these tactics have become intrusive and spammy for potential users and buyers. Over the years, it has led to inauthenticity, distrust, and unreliability. Which ultimately affects the brand reputation and revenue generation opportunities.
In this age of disruptive, inauthentic marketing, UGC is that digital marketing tactic which emerges as the perfect alternative. It provides personal, trustworthy information to potential users and buyers to help with their purchase decisions as distrust over branded content rises.
Brands leveraging on users’ content in marketing goes beyond trust & authenticity as new technologies, innovations, and strategies are emerging for marketers to unlock their maximum potential. Figures have shown that 90% of users trust UGC to influence their purchase decisions and that alone shows why UGC matters now.
If you think that UGC is just limited to social media, it is not. You may start from changing your social media platform content from just hard-selling your brand or product to user-generated content, in which you share photos and feedback of your consumers about your product. And it does not have to end there. You may want to stretch the possibilities of this digital marketing tactic beyond social media to all the marketing channels like websites, events, outdoor advertising, or email to name a few.
Beyond building buzz about your brand, there is also the financial incentive to leverage UGC. There is a study that consumers who were presented with a User Generated image are 5 times more likely to purchase those who have seen any other form of advertisement. Considering that this said digital marketing tactic, may it be photos, videos, or even feedback, are being shared by millions, there is certainly lots of content out there for brands to leverage, too.
Time to Leverage your Brand
As this digital marketing tactic continues to arise, UGC is the real MVP in social platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. From the most authentic photos to the no holds barred feedback, brands of today must know that giving their consumers the spotlight is the key to building a loyal base.
Less and less consumers and customers rely solely on what the brand is saying. They trust the brands’ users and buyers more about what they think and their feedback on the brand or a certain product.
UGC should be the cornerstone of any modern content strategy. From your Instagram feed to your website, authentic customer content represents a great way to show off products and encourage the spread of your content. And the best way to create awesome and effective UGC marketing campaigns is to use a tool like the UGC Market that can help you with end-to-end solutions for your brand’s campaigns.
