User Generated Content

According to statistics from Crowdtap, Millennials believe that user generated content is 20% more influential than a brand’s own marketing, as well as 35% more memorable and a whopping 50% more likely to be trusted.

Interested? Here’s your guide to UGC, on us:

You’ve most likely already figured out from its name but UGC is essentially anything on the Internet that users have made themselves. The majority of the content you see online will be user generated, specifically on social media. UGC is basically anything that isn’t made by a brand, but there are many positives to using UGC to your brand’s advantage.

There are many different types of UGC, the list can go on and on, but the most popular include reviews, podcasts and social media posts.

Took a selfie with your Starbucks this morning? That’s user generated content. Posted a glowing review on TripAdvisor about your breakfast? That’s user generated content. Posted a blog about your ‘Top 10 Favourite Bars’? You guessed it, that’s UGC.

Several brands like to repurpose user generated content as a marketing strategy by sharing posts made by customers across social media. Fan art inspired by a brand or even just a simple image of a restaurant’s dish can work wonders on encouraging custom; if someone who isn’t getting paid to post about it is doing it anyway, it must be good.

Not only does your brand benefit from the advertisement of the posts but sharing them again yourselves creates a bond with the customer, promoting loyalty to the brand.

It’s not only social media, but using glowing reviews from sites such as TripAdvisor in a campaign or in a magazine advertisement can be much more effective than using a review from a critic. Customers want to know what the average person thinks, not necessarily just a reviewer, before buying a product.

Social media is a frenzy for UGC. Facebook is an obvious choice mostly due to its popularity amongst a very wide range of people, and being able to create a page for your brand can encourage it to be tagged directly in any reviews or photos made by users.

Another great option is Instagram as it is #1 for photo sharing. Everybody knows someone who has to take a photograph of their food before they even touch it – this is exactly why restaurants, cafes and bars in particular need to be on Instagram, you will never need a photographer.

Honourable mentions go to YouTube (for video reviews), TripAdvisor (for brutally honest reviews), Twitter (for images, videos and shoutouts) and Pinterest (for lists and compilations).

If you’ve been searching for UGC relating directly to your brand and you’re struggling to find it, that’s okay, there are ways to encourage it amongst customers.
Offer your customers something in return for photos, videos and reviews, and the UGC will come flooding in.
For example: ‘Take a photo of your favourite *enter brand name here* cocktail, tag our page in it, and get one for free’
‘Tell us about your 5 star experience with our hashtag, and be in with a chance of winning a meal for two this Saturday night’
Struggling to get the audience for contests and offers? Don’t worry, you can essentially fake your own user generated content until you get it for real. Do some research into UGC, look at posts everyday, and create your own using the same style.

There are no excuses to not get stuck in to user generated content. There’s nothing to lose and so many benefits to gain, so why not start now?

To find out how Eazi-Apps can help your business leverage an app with UGC contact us today.