Jargon Busting: User Generated Content

Another relatively modern one for you in our latest jargon busting blog – though it has been around for more than a decade we still think it sounds like a fancy buzz word to most. It’s on the rise due to social media too.

User Generated Content (UGC) Every thing I read says to make sure you use this.

Make sure you have it in your content plan, it performs better. But, what IS it?

In simple terms it is any kind of content; photos, videos, reviews etc, created by people not brands. The key difference to Influencer Marketing is those people who share content are not paid to do it. Often, those contributors are fans of the product or business who promote the brand instead of the brand promoting itself.

The main reason it works?

It’s authentic.

A good example everyone can remember would be when CocaCola created the personalised bottles. We went mad for them. Sharing pictures of us proudly drinking coke from a bottle with our name on.

There are lots of ways you could get your loyal customers to create content for you. You could ask them to write a review on your social media platforms? You could ask them to share a photo of them when they visit your business or use your product. There’s nothing more powerful than a strong referral – just like word of mouth in the world before everything went digital.

It puts your customers at the forefront of your business. People are more likely to trust other people than standard sales tactics.

Here’s a useful article from Hootsuite.  https://blog.hootsuite.com/user-generated-content-ugc/

If you don’t read all of it, just read this:

‘All of the preceding benefits of user-generated content really lead up to this one: the impact on purchasing decisions. And it’s a biggie. Nearly 80 percent of people say UGC has a high impact on their purchasing decisions.’

If you’d like some help with building a content strategy incorporating UGC, then give us a call.