User-generated content (UGC) and the so-called employee-created content (EGC) are considered to be one of the main trends in Internet marketing in 2021. What’s that and how a business may use these ugc tools to promote its product issue to discuss.
What is the ugc meaning?
UGC meaning: It is original content that brand customers create and distribute voluntarily and free of charge. This can be any material, from comments to video reviews, that is publicly available. This is the most native promotion format for a brand when consumers not only choose a product but are also ready to tell others about their choice.
Although its business value is obvious, ugc in marketing provides benefits as follows:
- User experience generation and dissemination,
- Saving resources for promotion,
- Growth of trust, loyalty to the subject of marketing and its owner,
- Target audience reach growth,
- Growth in SEO metrics, etc.
There are a lot of successful examples of using ucg marketing, and there are some of the best practices you may stick to:
Why user generated content is important for business: best ptactices
Brand confidence increase
According toStackla, 86% of users value companies’ authenticity and sincerity. People trust buyers like themselves more than professional ad campaigns. Aesthetics are, of course, important, but life user content generated is more truthful.
Increase sales
It is difficult for a person to decide on a purchase, especially if the product or service is expensive. Reviews with photos and videos, recommendations, reviews, and other customer generated content will help you decide whether to buy a product and understand what surprises the consumer may expect from it.
Save budget
You have to pay for the professional content. For the custom made – no. It’s simple) If you decide to apply user generated content management, please discuss it with the authors. Find out if they agree for you to share their posts. Respect other people’s copyrights as if they were yours.
Promote company via low-frequency SEO
When creating SEO content, brands rarely consider low-search queries. In the text, they look unnatural, and very few people will enter such a query into the search. Usually, they are limited to high-frequency requests
It’s good that there is user-generated content. People leave reviews and mention the product’s full name in the headlines, give links to the site, etc. The more reviews, the higher the brand’s website will appear in the search results.
Improve the product
The users know better what they are missing. Ask them to tell you how they would like to see the product. This way, you get free ideas that can be considered in your work, and people will be pleased that their opinion matters.
For example, you have an online clothing store. You planned to add a section with permanent discounts and decided to ask your customers if they need it. But it turned out that 60% of users want to see a virtual fitting room on your site instead of that.
Improve the quality of service
User generated content sites with reviews show whether they like the service. A competent response to them helps to build long-term relationships even with those customers who were unhappy with the service.
Thank the users for their opinions and take them into account. If you solve a customer’s problem, they will probably come back to you. To track brand mentions, use tools like Brand Analytics, email tracker and similar.
Encourage customers to advertise a product
It is expected that customers are more likely to leave negative reviews than positive ones. But people are also ready to tell about the positive experience, exceptionally if a bonus awaits them for this. Brands encourage users to leave reviews and comments by offering gifts in return via mail blasting or other ways.
We don’t have statistics, but we have observations: people are more active when companies offer discounts or gifts for a photo or comment.
Form communities
The Chess Club, Korean Pop Music Fan Page, etc. are all communities of users with a common interest. Brands launch campaigns to bring connoisseurs as well as adepts of their products together. What is ugc here – their priceless comments and public discussions, where the truth is born on any world brand.
Types used:
- Reviews
This is the most common type. People write reviews on review sites, social networks, blogs, forums, product pages. According to the statistics, 93% of users are guided by reviews. - Comments
This is the main content on social media. Users leave comments on Instagram, Facebook, etc. to praise or scold the product. - Photos
They are usually attached to reviews. Help to view the product from all sides and advertise the product - Videos
Users write them down to tell more about the product. The video format is easier to read than text. Companies encourage this and offer gifts for the reviews. - Ideas
Not all users are willing to give advice if not asked for. Therefore, brands offer to choose one of several options for anything or offer their own. - Social media posts
This content is more often created by bloggers who are paid by the companies. But sometimes ordinary people devote a whole post to the product. In addition, manufacturers give users a product for free in response to a detailed review.
Conclusion
Clients now need not only the product itself but also the emotions that they will experience from it. Therefore, people are most loyal to content created by other people they meet on the street on their way to work, those with whom they can potentially communicate in everyday life, or those who may have the same problems, questions, or tasks as from themselves.
Add custom user generated content definition to your strategy – but only with the consent of the authors. Engage clients in communication, ask them to leave reviews, write posts, and take photos and videos. Caring users will lead to cool results: they will know about you, they will love you, they will buy from you.
To find their contacts faster and easier, use email finder and feel free to optimize your marketing activities with the help of top software.