What is user-generated content and why your business needs it?

The way content is being shared over social media platforms has changed the marketing game for brands worldwide. Gone are the days when consumers have no role in the decision-making process. 

Now with people’s opinions becoming more and more prominent in defining the fate of a business, brands are looking for ways to shift their focus on marketing their consumers’ words instead of creating sugarcoated ads.

Enters user generated content (UGC)! 

User Generated Content (UGC)

User-generated content may be a new term but not a new concept in the marketing realm.According to Taggbox, any form of content that brand consumers have shared in its favor over digital platforms. 

Consumers these days do not shy away from sharing their brand experiences in the form of images, videos or reviews on social media. Therefore, in the past few years, UGC has become the pre-requisite for any brand to lead in the marketing game. 

Unlike, branded content, UGC is not created by brands but its happy customers and hence is not subjected to any doubts or trust issues from the target audience. 

Significance of UGC in Marketing

Here’s why UGC marketing is gold for businesses- 

·      Customers Trust UGC

Time and again, market studies have shown that consumers trust user-generated content more than any form of branded content. That’s because everything a brand-consumer says about its products is genuine and real, unlike the influencers and celebs who are paid to sing glory about the brand.

 This basic truth behind UGC is what makes it an absolute success in marketing. People see they believe and they buy it! 

·      UGC is Real, Genuine and Saves Advertising Costs

Mostly real and contented consumers only put their efforts to create user-generated content by sharing their brand experiences on social media. Their social accounts are proof that what they are saying is genuine and not sugar-coated. 

There are over 5 million users on social media platforms and hence, it is relatively easier as well as cost-efficient for brands to dig user-generated content and use it in marketing campaigns.

·      Helps Communicate Brand Values

When brand customers share user-generated content on social media, they are in fact telling about their brand experience to the world. Their stories become no less than a message for a brand target audience.

As UGC is created by loyal and satisfied customers, it helps brands deal with shopping insecurities of new consumers. UGC is synonymous with authentic reviews and no advertising content could compete with that when it comes to communicating brand values. 

It is, therefore, the best tool that brands could use in their marketing campaigns. Also, when consumers see that their reviews are valued by the brand they feel more connected to it. Hence, UGC also strengthens the brand-consumer relationship. 

·       A Boon For SEO 

When a brand states that it’s the best in the market, the claims are ignored by the people but when the same is said by its consumers, people give heed! They listen and they believe.  

By adding UGC on a company’s website brand can increase its SEO reach. It holds the visitors’ attention and inspires them to discover more about the liked product and similar products on the website. 

This enhances the dwell time which means that users spend more time on the website before going back to search results. With increased dwell time comes the hike in organic page visits and a decline in bounce rates which are good for a website ranking.

UGC also shortens the journey between seeing a product a consumer may like and buying it. UGC over a website breathes fresh air into the content marketing strategies making it more organic, engaging and dynamic. 

·      Builds Social Proof

People tend to go for popular things in the market. This is known as social proof. By using UGC in marketing campaigns, brands can play this psychological factor in their benefits and reap profits. 

Brand customers are its best marketing advocates. Their words and reviews hold the utmost importance in the market and could make or break the brand image. Hence, UGC is the unfailing way through which businesses can inculcate trust and credibility among potential customers.

·      Strengthens Social Media Campaign

Let’s face it! Running a social media campaign is no easy feat as it has become hard to keep audiences engaged. But, with UGC at hand, brands can not only engage their potential consumers but could also certain the purchasing possibilities and encourage the existing consumers to participate in marketing campaigns. 

When users see the pictures of people like them in a social media campaign, they too want to be a part of it. As a result, they share their pictures and videos using the brand hashtags with their followers. This brings an immense amount of visibility and reach to a brand campaign on social media.  

·      Boost E-Commerce Sales

UGC social media feed, when embedded over the website, could bring a lot of customer-engagement for an e-commerce business. An added plus if the embedded UGC posts are made shoppable for website visitors as it decreases the shopping journey of visitors. They came, they saw, they liked and they bought! 

Embedded shoppable UGC on the website’s product pages are an excellent way to give users a never before shopping experience. The consumers’ pictures on the e-commerce websites engage the visitors and they could see for themselves why the rand is loved by its consumers. This promotes a sense of trust and drives sales. 

Conclusion

UGC could be a game-changer for any brand’s marketing efforts. The honest and transparent element of consumer reviews makes UGC the most authentic way to reach out to the target audience. 

It not only builds trust but also engages the users and promotes conversions. Along with that, UGC marketing also makes the brand-customers bond strong as consumers feel validated when their photos and reviews are used in campaigns.