As social media and mobile marketing evolve, brands need innovative ways to connect with their target audience. Gone are the days of driving engagement and revenue with generic ad campaigns led by the hottest celebrity. To stay relevant, brands must build a loyal community of buyers or at least create consistent and enticing social media content to grab (and keep!) the attention of potential consumers. Recently, brands have turned to user-generated content (UGC) to serve as a mobile “word of mouth”, allowing consumers to hear the sentiments of influencers or users with whom they identify.
User-generated content is rooted in authenticity. As younger generations become increasingly distrusting of big brands, UGC is an opportunity to connect directly with consumers. UGC changes the narrative from “this brand doesn’t know me, but is trying to convince me I need this product or service” to “someone like me or is using and enjoying this product or service”. In addition to driving engagement, utilizing UGC can boost a brand’s reputation by building trust and creating an online community.
Brands may use UGC as an entire campaign within their respective channels, through hashtag challenges, or simply by reposting content from their consumers, like the Glossier post pictured here. Other popular examples include GoPro’s YouTube channel or Starbucks’ “White Cup Challenge”. GoPro’s YouTube channel, almost entirely made up of user-generated videos, showcases different ways the product can be used and its features, like underwater capabilities and durability during extreme sporting events or activities. The Starbucks’ challenge acts as inspiration for consumers to purchase a Starbucks beverage to participate. Even if the consumer doesn’t post their cup, Starbucks generated revenue, and at no expense. With UGC, consumers and brand loyalists are encouraged to directly engage with the brand, helping the brand spread awareness without impacting their marketing budget. In return, consumers have their content shared for thousands or millions to see. Informally, they are acting as brand ambassadors. UGC can also supplement an existing marketing campaign where the focus lies on the product’s features. This way, consumers see the “facts” from the brand and the “rating” from other consumers. This is similar to GoPro’s approach.
Considering UGC’s effect on a brand’s reputation, awareness and consumer perception, marketers should utilize the strategy in areas besides social media. For example, creating email marketing campaigns with personalized subject lines and authentic content stemming from users, marketers can see additional success and impacts on purchasing decisions. Additionally, using UGC with social commerce can further entice social media users to make purchases directly in the respective app. Since social media operates on such a personalized algorithm, using UGC will further engage consumers by showing them authentic ads for products they’ve previously searched for or are interested in. As social media and mobile marketing evolve, brands will need to use UGC in increasingly engaging and distinctive ways.
Sources:
What is User-Generated Content? And Why is it Important?
Leave a Reply