What is User-Generated Content (UGC)?

User-generated content (UGC) is a way to acquire a lot of content and generate more revenue for your brand. Some of the most impactful content for your brand may be the one sent in by your customers in the form of hashtags, positive reviews, taking pictures of your brands and sharing on social media. UGC is any content generated by your consumers about your brand and shared on social media platforms.

Recently, due to diverse media platforms, everyone can easily access social media and as such, your consumers are able to easily generate content on behalf of brands. Consumers are able to give honest reviews of a brand they have used and approve of. 

Benefits of UGC for brands

Obviously, there are several benefits of UGC for everyone, most especially for brands. UGC is a cost-effective way by which brands engage in advertisement. They do not necessarily have to employ the services of a professional to advertise their brand. The work of advertisement can be done by anyone and this is because of the advent of media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Some benefits of UGC for brands include the following:

• UGC affects customer buying patterns and heavily impacts buying behavior. UGC has the potential of determining what, how, why and when customers will purchase from a particular brand. With UGC, there are images and videos displaying items that people want to purchase. There are also honest reviews given by customers and this may influence another customer who may or may not purchase from a specific brand. In place of window shopping, is a digital marketplace of rich images, videos, and ads to capture the attention of new customers. There is no doubt that in recent times, prior to making a purchase, customers want to see photos, videos, or reviews about the similar item and most customers find the photos of the items they want from other people. Actually, a recent survey shows that customers find photos from fellow consumers more valuable than photos from brands.

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• It is estimated that 21% of millennials would not make a purchase if there is no visual UGC. This shows that UGC is highly relevant in every brand. By making use of UGC, you can boast about which influential people are purchasing your brand, and you can also create more products to suit the needs of your consumers. It is also free to optimize UGC and you only need to encourage your customers to continuously share pictures and send in positive reviews of your items that they have purchased.

Reasons why you need UGC ASAP

It is obvious that UGC campaigns reach a wider level of audience in a shorter period. UGC campaigns are super-efficient in digital marketing. Every brand needs to implement UGC in their business marketing strategies as it proves to be very beneficial. Below are a few of the reasons why brands are incorporating UGC in their marketing strategies:

• As consumers play an active role in advertising the brands that they have used, other consumers become convinced and are more likely to purchase from the same brand.  In fact as a result of UGC, customers are now active consumers as they are no longer the passive consumers coaxed by TV commercials and billboards.
• UGC significantly increases brand awareness and popularity among customers and potential customers.
• UGC also builds trust among consumers as they receive recommendations from people(influencers) whom they may trust with their opinions.
• Through UGC, brands are likely to attract more people who are willing to be advocates or ambassadors of a particular brand.
• Again, with UGC, consumers of a particular brand feel they are part of a community that appreciates them and pays attention to their honest reviews.
• Customer reviews expand your SEO efforts and help brands rank higher.
• Build brand awareness and user-engagement

How to get user-generated content?

Getting a UGC is pretty simple. It is important to encourage your consumers to share pictures of products they purchase from you. UGC is not only about images, but they must share positive reviews, make use of hashtags and recommend your brand to their families, friends, and their followers on their social platforms.

A brand can also include UGC in their marketing strategy by employing the services of influencers. These influencers have a very huge number of followers and as such, they can generate very important content for your brand. So by including UGC in your marketing strategy you can increase your sales.

Why does UGC drive sales?

By inculcating UGC in your marketing strategy, it adds an element of authenticity to your brand. This is because real people who may or may not be personally known by potential customers are recommending a particular brand and with this, potential consumers believe in your brand. Including UGC can fundamentally make a difference in your sales as it drives website traffic, increases sales and conversions. Simply, UGC elevates your brand and increases sales.

Types of UGC

Some types of UGC include:

• Social media content
• Reviews and testimonials
• Blog posts
• Video content
• Q&A Forums
• Hashtag campaigns
• Case study

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