UGC as the Next Generation of Influencer Marketing

B2B or B2C your consumers are your best brand advocates. User-Generated Content is simply known as photo, video, text, audio content that is voluntarily shared by the brand fans on social media. 

UGC is considered to be the most authentic form of influencer marketing. It is a true inspiration for content creators and potential consumers to buy the product. 90% of buyers say their purchase is influenced by the UGC. 

How is UGC Reshaping Influencer Marketing?

Do you remember the cornerstone of influencer marketing? Inspiration is still the name of the game. With their authentic content, users act as the source of information and brand advocates for your brand.

With UGC, you can see your real and potential customers in detail and bring them to your social media. It also helps to reach larger audiences via a straightforward strategy. The difference between traditional influencer marketing and UGC based marketing is here the countless number of people can promote your brand without extra spendings. 

Why Do You Need to Leverage UGC?

UGC gives a lead to substantial benefits that you might need to take additional steps in other marketing channels. UGC helps to:

Increase organic traffic to your website. According to the study, 87% of search engines find UGC as the second most reliable element of a purchase decision. People take time to search for goods they want to buy, and they are willing to buy things that are used and appreciated by other users.

Build trust and community. Sure all of us seen Instagram posts with Apple and its product names. Initially being active on Facebook and Twitter as a brand, Apple’s arrival on Instagram took a while. For certain, it is worth it. Instead of replicating the same content, Apple encouraged its users to post a video, photo, or any content with their phones with Apple hashtag. 

The result? Highest customer loyalty in smartphone and tablet production, 90% of brand retention among iPhone users.

 

Bu gönderiyi Instagram’da gör

 

apple (@apple)’in paylaştığı bir gönderi (12 Eyl, 2017, 11:41öö PDT)

Boost engagement. On Instagram, National Geographic has the most massive followers as a brand. 

National Geographic displays the beauty of nature and diversity of cultures through photographers’ eyes around the world. With a large scale, UGC content the brand reaches 3.4 million daily engagements. 

 

Bu gönderiyi Instagram’da gör

 

National Geographic (@natgeo)’in paylaştığı bir gönderi (3 Ağu, 2020, 7:35ös PDT)

Together with Keepface Hawaya, the dating app collaborated with social media influencers from Indonesia and Malaysia. Influencers created a video story post about the Hawaya app. The brand further shared those videos on their social media channels.

Increase EMV and SEO value. Another estimable example is Glossier’s. The beauty brand incorporates UGC in almost all of the product lines. Glossier sends samples to influencers before product launches. The reason behind the success of Glossier is treating each customer as an influencer, says Brand’s CEO Emily Weiss.

Also, social media platforms like Facebook favors personalized content over brand page content. 

Forms of UGC 

The most common ways on social media are using hashtags and brand mentions in posts. Brands usually encourage branded or product-specific hashtags for boosting engagement with the audience. Brand mentions are used to share consumer feedback over certain products. 

Customer reviews and product ratings are the other type of user-generated content on websites. This creates trust and opinion before purchasing any product. 

How Can You Leverage UGC as Your Next Digital Marketing Channel?

Start with Influencer Marketing

Even UGC is changing the way brands reach with their audience; they still need influencers to spark the campaign. If you are in a tight budget and plan to use UGC, probably fewer people follow your brand’s social media accounts. Working with influencers that are followed by your potential buyers will trigger your engagements and brand awareness. 

Be Active on Social Media

When we say be active, we mean posting frequently on your social media accounts, answering questions users ask you, responding to the events that align with your brand, and keeping track of your metrics such as reach, impressions to see the progress you are making. Ask your followers how they would incorporate your specific product into their life. 

You can use automated tools to manage your social media, but it is essential to add a human touch to your page. In this way, you can increase your followers which will lead to driving positive engagement.

Reward Your Favorites

You can hold contests or giveaways on your page or collaborate with influencers asking followers to post their pictures with your brand. Because content creators are not paid for this, giving some incentives will raise their interest. In this way, users will be more spirited to post to be gifted at the end.

Huda Beauty is sharing their favorite makeup videos which are accepted as the best promotion for pro makeup artists. 

Show Reviews and Customer Photos on Your Website

To expand UGC from social media, you can display reviews and ratings next to the product features on your website. In this way, you let your users tell how it works.

Next to product reviews, you can also show your customers pictures. 

Drawback of UGC

Maybe the only difficulty you may encounter is managing the post users share. You may come across with hate posts, negative comments, or content that contains political, social arguments which can negatively influence your brand image. Lots of brands put UGC back on their digital marketing plan. But, there is a solution to any problem. By having well-planned social media management, you will overcome any mess you may face. 

Empower UGC Now!

Starting from B2C user-generated content is overflowing to the B2B market as well. As it is the most authentic form of influencer marketing, we can expect that brands will continue to leverage UGC in their digital marketing. At Keepface With 301K influencer base, you will find the most matching influencer to your campaign.