Benefits of User-Generated Content For Your Social Media Strategy
User-generated content (UGC) is becoming more prominent. You’ve likely seen a company or brand post content directly from their consumers onto their social media accounts. According to neonbrand, 25% of the search results for the world’s biggest brands are linked to user-generated content. Utilizing user-generated content can provide first-hand testimonies from consumers of your brand and have multiple benefits to add to your social media strategy.
The Benefits of User-Generated Content
Establish Authenticity
Consumers are more likely to trust the promotion of a product from other users as opposed to the brand itself. According to Nielsen, 84% of consumers say they trust peer recommendations above all other sources of advertising including celebrity endorsements. An added perk of posting user-generated content is it comes from everyday consumers instead of paying influencers and celebrities to endorse the product. Having various consumers post about your product can help give your brand a sense of authenticity.
A Variety of Content for Social Media Pages
Once you receive a steady influx of posts from your consumers, you then have a diverse assortment of content. This is a clear advantage of UGC because sometimes it can be challenging to find consistent, meaningful social media content to post. Marketers can struggle with issues such as lack of time to create and identify content, insufficient social media budgets, and tailoring content to specific social media platforms. The help of user-generated content can provide your brand with a variety of genuine content for your social media presence.
Develop a Relationship With Followers
Developing a system of posting user-generated content presents an opportunity to engage with your followers on a routine basis. It allows you to comment and like posts related to your brand. UGC will incentivize followers to post about your brand or products in hope of landing a spot on your social pages. In turn, you can see which users post about your brand and gain insight into your target audience.
UGC also gives consumers a concise understanding of the products they hope to purchase. There can often be numerous questions consumers ask before purchasing a product. User-generated content simplifies the purchasing process for consumers because they are able to see firsthand experiences and opinions from other users of the product before making a decision.
Examples of Effective Use of UGC
Airbnb
The vacation rental company, Airbnb, does a great job of taking advantage of user- generated content. This has proven to be an efficient strategy for them. According to Pixlee, 80% of Airbnb’s Instagram engagement comes from user-generated content. It is clear that Airbnb values UGC heavily. “ Your community, your customers, are the best marketing asset you have,” said James McClure, GM of Northern Europe at Airbnb. Today, Airbnb’s social pages are filled with user-generated content that highlight the various locations in which they offer vacation rentals.
GoPro
GoPro is another company that has realized the potential of UGC. It could even be considered simpler for them given the nature of their brand and products which literally create content. They offer an extended variety of photo and video cameras. There is an overwhelming amount of content posted by users they can choose from. According to Gorilla360, there are roughly 6,000 GoPro videos posted online each day. This recent post shows the capabilities and luxuries of the product through content from a customer.
Takeaway
If utilized properly, user-generated content could be the key to adding to your social media strategy. The UGC visual content company, stackla, indicates that 79% of people say user-generated content highly impacts their purchasing decision. Furthermore, you can use UGC to establish credibility, build trust with your audience and engage with your followers to stand out in a packed marketplace. Don’t delay making your first steps to becoming UGC aficionados.
