UGC (user-generated content): content made by users for other users. Why UGC is important is something every brand should keep in mind. With the global content marketing market set to grow by USD 417.85 billion over the period 2021-2025, brands everywhere are looking for new ways to create varied, authentic and consistent content. User generated content meets all these characteristics (and more) but brands often do not know how to incentivize their consumers. It is a fact that content posted on social by people like us is what we believe in the most, especially if we compare it with a paid Ad created by a brand.
If you work in marketing, you probably already knew this. But many brands don’t know the power of UGC, how to inspire their consumers to create them, or even that you have to monitor them to play in their favour!
So today, we want to answer the 5 most frequently asked questions by brands to our agency about User Generated Content.
- Who produces UGC?
- Why UGC is important?
- What are the types of UGC?
- What kind of brand receives UGC?
- How can I encourage consumers to create UGC for my brand?
At the end of the article, you will also find 3 bonus tips on the subject that we usually give to brands that choose to enhance their UGC. And if your curiosity is still not satisfied… You can send us your question and receive the answer in your email.
Let’s begin!
Who produces UGC?
Who are these so-called users in reality? In our experience:
- Brand lovers, i.e. long-time fans of the brand
- Employees that are enthusiastic about the brand
- People who did not know the brand but fell in love with the product thanks to someone’s recommendation
- People who tried the product for free and are keen to share their experience with others
Why UGC is important?
The reasons why UGC is important are of interest to all marketers, and there are very few drawbacks to using this content marketing tool.
We have chosen the four reasons why UGC is important that we think are the most appealing to every marketer;
- It grows your community of brand lovers
- Increases conversions
- Makes your brand more authentic
- It grows your content base organically and creatively
Nowadays, a brand has to continuously produce content on different channels, and it has to do so while trying to stay within budget. UGC is a smart and free way to get content, but you have to know how to use it!
👀 With this in mind, we have created a free e-book on Content Inflation, with 7 tips for optimizing your content strategy. You can download it here.
What are the types of UGC?
With video growing even more (…) we can say that this format is the one most coveted by every brand. Other types of user-generated content are:
- Reviews
- Images
- Testimonials
- Blog Posts
What kind of brand receives UGC?
The answer is simple: if you have consumers, you can receive UGC. Obviously, each brand will have to follow different strategies to incentivize users to talk about its product or service. The most important thing, however, is to focus first on having a quality product or service that gives value to people and wants to improve their lives. Only on this basis can we then ask consumers to create content for us or express their opinion about our brand!
How can I encourage consumers to create UGC for my brand?
Many brands choose to directly ask consumers for feedback, be it a written review on a specialized platform or a video testimonial on social media. This naturally leads to a bonus, such as a discount or a gift.
We suggest not thinking in terms of a single campaign but implementing a real long-term strategy, to be included within the content strategy, with specific objectives and specific guidelines. In fact, one of the fundamental rules for not ending up with channels full of content you don’t want is precisely to tell users what you do want: encourage them to create content of a certain type – suggest the type of environment or location, colours, hashtags and the message you would like to get across. This way, consumers’ creativity will keep flowing, but at the same time, you will avoid connecting your brand to content that does not represent it.
Remember that supporting a good cause is always a great way to do good and promulgate your brand values: anyone who recognizes them will spontaneously share them, creating an emotional connection that is worth a lot and grows your community.
3 bonus tips to remember about UGC:
- Activate dialogue with users who talk about you: thank them, ask questions, and comment on their content
- Always tag creators if you re-share their content on your brand profile
- Monitor community sentiment through the amount of content produced by users and the results this produces (clicks, impressions, comments, etc.): these could be the keys to your marketing campaigns!
Do you still have questions on the topic of User Generated Content? Would you like to give us your feedback or tell us about your first-hand experience?