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If you’re a marketer then you must’ve heard of a user generated content strategy and how powerful it can be for your brand. It not only boosts engagement but also helps you drive conversions. However, you need a proper user-generated content strategy, so you can drive conversions through the roof. Follow this article and we will help you craft a user generated content marketing strategy for your brand that will help you boost engagement and build a community of loyal customers.
Introduction to User Generated Content (UGC)
UGC, or “User Generated Content,” is probably the most engaging form of content because it is more than just an ad. UGC is much more authentic because it comes directly from ordinary users. It is proven that customers are more likely to buy a product when they see others (real people, not influencers) recommending it. Let's explore how you can incorporate UGC in your marketing strategy to take your online business to the next level!
The Power of UGC: Pros of Incorporating UGC into Your Marketing Strategy
For starters, UGC can help you make big savings on your ad budget while creating fun and engaging content that is bound to attract new audiences. Moreover, UGC sends a powerful message to your clients, that you're authentic and down to earth. This builds a trustworthy image that not only leads to a boost in engagement but also results in a greater number of sales!
Your brand will be able to form a robust and trustworthy relationship with your customers by showcasing UGC, which means that the customers who have had a decent experience with your brand will be influencing others to try and purchase your product. This will also give your audience a platform to communicate with you and other potential customers, resulting in a closely-knit brand community. Therefore, our suggestion that UGC can help your brand to excel, is based on solid evidence and data-driven insights.
Step 1. Understanding Your Target Audience: How to Identify the Right UGC for Your Brand
Before jumping into the world of UGC marketing, it is crucial for your brand and its team to understand and correctly identify its target audience. The right type of content that resonates with the needs of your target audience will most likely turn your visitors into customers.
You can kickstart your UGC marketing strategy planning by carefully analyzing your target audience's online behavior. You need to look into the nitty gritty details of what type of content they engage with the most and which people are more inclined towards writing reviews or sharing photos.
By understanding the preferences of your audience better, you can push them to share UGC that complies with your marketing strategy and with the audience’s liking as well.
Why UGC Might Not Be For Everybody
Here's the issue: although UGC is beneficial for many, it may not fit every brand. Certain industries have regulations that bar the use of UGC, making it impossible for some companies to employ this strategy.
As a brand, you must weigh the benefits and drawbacks of UGC before proceeding with the marketing approach. Be mindful of the added task of content management, as both upholding brand image and boosting interactions require attention. Remember - deciding whether or not to utilize UGC can have a significant impact on your sales.
Step 2. Source Content from UGC creators
UGC doesn’t necessarily need to come from real customers. When you’re just starting out and don’t have a reputation yet, you can easily pay UGC creators to do it for you. UGC creators are not influencers – they don’t have a following. However, they’re good at creating authentic-looking content that you can leverage in your marketing to boost your trustworthiness. UGC tends to work a lot better than outright ads or influencer partnerships in a lot of cases depending on the industry.
After you have a clear direction on what type of content you’re looking for, it’s time to put it into writing. Create a file that clearly describes with examples the kind of content you want creators to produce. Establish clear guidelines and rules on what type of content is acceptable and start sending it out to creators on UGC platforms or directly on social media.
Also – there’s practicality to consider when working with UGC creators. UGC can become hard to source if you’re primarily using social networks like Instagram or TikTok to reach out to users. Remember: these platforms are already crowded to the brim with spam messages, billions of new content daily and crazy amounts of noise.
It’s extremely hard to filter through the noise to find the right users and get the right type of UGC delivered to you. It usually takes a lot of back-and-forth communication and you never know if what you get in the end will be up to your requirements or not.
That’s where UGC platforms come in handy:
Paysenger
Paysenger is a social marketplace where you can easily order UGC from users. Simply find users using search filters and check out their portfolios on their Paysenger profiles. Once you find a user who produces content to your liking, you can send them a paid on-demand content request where you describe what you’re looking for in your very first interaction.
You can pay directly with your first message and of course, the money is 100% refundable until the user delivers the content you asked for to your satisfaction. Again – your UGC strategy shouldn’t rely on a handful of videos. Your strategy’s success depends on consistency and you can use Paysenger to order big numbers of UGC in a matter of a few clicks.
Tribe
Tribe prides itself for connecting UGC creators with big brands. You can easily sign up as a brand and start ordering high-quality content from an “opt-in community” on the platform. However, since the platform mainly works with big brands like McDonalds and Unilever, you might end up spending more on your UGC campaigns.
