Brands that want to keep breaking through the noise are continuing to focus on the power of authenticity to reach increasingly skeptical customers. One way to get past the doubts is through a focus on user-generated content or UGC. By cultivating and sharing content generated by your real-life users, you’ll not only be creating an authentic brand image but also building the kind of community that makes engagement easier to see and boost. UGC is an incredibly powerful tool for building strong and genuine audience connections.
What is UGC?
User-generated content is anything that users and consumers create for themselves, versus what a brand’s marketers create. Think about the last time you left a 5-star review at a restaurant, uploaded an Instagram pic of your dog and tagged their groomer, or shared a YouTube unboxing video. These are all examples of UGC, and social media is just increasing the spread of UGC across platforms. The average consumer (B2C or B2B) has lost trust in marketers, so these user-focused pieces of content can be what sparks their trust again.
Ok, it’s authentic. So?
We actually think it’s pretty easy for most marketers to understand why authenticity is important. We talk about it all the time. But if your decision-makers are having a hard time understanding the why, maybe we can help. Authentic marketing tells your audience that you’re genuine and honest, and it allows on-the-fence consumers to see people they can relate to trying out and (hopefully) enjoying what you’re selling. Your customers see what they’re looking for, and the chances of a sale go up.
Driving authenticity with UGC
We’ve established what user-generated content is and why the authenticity it produces matters, but how does UGC really create that authenticity? There are a few ways it happens.
Real people: UGC is made up of real stories being told by actual users of your products and services. Whether it’s text on a screen or an on-camera appearance, your audience is going to be able to spot the real people in your UGC right away.
Diversity: By encouraging, gathering, and sharing content generated by real users, you’ll be able to capture a broader section of your audience, which will give potential customers across a variety of backgrounds and identities the chance to see themselves in your content. Once they’re emotionally connected, a marketer’s job gets much easier.
Social proof: People trust their peers. Positive UGC boosts your brand credibility by the age-old power of word-of-mouth instead of through traditional marketing channels. That kind of trust goes a long way.
Creating FOMO: Noone creates FOMO quite like May King, but we believe even the queen of FOMO creation herself would agree that UGC gets people excited to share their own experiences and to share UGC stories with their networks.
When your users share real experiences, they get vulnerable with their audience. It does mean you’ll sometimes see some negative reviews as well, but that’s a great opportunity for the kind of feedback that should be driving your development roadmap. How you acknowledge and respond to the negative UGC also says a lot about your brand.
Encouraging UGC
With all that said, how do brands encourage UGC and start building a pipeline of this honest, vulnerable, engagement-building content?
Designs your products, services, and events to encourage others to share their experiences. Work with your creative team or marketing strategists around how to create memorable moments that make your audience excited to share.
Gamify the experience with hashtags, challenges, and other incentives that get people amped up about sharing content. Organize contests where users can get creative about sharing their experiences, and then reshare what they’re creating.
Create a central space for your UGC. Don’t let it sit just on your social - create highlights on your webpages and in your event presence to make sure your audience sees their own content played back to them when they interact with your brand.
Keep the conversation going. When your audience is sharing UGC, they want it to be seen. Make sure you’re resharing the content, responding to some comments, and making people feel appreciated. You’ll be surprised how much a simple “thank you” can do.
UGC is powerful. It has tremendous potential for driving growth. When you harness the stories and experiences of your actual customers, you’ll be able to tell really authentic stories that go along way toward creating those coveted emotional connections.
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