If you head to AirBnB's instagram, you will see a profile that boasts 4.7million followers and a feed filled with destinations and lodgings. If you did not know already, 75% of AirBnB's content is purely User-Generated Content. They have reported in February 2020, that their UGC drives 80% engagement on the platform.
What is User-Generated Content (USG)?
User-Generated Content (USG) is any content that has been created, published or submitted by a user of a brand, rather than the brand itself. Content can range from; images, videos, reviews, testimonials or social media posts.
Why is UGC so successful?
User-generated content isn't another marketing fad, it's been about for a while. Have you ever visited a restaurant after seeing the food on a friends Instagram story? Your decision was influenced by UGC.
As reported by AdWeek, 85% of users say visual UGC is more influential in their decisions than brand-generated photos or videos.
Authenticity
UGC brings authenticity to a brand's voice. 92% of consumers trust recommendations from others, even people they don't know, over branded content (ExpertVoice, 2020). Gone are the days where a billboard or a TV advert can sway a customer to a brands favour. Nowadays a customer will look at reviews, social media and Youtube to make up their mind.
Engagement
Shopify has found ads based on user-generated content see 4 times higher click-through rates than those that don't use any UGC.
When Starbucks encouraged their customers to draw all over their white cups in their first White Cup Contest, in just under three weeks 4,000 people took part. People entered using a hashtag, posted on their own social media feeds and submitted to Starbucks website. This shows how ready and willing people were to engage with the brand. In turn, Starbucks had thousands of creative content.
Cost Effective
The cost of hiring advertising teams, creative teams, studios, lights and cameras, add up. With UGC, you have access to a wealth of assets. None of which you have to pay for.
River Island and USG
#ImWearingRI is a campaign set up by UK retailer, River Island that encourages their customers to take a picture or a video of them wearing their products and use the hashtag or upload the content to their website.
This campaign has seen River Island increase their conversion rates by 184% and a 44% increase in order value.
How to find UGC?
Search Social Media
Customers may be already tagging you in their personal posts or using brand-associated hashtags. This makes it easy to find User-Generated content, check out your tagged photos or search commonly used hashtags.
Sometimes customers do not tag your company on socials so it's a good idea to check out some of the following:
- Product reviews
- Search YouTube mentions
- Look at tagged locations if you have a brick-and-mortar store
- Use Google Analytics referral tracking
Incentivise users
The opportunity to be featured on your website could be incentive enough for some but sweetening the deal with a giveaway, contest or prize could help. Fantastic Furniture gives their customers to win a $250 voucher every month when they share their purchases.
Ask for it!
If you don't ask them, how will they know? Implement a call to action on your website or on social media, outline details that you want included. Give your customers clear guidelines, if they know what to do, they're more likely to do it.
Don't forget
It is very important to ask for permission to use UGC, just because your brand is tagged or mentioned, it doesn't mean you automatically have a right to use it. Make contact with your customer and receive permission, remember to take a screenshot or file away this consent. And when possible, give credit to the creator, it's not necessary - but your customers will appreciate the mention. It will encourage others to share their content with you. User-generated Content is a great and cost effective way to boost engagement and help your brand stand out. There's endless ways to use USG, not just on social media. You can use it on your product catalogs, showcase on your website and create campaigns around them.
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