In the world of social media marketing, there has been so much talk about user-generated content. It is famed as a cost-effective way to engage consumers. But what is user-generated content? How does it help your social media marketing?
What is user-generated content?
User-generated content (UGC) refers to content made by consumers, instead of brands. The content can come in different forms such as text, pictures, infographics, videos, and so on. Although Instagram is one of the leading channels for user-generated content, other social media platforms can also gain immensely from this content type. When done properly, UGC can bring lots of Facebook or Instagram likes, followers, etc. to your platform.
Lots of top brands have used UGC to boost marketing. For instance, a few years ago, the ‘Share a Coke’ campaign was utilized by Coke to take their marketing to the next level. During this campaign, many consumers found personalized bottles with their names and posted pictures on their social media pages. This campaign provided free ads for Coke for an extended period.
What are the benefits of user-generated content?
Perchance you are still pondering on how user-generated content can help your marketing campaign. These are the major benefits of user-generated content:
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It boost credibility
The authenticity of your posts is one of the major factors that will aid the credibility of your brands. Generally, many consumers consider user-generated content to be more authentic than brand-curated content. This is because UGC is not usually created for marketing purposes; hence, you can use it to promote your brand credibility.
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It builds trust
Written testimonials, customer reviews, and video testimonials are some of the examples of user-generated content. These types of UGC can play an important role in building the trust that customers have in your brand. Basically, most consumers usually often take their time to check out the reviews/testimonials of other users before utilizing any product or service. For these individuals, UGC reviews are more trustworthy than anything created by a brand itself. So, if you are looking for a way to build trust, don’t overlook user-generated content.
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It offers a wide range of content
As you are trying to supercharge your social media marketing, there is a need for you to post awesome content regularly. If you don’t have a dedicated social media team, it will be quite challenging to create and upload high-quality posts regularly. Fortunately, user-generated content can come in handy at this stage. As long as you keep your customers engaged, you will never run out of ideas of things to post on your social media pages.
For instance, you can just look for tags related to your brand to find amazing content to share. Expectedly, you need to mention, tag, etc. the concerned followers to get permissions or give credit for the post.
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It saves time and money
Depending on your expertise and experience, you will need a few hours to research, draft, proofread, and edit a high-quality 1000-word blog post. Video content may even require a longer time to create and edit. Besides, you may need to hire blog writers, videographers, etc. to help you with creating content.
However, UGC is different. In most cases, the users will willingly create content related to your brand because they would like to win giveaways or just share their experiences. You don’t need to pay them or spend lots of time to get such content.
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It offers numerous SEO benefits
Search engine optimization (SEO) is one of the biggest means to increase the reach of your brand. A good percent of the largest brands in the world rely heavily on UGC to boost their SEO. Besides, some users can upload content related to your brand on their blogs, and this will provide free backlinks for your site. Additionally, your SEO ranking will improve if you get lots of positive reviews from your customers.
So, your SEO can gain immensely from user-generated content
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It builds a sense of community among your consumers
Many social media users are socially voyeuristic. In other words, they would like to watch or read what others social media users are sharing. Furthermore, people love interacting with brands that value the opinion of their users. Luckily, by sharing your users’ content, they will feel like you value and care about their opinions. Resultantly, you will create a sense of community among your consumers. Also, more people will be more willing to engage your posts and share them.
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It provides exceptional audience insights
When running a social media marketing campaign, it is crucial to get useful insights about your audience. Key audience insights can allow you to have a better understanding of your target audience and create better content. One of the ways to get these key audience insights is user-generated content.
For instance, if your consumers are complaining about a particular issue, this UGC can offer an important audience insight. You can use the insight to improve your service or product.
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It is relatable for most customers
When a brand creates content, the content usually represents the ideal situation. But the reality may be different; thus, many consumers will find it difficult to relate to it. However, user-generated content gives the real-life situation of how things work. Although UGC is not perfect, it is organic and, as such, provides a relatable situation. Most customers will be able to see themselves in the picture of such a situation.
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It promotes conversions
In most cases, the goal of a social media marketing campaign is to convert prospects to customers. User-generated content can promote conversions as it helps brands to build credibility and trust through testimonials, reviews, and so on. When your consumers feel that your offers are credible, reliable, and trustworthy, it will be easier for them to buy them. Therefore, if you want to promote conversions, don’t hesitate to take advantage of user-generated content.
As shown above, user-generated content is making waves because of its numerous benefits. So, if you want to enjoy these benefits, start using user-generated content today.
