In the past, in the world of marketing, the sender of the advertisement spoke and the recipients listened. Today, the relationship between sellers and buyers has changed dramatically. Thanks to the Internet, we said goodbye to the imbalance in the communication pattern. The monologues were replaced by dialogues, and what the client says has become sacred. Why? Because User Generated Content pays off. What is more exactly and how to use this tool in your marketing strategy?
What is User Generated Content?
This is content created voluntarily by users, not by brands. They can take various forms: from various types of texts, through photos, to video materials. According to the definition, they must be at least partially creative. And… that’s about it when it comes to the concept of User Generated Content (UGC). So as you can see, it’s a very broad definition.
What forms can the UGC take?
User-generated content can take many forms. The most
typical ones include:
– posts in social media – e.g.
comments under brand entries on their fan pages, reviews or creative responses
to marketing
communication,
– entries on internet forums,
– reviews on review websites,
– vlogs,
– blog
entries on topics related to a given brand.
Thus, they can be all kinds of forms of Internet users’ expression, which are somehow related to brand communication.
Why is User Generated Content profitable?
Take a moment to think: how do you make purchasing decisions? What works more for you: an ad that promises you that product X is the best in the world? Or maybe a user’s comment on the brand’s fanpage or on the portal with opinions, reliably indicating the advantages and disadvantages of a given solution? What is more reliable for you? What content are you looking for? This is why UGC is so important. Below we present the most important advantages of this type of content.
Credibility
As research shows, 92% of people
are inclined to believe the opinion they hear from a person they know, and as
many as 70% consider the opinions on the Internet to be credible. What does it mean? A genuine message from a
“normal user”, not a marketer, is much more credible than an
advertisement.
Naturalness
Who else believes that the ads
present a true picture of reality? The traditional ones
are widely recognized as sweet and exaggerating the benefits of the products.
No wonder – it is part of their “poetics”. But how with authenticity? This one is much
bigger in reviews and other product content that users create. Hence the popularity of photo sets in the style of “expectations
vs. reality”, where the photographs from promotional materials are
compared with those made after the purchase of the product (e.g. a hamburger in
a chain store or online clothes). Hence, more and more
ranges are building blogs with reviews and channels of this type on YouTube.
Huge influence on customer
purchasing decisions
User-generated content can be the
proverbial last straw – the element that will push the customer towards the
checkout process. This is highly likely, especially if it
belongs to the target of the brand and is initially interested in a given
product. This is also confirmed by research – as many as
80% of respondents agree that the UGC has a significant influence on decisions
regarding the purchase of specific products.
Support for image-building
activities
UGC can fulfill all functions
related to building a brand image – it informs about its existence, arouses
interest in products, creates positive associations and builds a strong bond
between the consumer and the company. These relationships
are not purely “business” – especially since a lot of user-generated
content is generated by emotions (both positive and negative!). So they build long-term commitment.
The foundation of inbound
marketing
… and therefore “inbound
marketing” – a model in which customers come to the company themselves
and create hype around it. It is a much more effective
form of acquiring a permanent group of recipients – those who are faithful and
come back again and again, attracting new customers.
Relatively low cost
In the case of UCG, it is difficult
to clearly estimate the expenses that must be incurred to generate interest in
the products and the willingness to share related content. Other
expenses were incurred by, for example, Coca-Cola, creating beverage packages
with personalized labels that very quickly became online and offline stars, and
another company that created a simple Instagram contest. One
thing is certain: skillfully (and honestly!), A casted rod will produce a
response and will bring profits in the short or long term.
Strengthening SEO activities
In the world of positioning
“content is the king”. However, not the first
better content, but one that has real value for users. Google’s
algorithms no longer focus solely on the number of repeating keywords in the
content. Yes, it is still important, but not the most
important. Currently, naturalness, user-friendliness and
usefulness of the content count. Therefore, if, for
example, users post links to a brand’s products on their profiles in social
media or blogs, the chances of a higher position on the ranking list
increase significantly.
A great source of feedback
The goal of each company is to
create products that will be willingly bought by customers from a specific
segment. And it’s not you, but your recipients know what
they expect. Yes, you can try to create their needs and
point to available solutions. But you also need to listen
to the feedback received, and not only to your praise, but most of all to your
criticism. The UGC is a good source of such information.
