Utilising User-Generated Content for Authentic Brand Building

User-generated content is a form of digital marketing content creation where customers of a brand review the products and services of the brand and offer their experiences to other potential customers. It is a way of cost-effective marketing that helps boost the credibility and authenticity of the brand, where customers submit reviews, photos, videos, and feedback on their experiences by using the product or service. By looking at the product descriptions that involve user-generated content, potential customers suspect the product or service is worthy of investing. Let us see how user-created content helps in authentic brand building.

What is UGC marketing?

UGC marketing is an acronym for user-generated content marketing. It is a form of digital marketing strategy that involves publishing original and brand-centric content created by customers to increase brand awareness or establish brand credibility. Such a type of marketing works by leveraging content created by customers or service users to endorse the brand on various digital platforms. As per the process of UGC marketing, businesses and brands encourage their customers to create content and then interact with diverse audiences by sharing it online. Brands incorporate this content as user-generated content into their marketing campaigns. User-generated content includes text, images, videos, reviews, testimonials, social media posts, and more. UGC marketing has gained significant popularity in recent years. The success of UGC marketing is due to its effectiveness in building trust, establishing authenticity, and increasing audience engagement.

How does user-generated content help a brand?

1. Builds brand credibility- Potential customers are more likely to trust the words of existing brand customers. User-generated content, such as feedback and review videos, is authentic and credible proof of the brand’s quality and reputation.
2. Builds genuine authenticity- New brands looking to establish their authenticity must consider UGC. Visual reviews such as product videos and results establish brand authenticity as they act as a more genuine, less biased, and unfiltered view of the brand’s products or services. When customers relate to the brand, it builds trust.
3. Economic marketing strategy- It can be expensive and time-consuming to produce high-quality brand content. User-generated content is a cost-effective alternative marketing strategy where brands save a significant amount of money since customers do the content creation.
4. Expands outreach- When users create content, they share it within their social networks, which helps amplify the brand’s reach to a diverse audience. It increases the chances of lead generation by reaching out to people who do not know about the brand through traditional marketing.

What are some effective ways to use user-generated content?

1. Sharing on social media- Customers post brand reviews by tagging brands on social media platforms using appropriate hashtags built by brands. By reposting user-generated content on the official social media profiles of the brand, with proper credit to the content creators, brands can build credibility among their followers.
2. Localised marketing- Sometimes, it becomes challenging to appeal to diverse audiences and lure them. Businesses and brands wanting to grow globally must look for regional user-generated content to influence local customers.
3. Video marketing- Brands can ask their happy customers to send videos of customers using their products or review how the product or service matches their expectations. Multiple short videos can be combined to create a single video that serves as a positive display for the brand.
4. Featuring customer highlights- Brands must feature positive customer reviews and testimonials on their website, product pages, and social media profiles. It helps in building brand authenticity that can influence potential customers.
5. Product Description- E-commerce businesses can improve their marketing by adding video and photo evidence submitted by users. This way, existing customers help potential customers make more informed decisions.
6. Ad campaigns- User-generated content can be incorporated as a part of ad campaigns for Facebook ads. By creating real customer stories and images, brands can grab maximum target attention by resonating with viewers.

These were a few ways to utilise user-generated content to create brand authenticity and establish brand trust.

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