According to a TurnTo Networks survey, 90 percent of consumers believe User-generated content (UGC) has a more significant impact on their purchasing decisions than advertising emails or even search engine results.
If past marketing campaigns are to be considered, this holds entirely true. User-generated content has immense potential to assist you in your marketing journey. The number of benefits it brings is endless such as user engagement, social presence, brand advocacy, rise in conversions, authentic content, etc.
So to ensure that you reap all these benefits, we have arranged some ideas for you. But before getting onto them, let us understand what user-generated content is.
Explanation: User-Generated Content
User-generated content (UGC) or user-created content refers to the social media content created by users of a particular brand on various social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. User-generated content is in the form of texts, photos, and videos.
User-generated content is appreciated so much because it instantly forms a bond with the new customer since it is created by a fellow user sharing his experience.
Ideas To Use UGC For Your Business
From a plethora of online ideas around user-generated content, we have selected the best that would surely reap all the benefits for your business.
- Social Media Wall
Embedding a social media wall onto your website would work wonders for your business. But what is a social media wall? A social media wall is an engaging representation of user-generated content aggregated from various social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. The Social Media wall serves several benefits, such as
- A social media wall will assist you in combining all of these social profiles and their content into a single feed. This allows you to harness the power of multiple platforms in one location. In addition, it will lead to a boost in your brand reach and awareness to new audiences.
You can display these social media content on your website and digital screens in a form of live Instagram wall.
- User-generated content is a reliable, trustworthy, and authentic form of content. When embedded onto the website through a social media wall, UGC would help you build trust and credibility among the audience.
- Reviews
According to a study, over 70% of customers say they read product reviews before buying something. Reviews demonstrate to potential clients that your services are trustworthy. Ratings and reviews can help you increase website traffic, establish trust, and improve conversion rates. You should encourage your consumers to submit evaluations about your company wherever possible. You can persuade your consumers to submit reviews by giving them coupons, gift cards, reward points, and other incentives. Send them emails with incentive keywords in the subject line to get their attention.
When you receive unfavorable feedback, see it as an opportunity to earn your clients' trust. Show care about your consumers' opinions and experiences by being courteous and responding to each one individually. Remember that positive and negative reviews are essential in making a brand appear genuine.
- Showcase Content From A Variety Of Users
This is an excellent practice for online inclusivity and diversity on a larger scale. Still, it also helps you reach a broader range of potential customers through user-generated content. Encourage a diverse range of representatives in your user-generated content to make your brand and products more relatable to a broader audience and more accessible.
Fenty Beauty, a brand known for its portrayal of all women in its marketing, has launched a YouTube playlist exclusively to Arabic UGC content for its customers and fan base.
Diversity in UGC must be more than a symbolic gesture; it must be ingrained in your approach — so pay attention when it's time to collect your UGC.
- Create A Community
One of the best things about user-generated content is encouraging participation and strengthening communities. Receiving a mention or repost from a brand can be a perfect surprise and joyous moment for customers. According to one study, customers are 51 percent more inclined to engage with and/or purchase from a brand that uses its social media posts in its marketing.
And those shares not only create a connection between your brand and your customers, but they also introduce your audience to new people and content, perhaps leading to viral posts.
As a community manager, you'll need to develop a brand persona and connect customers and advocates. UGC is the glue that holds everything together, bringing new people together through dialogue and connecting them to the brand. It builds credibility in the end.
Wrapping Up
User-generated content, if appropriately utilized, can help you achieve all the benefits that you are looking to harness. The social media wall is an excellent way of using UGC properly, and you can create one using Taggbox. Taggbox has been the leading social media wall creator for some time now, and if you are looking to stand out, you should definitely go for Taggbox.