Insense
Insense allows you to send UGC requests to many users at the same time. Prices start at $50 which might be expensive in some cases and it mostly works with US-based creators.
Step 3. Source Content Directly from Customers
Find ways to motivate your customers to create UGC. Whatever way you choose, the goal is to make it fun and engaging and encourage the audience to get involved. Offer gifts or giveaways in exchange for videos on social media. Content from real users will be priceless and can be reused for decades in your marketing campaigns. Each piece of UGC people post for your brand on social media is a long-term asset that will establish you as a solid, trustworthy face in the industry.
The power of UGC can be further maximized by using relevant hashtags and creating hashtag challenges. TikTok challenges are very popular but the trends are slowly dying out (because a lot of big brands keep doing it). To overcome competition, use a newer platform like Paysenger to create hashtag challenges. The platform comes with built-in features for you to automatically distribute prize money to creators who participate.
Challenge wins can be tied to content engagement. For example, you can create a hashtag challenge where people are rewarded in tokens for creating videos about your brand. Videos with the most likes or comments will automatically win more tokens so that people are fairly compensated for producing content with potential to go viral. The possibilities are endless.
Step 4. Use UGC to Drive Sales and Conversions
UGC not only helps in building trust but also results in greater sales and conversions. The simple tip for optimizing the use of UGC is to feature it on your social media handles and also use it in other marketing campaigns. This gives a positive sign to the audience that it's not just an advertisement but real people are also enjoying your products which gives a sense of authenticity and encourages the audience to make a purchase too.Use UGC in your paid ads and you will automatically see higher engagement levels. A lot of brands combine UGC with email marketing to boost their click-through-rates as well.
Step 5. Optimize Your UGC Strategy
Your next step after establishing your UGC strategy is to improve its effectiveness so that you can reach a wider audience and boost your sales. Regularly analyze the performance of your UGC strategy to promote more of the kind of content that has the highest engagement. Then, ask creators to produce more of it on platforms like Paysenger.
UGC doesn’t only have to be videos. Gather photos from users and use them on your e-commerce stores. According to research, e-commerce sites tend to get a 19% increase in conversion rates by using UGC in their product photos. Even if the content is relatively low-quality and features ‘real people’ instead of Hollywood models, UGC creates an air of trustworthiness. Use it to your advantage and incorporate it in your marketing strategy as much as you can.
Are You Missing Out? What Happens If You Don't Use UGC
Incorporating UGC into your marketing strategy is a great way to build brand value. If you’re not using UGC, you could be missing out on a valuable opportunity to drive engagement and connect deeply with your target audiences.
However, there are some drawbacks:
Drawbacks of using UGC
UGC is a powerful tool for marketers, without a doubt, but it comes with its potential drawbacks that companies should be aware of. It is to be noted that UGC can become difficult to manage over time as you gain a larger consumer base; some UGC may not make any valuable contribution or may not align with your company’s values, which can further create challenges for your team.
In addition, if you’re sourcing UGC from creators, keep in mind that a lot of them don’t have the same resources or skill to produce quality content. It’s true that the content needs to be authentic but it can’t be too far apart from your requirements. That’s why managing UGC creators can become a pain unless you use a UGC platform like Paysenger to purchase content.
Success Stories: Examples of Excellent UGC Strategies
One of the most inspirational examples of a successful UGC campaign is that of GoPro. The company has been using UGC for decades. They’ve carefully built their entire advertisement campaign with the help of UGC by encouraging their followers to share their GoPro footage on their social media handles such as Facebook and Twitter.
They also collaborated with some Youtubers to share their journeys through the lens of GoPro, which then captured the attention of a wide range of audience and helped them build an engaged community that was really passionate about their products.
Conclusion: The Future of UGC and What it Means for Your Brand
The world of marketing is changing constantly, and as it does, User-Generated Content (UGC) is becoming increasingly crucial for brands looking to engage with their audience and drive sales. By creating a well-crafted UGC strategy that aligns with your brand's values and messaging, you can tap into the power of social proof and build a stronger relationship with your audience.
But don't worry - you don't have to be a marketing expert to start with UGC! With the right tools such as Paysenger, you can begin incorporating UGC into your marketing strategy today. Join Paysenger’s social marketplace! Send messages to creators, order content, run hashtag challenges and ask hundreds of creators to produce content for your brand.