Dove, a beauty and personal care brand, launched an online campaign for greater representation, body positivity, and diversity in the beauty industry. By incorporating a UGC campaign into their strategy with Project #ShowUs, the brand was able to engage audiences across 39 countries. The campaign’s immense success garnered a reach of 1.6 billion, with over 20,000 users participating in the hashtag movement.

User-generated content (UGC), or consumer-generated content, is the future of online marketing, especially on social media. It refers to content in any form – text, image, video, etc. – that is created by the consumers of a brand to showcase its products. Through UGC campaigns, brands are able to drive maximum audience engagement and impact. 

Traditionally, user-generated content (UGC) has been a focus for brands that market to consumers directly and usually involves content that consumers create themselves—typically by those who simply love the product offerings of the brand. However, in recent years, B2B companies have increasingly deployed UGC in their marketing strategy and expanded the scope of user-generated content. Employee-generated content is becoming a highly effective way for brands to expand their reach and influence.  

Why is user-generated content important for marketers?

User-generated content impacts purchasing decisions for 79% of online consumers. There are numerous benefits of user-generated content for marketers to incorporate into their marketing strategies. Here are a few facts on user-generated content to consider:

• Maximize their visibility among their consumers’ network across social channels 
• Humanize their brand.
• Drive trust and brand loyalty of consumers
• Position the brand as more authentic and relatable.
• Generate higher ROI due to the effectiveness of user-generated content. 

Identifying vital contributors of user-generated content and the types of format

While brands initially relied on their consumers to drive their UGC campaigns, with B2B companies entering the foray, the scope of contributors to user-generated content has expanded. It now includes

Consumers: As direct end-users of a brand’s offerings, consumers serve as authentic product marketers and reviewers. In fact, 83% of consumers believe that businesses with user-generated reviews on products and services on their landing pages are more trustworthy.

Employees: Employees of a brand can provide a glimpse into the company’s culture or the brand’s story through user-generated content. As in-house brand advocates, employee shared content gets 8 times more engagement than content shared by brands.

Brand loyalists: Loyalists are long term users of a brand and swear by its product offerings. Brand loyalists provide detailed insights into the products and the brand itself. They help in instilling trust among consumers and loyalty towards the brand.

Influencers and content creators: Creators are increasingly vital to brand awareness and outreach, as they drive a substantial amount of content on social media platforms. Through their relatable and expertly crafted content, creators form meaningful relationships with their highly engaged audience.

With an understanding of where UGC fits into a brand’s marketing strategy and its key contributors, it’s time to look at the types of UGC available. There are three types of content that can increase brand awareness and boost sales:

1. Visual UGC (Photos and Videos): Visual content is the most common type of UGC and also the most engaging. When a consumer shares a photo or video of a brand’s new product on social channels, they’re creating visual UGC. The power of social media has propelled product promotions online with 85% of consumers finding visual UGC more influential than brand photos or videos.

2. Testimonials and comments: Testimonials and comments are generally posted after a product has been purchased by the consumer. Brands can utilise consumer comments in their marketing materials as a testament to their product or campaign success. The key to using testimonials and comments is to establish the reliability of the brand and assist potential consumers through valuable and insightful feedback from existing consumers.

3. Reviews: A significant 64% of consumers not only strongly consider online reviews, but they also actively seek them out before making a final purchasing decision. UGC reviews on brand’s product description or on its product page aid consumers at the bottom of the funnel to make an informed decision before purchasing the product.

5 facts about user-generated content that marketers must know

1. User-generated videos are consumed more than branded videos
Despite brands producing high-quality videos on their products, consumers are 10 times more likely to view consumer-generated videos on the same product. The shareability and relevance of videos play a vital role in engaging and educating consumers about a brand’s product.

2. User-generated recommendations are highly effective in driving consideration
A massive 92% of consumers choose to buy only user-recommended products and 84% of consumers ignore direct advertisements. User-generated content acts like word of mouth and plays a critical role in influencing consumers in the final stages of their purchase journey.

3. Improves brand engagement and drives awareness
Approximately 50% of consumers become aware of a brand through UGC rather than advertisements. Furthermore, consumers that interact with brands online via ratings and reviews or questions and answers are 105% more likely to make a purchase on that site. User-generated content, therefore, has a significant impact on driving both brand engagement and awareness.

4. Social media is the driver of online shopping for young consumers
Millennials and Gen Z together represents the largest consumer group. As Gen Z comes of age, they’re reshaping the world of online sales, with a whopping 97% of them using social media as their primary source of shopping inspiration.

5. UGC is low in cost and high in ROI
Brands that incorporate user-generated content on their websites see an 18% increment in revenue. User-generated content add credibility and value to a brand at no cost, which inherently lowers the brand’s overall marketing costs. With higher profit margins and reduced overhead costs, brands can achieve high conversions and return on investment.

However, building a marketing strategy around user-generated content is more than creating customer-centric content. For a marketer, it is essential to ensure a brand’s UGC campaign is aligned with the brand’s broader digital marketing goal. In this regard, Huella’s partner Jukin Media is here to help. It enables a wide range of licensed user-generated video content that marketers can utilise to engage with millions of users across streaming TV and social media.

Jukin Media provides brands and marketers access to its library of over 80,000 videos with new and trending content added daily. As a trusted provider for major TV networks, brands, publishers and social influencers, brand marketers have much to gain by partnering with Jukin Media for their brand’s outreach.

Sounds great? If yes, consider partnering with Jukin Media to fulfil your brand’s UGC strategies. 

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