As the pandemic drags on, Australians have been left with an increase in scepticism, causing consumers to be more belief-driven and increasingly seek authenticity from brands. This has enabled the rise of user-generated content (UGC) to capture consumers’ attention like never before.
If leveraged properly, UGC can be a huge asset to businesses by influencing how people engage and perceive a brand to obtain revenue generation and business growth. With lead generation and benefits that no other marketing strategy could bring in, it’s evident why more than 86 per cent of businesses utilise UGC as part of their marketing strategy.
What is user-generated content?
User-generated content refers to any form of original, brand-specific content created by individuals and re-published across digital platforms, such as images, videos, reviews, testimonials or podcasts. For example, UGC may be an unboxing video of a product on TikTok or a photo of a customer wearing a brand’s clothing item.
So why should you consider UGC, and how can you effectively leverage it for your business?
1. Build a trusting bond
An astounding 93 per cent of consumers trust consumer content to make their online purchase decisions more than content created by brands, signalling UGC as the perfect strategy for businesses to boost their trust and reliability score.
With consumer scepticism at an all-time high, people are making their purchase decisions on the recommendations of family and friends. Therefore, showcasing real-life experiences of consumers through UGC creates the honest and personal recommendation that people seek, with no sales pitches to wade through.
2. Boost conversions
UGC plays an integral role in a buyer’s journey by acting as authentic social proof to speed up the purchasing process and ultimately increasing your brand’s conversions by 8.5 percent.
UGC is a huge influencer of consumers’ online shopping behaviours, as users who have been exposed to UGC at some point are 85 per cent more likely to shop the product from online stores than those who have encountered branded content.
What a user communicates about your brand will impact the revenue and success of your business, therefore indicating the importance of positive UGC and excellent customer experiences.
3. Showcases authenticity
With a fierce competition for audience attention, brands must fight to be seen on digital platforms as buyers grow more selective about the brands they interact and purchase from. 90 percent of consumers say authenticity is important when deciding which brands, they like and support, making the time to invest in authenticity driven marketing now.
Avoid faking your user-generated posts or campaigns, as audiences will quickly sense the false sentiment, which could result in your brand reputation going down the drain. Ensure your UGC always comes from either your customers, brand advocates, or employees.
4. Cost-effective
UGC allows you to introduce a new online marketing strategy and helps to scale your business, all whilst being cost-effective. By investing in a UGC strategy your business can aggregate rich content, without having to invest in the costs of hiring professional photographers and models.
Connect with your audience and you can discover a wide variety of unique content from an array of sources. Most will be excited to be featured on your channel(s), meaning your business no longer must spend hours or capital brainstorming and developing new content for your audience.
With these benefits, it’s clear how advantageous user-generated content is for a business in any industry. Consumers are searching for authenticity and trust from brands, therefore, it’s time for your business to jump on the UGC bandwagon and capture a share of the growth opportunities.
