User-generated content (UGC) is like digital word-of-mouth advertising – and one of the most powerful marketing tools you’re probably not using.
It can be argued that UGC is the internet, because it’s everywhere. From iPhone unboxing videos to Google reviews, it’s when your audience creates organic, unfiltered content about your brand.
User-generated content shapes perceptions, builds trust, creates communities, and lets ordinary people be the centre of attention. After all, according to The New Yorker, “we all have Main Character Energy now”. Or maybe that’s just Gen Z (here’s how to market to them anyway).
As always, with great power comes great responsibility. With user-generated content your brand can’t control what users say – they either absolutely love what you offer and can’t get enough, or they don’t. And nothing is immune; a glance at Tripadvisor will quickly confirm this.
via getaway.co.za
What’s so special about user-generated content?
User-generated content builds two valuable things: social proof and a sense of belonging.
Let us list just some of the ways why UGC is such a powerful marketing tool:
- According to a recent Hubspot survey of marketers, 92% said UGC increases brand awareness of their products.
- Power Reviews found that conversion rates increase by nearly 9% if a website’s visitors’ are served UGC, and there was just over a 100% conversion boost if they interacted with the UGC (for example, they read a customer review or look at user-submitted images).
- A Stackla survey revealed that 60% of consumers say content from a friend or family member influences purchase decisions.
The last point is key, because user-generated content builds social proof for your business or brand. Social proof is like a stamp of approval, because it’s when a potential customer identifies with and trusts the person delivering the message, whether that’s a review, social comment, or unsolicited brand shoutout.
The bottom line is that people do business with people and not marketers. It’s also a big reason why influencer marketing is so powerful, especially on platforms like TikTok (read about the importance of influencer marketing on TikTok here).
Another key point is that as humans, we want to feel like we matter, and we belong.
People love to share on social media, and sharing fosters brand awareness, recognition, and a sense of belonging. Social media has given a platform for people to be seen and heard, and feel like they matter – at Firewater, we’ve also seen that people love it when the brand responds to them.
A large part of social media is community driven. Social media has turned brands into people and people into brands. Ads feel less genuine, and even macro-influencers aren't as successful as a micro-influencers – just ask Kim Kardashian about her crypto campaign fail (and $1.26 million fine). That’s because the latter doesn’t have 100k followers and they're probably punting something they actually believe in and are mad about.
User-generated content’s impact on SEO
Along with social proof and fostering a sense of belonging, UGC also has some useful SEO tricks up its sleeve:
- UGC provides a steady stream of original, authentic, and engaging content for your brand – and search engines mainline that for breakfast.
- High-quality UGC can attract quality backlinks from other websites. For example, Apple’s #ShotoniPhone campaign that has generated over three million Instagram posts to date. This boosts your site’s authority, which tells search engines how ‘important’ your site is because other quality sites link to it – and subsequently where it should appear in search result rankings.
- USG helps with inferred backlinks. This is when someone organically mentions your brand or website, like in a news article, a positive online review, or a random social media shoutout, without a hyperlink. Inferred backlinks signal to search engines that your site or brand is relevant and worth talking about.
How your brand can take advantage of user-generated content
User-generated content makes people want to be part of something bigger than themselves.
Some brands get UGC right and benefit a lot from it. Like Crocs, everyone’s love-to-hate footwear.
They used a hashtag (an effective UGC tool), #MyCrocsEra, so people could share how they style their Crocs with Jibbitz charms (those badge things) and ‘what made them enter the Crocs era’. This was a massive hit because it made Crocs wearers feel like they are part of an exclusive community (of weirdos). We don’t get it, either, but people went nuts.
Other ways of sourcing UGC content include checking where your brand is tagged or mentioned, inviting your audience to submit content through giveaways, or just posing questions on your social captions to spark engagement.
When potential customers see people they relate to using a product or service – and having a positive reaction to it – it’s far more authentic than being served an ad.
That means it’s much easier to make a buying decision. It also makes people want to be part of a community that reflects who they are and be part of something bigger than themselves.
User-generated content is far more effective than generic ads or expensive, big-name influencers (did we mention that Kim Kardashian was paid $250,000 for a single Instagram post for that crypto campaign fail?). People want authentic and relatable content, and UGC fosters brand loyalty, recognition, SEO impact, and a sense of community.
That even extends to Big Ben being overrated, Cape Town’s insufferable hipsters, and the world’s ugliest shoes (fight us).
Enjoyed this article? Share it with your peers so you look clever. Want to help your audience embrace their Main Character Energy? Contact us; we’ll show you how.
