The people behind our growth

User-generated content (UGC) is a kind of content that is created and published by unpaid contributors. Usually, those contributors are followers who promote a brand rather than a brand promoting itself. UGC may be a content of any type, including social media posts, images, website pages, blogs, and testimonials.

Clearly, UGC campaigns have been a consistent player in the marketing world because they have been so successful.

But why are they so successful? Why do brands turn to their audiences to share their products instead of designing their own ads?

People Don’t Trust Marketers

In the past years, the number of sleazy marketers has grown to unparalleled heights. The average consumer is no longer impressed by pushy sales tactics.

Rather, they desire stories, they demand connection, and they demand communication with other humans. In reality, we’ve been purchasing into UGC content for centuries, but there are media platforms now that makes it more convenient across the globe.

UGC Puts Customers Front and Center

Customer-orientated companies are on the rise as businesses regularly have to keep up with the evolving trends of their consumers. In this fast-paced, digital world, attention-spans can be snapped away within a second. If brands aren’t focusing solely on their customers, their customers will simply discover another brand that is.

Online users have become increasingly knowledgeable in knowing which businesses are using tricky marketing tactics, and which ones are being transparent and genuine.

It Creates a Community

Members should also feel like they have influence over the community, an element that UGC puts on the table.

Shared emotional connection drives through UGC, too.

It’s Authentic

63% of consumers stated they would prefer to buy from a business they consider to be authentic over a competitor. Authenticity is essential in today’s digital world. Consumers are no longer passive, led by TV commercials and billboards. But how do they choose from whom to buy? They prefer brands that have similar values as them, brands that they can interact on a human level.

The ROI is High

Brand engagements have risen by 28% when customers are presented to a blend of user-generated content and professional marketing content.

For example, Starbucks urges its consumers to doodle all over white Starbucks cups and share their images as entrants for a competition to win a limited edition Starbucks cup. Nearly 4,000 consumers submitted entries in just a couple of weeks, showing that people were prepared and ready to employ with the brand.

It’s Cost-Effective

UGC is all about the customers creating content for you. They’re free, and they do it for multiple reasons, whether it’s to share their expertise, develop a relationship with like-minded people, or to be in with a possibility of winning something.

This, certainly, is considerably more affordable than forking out thousands or millions for prime time TV commercials and billboards.

The beauty of user-generated content is that the customers run the show, while marketers don’t have to exhaust their budget on campaigns that might or might not perform well.

In such a fast-paced, ever-evolving digital landscape, content demands to be on-trend and quick. Rather than spending millions and months coming up with an advertising campaign that may be backdated by the time it eventually airs, UGC marketing enables brands to stay on the ball and stay popular with their customers. Brands can consistently be in touch with their consumers, which indicates that they remain at the forefront of minds.