Often, it is in the comments and reviews that you can find
valuable suggestions that allow you to change your operating strategy for a
better one for customers and for the company.
This shortened list of benefits that can be drawn from User Generated Content shows that it is worth taking care of its creation.
How to build User Generated Content?
At first glance, this question – in the context of the definition of UGC – may seem bizarre to you. After all, it’s about content that is created by the users themselves, isn’t it? Yes, but… not really. You need to create an atmosphere that will be an impulse to share impressions / experiences and thoughts.
Think for a moment: what products would you be willing to tell your friends about? What do you recommend them? In what situations do you want to take the time to prepare a review of the hotel where you happened to be? There must be specific emotions associated with these experiences.
Also remember that people who will be willing to create a UGC are a very diverse group. It will include both those who will share only negative feelings – in order to complain, and those who want to present their assessment to the “whole world”. There will also be those who will simply offer advice, e.g. in a Facebook group or on a thematic forum. Some of them can be encouraged to create a UGC, some will motivate themselves.
But how can you influence the frequency of UGC generation?
Contests in social media
It’s a simple way to add hype to
your brand. Prepare a competition for users in which you
will offer them valuable prizes, e.g. for preparing a short post related to
your products. You can also reward them for writing the
most interesting review, creating a photo related to the imposed topic, short
story, poem … The more creativity you unleash, the better the entertainment.
Sometimes the opportunity to read and see the products of others
becomes a greater reward than the material ones!
Encourage to leave a review
Until some time ago, it was mainly a solution
recommended for online
stores – here customer opinions have long been more important than the
lowest prices. Today, however, e.g. due to the way the
opinion system on Google works, Internet users are looking for reviews of
almost everything. Starting from restaurants and bars,
through entertainment points, offices, shops, to tourist places. That is why it is worth encouraging your customers to leave a review.
How? You can simply ask them for it – for
example, by handing out a leaflet encouraging them to rate them or by sending
an email with a suggestion. You can also offer an
additional incentive, for example in the form of a discount on subsequent
purchases.
Warning! Don’t just reward those who leave the maximum rating and delighted reviews! Let us say it again: honesty and authenticity are the secret of the power of User Generated Content.
An offensive post on social
media
If you have a large enough social
media followers base, asking an interesting, offensive question will be a
straightforward way to get a huge amount of user-generated content.
Sometimes a simple question about how their day is going is enough. In other situations – a serious question for an opinion on a matter related to the brand’s activity. But be careful! Such discussions can get hot! Therefore, moderation is needed. Don’t forget: “moderation” does not mean deleting unfavorable comments, but e.g. reacting to hate messages and answering questions that will be asked of you!
Interacting on social media
channels
On your social media profiles,
comments may appear regarding the experience of working with the brand or a
specific situation that caused emotions in the user. You
cannot leave them unanswered – just like those relating directly to the post.
What are the answers that generate the UGC? They contain open-ended questions – ask and encourage recipients to “open up”. It is also worth choosing a looser style of communication – especially in response to negative comments. If you approach them with a grain of salt – your answers will become the subject of discussion by themselves. And that’s the point!
What to avoid when creating a UGC?
There are many ways you can inspire your audience to create content related to your brand. Remember! You have to do it in a thoughtful way. Avoid:
– over-encouraging commenting and sharing – if it appears too often and too intrusively, it will discourage more than encourage creativity and interaction,
– artificial “crowd-making” – yes, you can think about subtle moderation of the discussion, but it is not worth doing it incognito. It is definitely better to communicate openly and honestly on behalf of the brand (or through its ambassadors) than to pretend to be ordinary users. False notes will be quickly detected, and the action will lead to defeat, not victory,
– publishing UGC without the consent of the creator – for example, if you receive an e-mail with a positive opinion about the company, before making it public, ask if you can do it. The same applies to creative works sent to competitions and other corporate events. Ask for permission to publish, preferably in writing, and only then brag about what you got,
– creating campaigns aimed at building User Generated Content among people outside your target group and in a style that does not match your brand – after all, the ultimate goal of such communication is to build a specific image among specific recipients.
