With millions of brands competing for attention, it’s no surprise that people are getting burnt out from constant marketing. This is why user-generated content (UGC) is steadily becoming a powerhouse in marketing – it provides a fresh and authentic way to deliver content without coming across as too promotional, perfect for audiences that are tired of traditional advertising.
In this article, we’ll dive deep into what UGC is and how you can effectively incorporate it into your marketing strategy.
Let’s get started!
How to Use User-Generated Content for Your Marketing
UGC is exactly what their name suggests – they are content generated by users themselves instead of one that is created by marketers. These are organic content from your customers, whether by reviewing a product they bought from you, sharing a photo of your product on Facebook, or talking about your product on various forums.
UGC can be found anywhere. However, the difficulty lies in incorporating those UGCs into your marketing content in the most effective and engaging way possible.
Here are the six most innovative ways you can use UGCs for your marketing:
1. Add Users’ Reviews on Your Website
Do you have a good number of customer reviews collected? Try displaying those reviews on your website, whether on your homepage, landing pages, or on a dedicated testimonial page.
Highlighting these reviews on your homepage is great since it’s the first page your customers will see. By displaying positive reviews and testimonials upfront, your customers will get a positive first impression of you.
It can also help establish your brand’s credibility. This is what’s called “social proof,” or the idea that people will trust other people’s decisions. If other people like your products, then it must be good, right?
You can see this in action on 1-800-Flowers site:
Or on SEO company uSERP’s site:
Want a separate testimonial page instead? One great example is from HelpScout. They have a dedicated page for case studies that were developed based on their customer’s experiences with their tool. Aside from highlighting their customer’s positive experiences with them, they also got informative content out of it, which other customers can read to learn from. Win-win, right?
Related Read: How to create a website with AI
2. Incorporate It on Product Pages
Another way to incorporate your UGC is to add them on product pages.
Productivity tool Notion does this by adding customer quotes related to the product that they are highlighting. This helps subtly reiterate the benefits of their products without being overly promotional.
Meanwhile, Uniqlo shares customers’ photos of them wearing their product. Aside from giving other customers an example of how the product looks in real life (and how it will look on different body shapes and types), it also gives their users a chance to get their outfits featured on their website.
Everlane also features a customer review when displaying a particular product. This can help encourage people to purchase the item since they can see a positive review right beside it.
3. Run UGC Campaigns or Contests
Contests and giveaways are among the best ways to promote buzz around your brand and encourage customer interest. They typically produce a lot of responses and engagement on social media, particularly if you offer a prize or if the contest itself is exciting and fun.
The best thing? Your customers create the content instead of you. Thus, you can reap the benefits of great content without investing as much time and resources.
Some common contests are photo submissions, video submissions, sharing a particular post, having your followers tag their friends, or participating in a hashtag trend.
One of the most successful UGC campaigns was Calvin Klein’s #MyCalvins campaign. People – whether influencers, celebrities, or just regular folks – were encouraged to share photos of them wearing Calvin Klein products. Within four months of running the campaign, Calvin Klein saw more than 4.5 million interactions and engagement online.
While the campaign was launched way back in 2015, the hashtag was so iconic that they still use it today. In fact, the hashtag is still gathering around 800k posts on Instagram alone.
Another challenge was Chipotle’s #LidFlip challenge. People were challenged to send videos of them flipping the lid of the burrito bowl as creatively as possible.
Gen-Z was the main target audience for this UGC campaign, and it went viral. Gen-Z loves doing fun challenges instead of being bombarded with traditional ads, so this was a great campaign to reach them. It also encouraged a lot of sales, as people would have to purchase the burrito bowl to attempt to do the challenge in the first place.
4. Showcase Testimonial Videos
Testimonial videos are a highly effective form of UGC. This is because people prefer hearing about real-life experiences and personal stories over manufactured ones. Authentic content resonates with people more, especially since it has more emotional impact.
You can share testimonial videos that your customers post or shoot one instead.
Take Chow Now, an online ordering app, as an example. The app connects diners with local restaurants to promote local businesses and indie restos.
They created this testimonial video with one of their partners, Mile End. Aside from giving Mile End a spotlight to promote their food, Mile End also shared their positive experience with Chow Now and how it helped keep their small business afloat. It’s a genuine story that will resonate with every business owner that experienced some struggles.
5. Incorporate UGC Images or Videos into Your Marketing Content
Integrating UGC images, videos, or screenshots of their reviews into your image or video ads can help you build more credibility with your business.
