What is User Generated Content?

User generated content is like gold. It helps to spread the word about your brand while cutting through the noise on social media by appearing more genuine and authentic than branded content. That’s what makes it so powerful. But beyond re-gramming fan photos on your Instagram, how can you make the most of the user generated content you’re collecting for your brand? We’re going to talk you through how you can get maximum impact by using your user generated content more strategically, while increasing your conversion game in the process. 

 

What is user generated content? 

User generated content is content centred around your product or brand that is created by your audience. This includes social media posts and videos that they upload and tag you in, or even reviews and testimonials. Your customers might be inspired to do this because they love your brand or product and want to tell their followers about it, they’re hoping to get featured on your social channels, or because they’ve had a genuinely great experience want to show their support by leaving a review.  

From a marketer’s point of view, user generated content is a gift. It can help increase brand awareness in a way that’s truly authentic, fill out your own content calendar, and provide social proof. So, how can you make the most of user generated content? 

The right content at the right time 

We recently posted an article all about digital marketing funnels. Marketing funnels work by capturing new leads and guiding them through your sales funnel, gradually warming them up so that they’re primed and ready to convert when they reach the bottom of the funnel. This process works best when it feels organic and natural to your customers, and delivering the right content at the right time is key to achieving this.  

User generated content can be super effective when used in the middle of your marketing funnel. This is when customers are in the consideration stage of the customer journey. They’ve recently learned about your business, and now they’re considering whether your product or service is the right option for them. They’re starting to do more research, and they want to know why they should trust you over your competitors. Trust is key here, and there’s no better way to gain trust than with authentic, user generated content.  

Use it in your retargeting ads: 

It’s likely you’ll be retargeting your middle of funnel customers with ads on social media. User generated content is perfect for these ads. These customers are still wary of being sold to, so using imagery or videos from genuine customers adds an air of authenticity, as your new leads can see how much real customers genuinely love your product or service. In fact, a study from Jukin Media found that ads using UGC had 73% more positive comments on social media, and 31% of customers found they were also more memorable than traditional ads. We think those are pretty promising statistics! Another great reason to use UGC in your ads is that it helps them blend into the newsfeed more than slick, branded content, decreasing the risk of your customers scrolling straight past.  

Use it on your website:  

Customers who are considering making a purchase or engaging your services are likely to be doing some in-depth research on you and your competitors. So, make sure you have user generated content available on your website for them to find during their research. This should include product reviews, or testimonials from your most loyal clients. If your product is visual, you could even include a gallery of customer photos placed somewhere strategically on your website, like via a link on the product page. Australian nail polish brand Kester Black do a great job of combining reviews and customer photos by incorporating visual reviews on their product pages. This allows people shopping to get a better idea of what the nail polish colours look like, while also reading about how much other customers love them. And it gives Kester Black access to some great visual content to repurpose in their ads or on their social media feeds! 

Use it in your email nurturing sequences:  

If you have any longer client success stories or case studies, incorporating them into your nurturing email sequences is a great way to build trust with customers who have entered your sequence via a top of funnel lead magnet. If your new leads are already a few emails into your sequence and enjoying learning about your brand and values, hitting them with a case study or longer testimonials is a great way to provide social proof that people love what you have to offer, exactly when they’re ready to hear it.  

How can you get user generated content? 

If you don’t already have user generated content built into your strategy, it’s definitely something we recommend focusing on in 2021. These are a few ways you can start gathering UGC:  

• Create a branded hashtag and remind people to use it. Regularly mine this hashtag for content.   
• Run a contest that requires people to submit their own photo or video or review or your product to enter.   
• Share the user generated content you already have. Some customers get a kick out of seeing their favourite brand share their post, so seeing you share UGC might prompt them to upload and tag you in their own post. 
• Ask! Particularly if you have a list of loyal customers, they’ll more than likely be happy to come to the party with photos or reviews. Identify your most loyal customers and send out an automated email for them to respond to with their reviews or images. 

Once you have a pool of user generated content, you’re ready to beef up your conversion strategy by incorporating it strategically into your marketing funnel! If you’re looking for other ways to enhance your lead generation and conversion efforts in 2021, get in touch with the WCM team! It’s our specialty 😉  Or to get started now, click here to  download out FREE user generated guide today!