User-generated content’s important role in marketing

User-generated content (UGC) in the digital marketing realm refers to any type of creative that is created by real consumers – not a brand itself. It represents an unbiased voice and can include text, reviews, videos, and images. But when we typically think of UGC content, we’re usually thinking of self-filmed videos.

People often use the terms “UGC” and “influencer marketing” interchangeably. In the past, we’ve thought of these as separate initiatives because influencer marketing is more about leveraging an influencer’s audience to drive sales, whereas UGC can be filmed by virtually anyone. We can thank the popularity of TikTok for this evolution, as we are now approaching a point where the creator economy has grown so large that UGC and influencer content are extremely similar.

Semantics aside, user-generated content is something you should consider developing for your brand. It’s not just a fad and should be considered a key concept you test, especially if you are a DTC or eCommerce brand with a physical product. UGC content has been proven to help brands develop trust, promote credibility, and positively influence purchase decisions.

Let’s first explore why it works, and then get into a case study where we have proven this concept.

Why does social proof work?

The great news about UGC content is that it can be cheap and relatively simple to produce (compared to large video productions). Even better news – consumers relate better to UGC content than traditional ads because it feels like a friend or influencer is talking to you. UGC creative also demonstrates the ease of use for products and lowers the perceived complexity or assembly when you see someone like yourself using it with no problems. As evidenced in the case studies below, social proof is more effective than traditional advertising when it comes to purchasing decisions because of its effect on consumer confidence. It feels like a more natural way of describing a product compared to the exaggerated and forced messaging some brands use.

UGC works because consumers trust their peers, and engagement is more organic. It feels native to the platform, meaning that it doesn’t immediately jump out as an ad when you first come across it, so it can build more trust when compared to the blatant and obvious advertising we are used to.

How do you produce user-generated content?

User-generated content is an attractive option for marketers because it takes considerably less time to develop compared to traditionally-produced video assets and typically performs well. Although it’s considered a more straightforward approach, quite a bit of planning is still needed if you want your UGC creative to succeed.

Finally, you’ll want to scope out your talent and work with them in a collaborative and community-driven way. Let your UGC creator have their personality shine through! The best UGC creatives feel authentic and raw, so don’t micromanage your creator. It should be a collaborative effort!

We have dedicated creative resources to develop UGC creative assets. One route you can take when developing UGC creative is to scope, book, and script the talent, so you get the exact talking points you want to hit about your product. Another option is to utilize a third-party vendor to manage the UGC content development. However, the downside is that you have much less control over the final result, which can be problematic for brands with complex products and specific value propositions.

• Your first step will be to choose which channels you think will be most effective for your UGC campaign. Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok are obvious options for UGC creative, but YouTube, LinkedIn, and Twitter could be other viable channels to test into. Consider where your ideal audience spends their time and tailor your creative to those channels.
• Next, you’ll need a solid understanding of what a successful UGC campaign looks like for you. Will this be an awareness, consideration, or conversion campaign? What KPIs will you be looking for? Are you hoping for higher brand engagement, increased conversion rates or product education levels, or building brand trust and awareness?
• Once you identify your primary channels and campaign KPIs, put together a brief with specific talking points you want your UGC creators to cover to ensure you’re driving performance to hit your primary goals. For example, if brand engagement is your goal, you’ll want creators to do something disruptive or ask a question to spark conversation. If conversions are your goal, it might be good to have your creator touch on key differentiators, price points, or special promos. If you are educating new audiences for more brand awareness, you’ll want your creator to give an overview of the product and brand. The talking points are limitless, but you need to be specific with what you’d like your UGC creator to focus on.