An example is this promotional video ad by Glossier. They added screenshots of customers’ funny tweets regarding their Ultralip product as a creative way to announce its comeback.
Wendy’s is known for its funny and snappy vibe, and it maximizes that image by sharing its customers’ tweets while adding funny captions to them. It’s a smart way to release content that fits its image while subtly promoting its products as well.
The possibilities are endless with your UGC. You can compile customer photos to create a Facebook carousel post, create fun TikTok videos with their tweets, or share their reviews on a LinkedIn post.
6. Share Users’ Posts on Your Social Media Pages
And of course, the easiest option – sharing your customer’s posts and videos on your social media pages!
GU does this by reposting videos of their customers wearing their clothes:
Or by sharing their stories on their Instagram page:
Love Bonito also compiles customers’ photos and spotlights them in one roundup post.
Learn more about social media marketing strategies.
What Are The Benefits of User-Generated Content?
UGC has a lot of benefits for marketers and brands, some of which are:
It’s Authentic
UGC is provided by real customers and product users instead of paid influencers or advertisers. This is why UGC comes across as less promotional and more trustworthy. In fact, 84% of people say they trust recommendations and reviews over any type of advertisement.
People also prefer seeing more relatable and personal storytelling in marketing, both of which UGC delivers.
It Gives Social Proof
When people see that others like and trust your brand, they tend to feel more secure buying your products. The same goes if you have buzz and hype around your brand with your UGC campaigns – people always want to be “in” and be up to date with popular trends. This will also influence them to purchase your products to see what the hype is all about.
It’s Cost-effective
Creating original content is very expensive and time-consuming. But UGC is provided by your customers, often at little to no cost. And if you have a relatively big customer base, you get a steady stream of UGC. It will save you some time and resources instead of consistently coming up with new content ideas to produce.
It’s More Engaging
UGC campaigns are more fun and exciting than typical branded content, as they promote community participation and interaction. Customers love the chance to have their opinions seen and heard by brands and take part in fun contests or challenges.
Where can you get User-Generated Content?
UGC can be sourced from various platforms and channels. Some key places to look are:
Reviews and Ratings
You can find reviews for your brand on your website, e-commerce platform, social media pages, or even on review websites like Google My Business, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Trustpilot, or Foursquare.
Of course, these are industry-dependent. A travel lodge can find reviews on TripAdvisor or Airbnb, a mobile app can find reviews on Google Play Store or Apple Store, and a restaurant may find reviews on Zomato or their delivery platforms.
Encourage your customers always to leave reviews and ratings as much as possible. You can even incentivize them by offering a small discount, coupon, or freebie in exchange for a review.
Unboxing and Try-On Videos
You may think that only influencers make these videos, but that is not the case. People love unboxing and showing off their purchases. Tons of people do this even if the product is not sponsored. You can check out your customers' social media pages, YouTube, or even your e-commerce platform to see these kinds of videos.
Social Media
Social media is probably the richest source of UGC. Make sure you constantly monitor mentions of your brand, products, or hashtags. There are tons of social media listening and monitoring tools that can make this easy for you.
You can also encourage people to leave reviews and feedback by using branded hashtags or tagging your official accounts. This can help organize and consolidate all their posts.
Meal kit company Hello Fresh encourages its customers to share social media posts about their cooking and tag them under #HelloFreshPics. These photos are then featured on their website.
Aerie also does this by having their customers mention their account or use the hashtag #AerieREAL with their photos.
Contests and Hashtag Events
Instead of waiting for customers to provide you with UGC, you can prompt them to do so by launching contests, giveaways, and other hashtag promotions.
To launch a successful UGC contest, it’s important to know your target audience. What kind of challenge will they like? What kind of activity appeals to them?
Let’s take a look at Trader’s Joe. They recently ran a “Pizza Party Recipe Contest,” in which customers were to come up with a pizza recipe using only seven ingredients that can be found at Trader’s Joe. Winners will receive a gift card in return.
This contest appeals to their target audience, mainly foodies and aspiring chefs. They received tons of submissions on their TikTok and Instagram accounts. The winning recipes are also featured on their website:
Meanwhile, some brands that have a predominantly younger audience prefer doing fun trends and challenges on TikTok since that will fit in with their audience’s interests more. While brands that have a more professional brand identity will make a simple comment or share giveaways for access to webinars and ebooks.
Conclusion
User-generated content is one of the most effective marketing strategies as it helps brands boost their credibility, provide their customers with relatable and authentic content, and boost engagement and interaction with their community. By harnessing your customer’s voices, you’ll be able to take your business to the next level.
