Reinforcing Brand Advocacy through User-Generated Content

How can User-Generated Content (UGC) help your business build loyal brand advocates?

Do you use your brand fans to boost your marketing impact?

User-generated content (UGC) is one of the most effective ways to connect with customers and create loyalty for your brand. It helps brands create authentic, relatable, trustworthy, and audience-resonant content.

According to a searchlogistics.com report, 79% of people say UGC content highly impacts their purchase decision. This is likely because UGC is seen as more authentic and trustworthy than traditional marketing.

Brand advocacy is the goal of every marketer, and UGC is one of the best ways to achieve it. Customer-created content becomes far more credible and influential than anything you could create.

In this article, we’ll discuss how to harness the power of UGC to create an army of loyal brand advocates.

Some case studies

Let’s kick-start this journey with some case studies.

Airbnb

A beautiful Instagram feed makes Airbnb stand out. They effectively use their platform to share photos of the houses they offer. Noticeably, they have over 5 million Instagram followers; what else is left to say?

In addition, they use Twitter to engage their customers by sharing UGC. The latest idea they came up with asking their followers to share their experiences using Airbnb, especially when they bring their pets. A record 3 million pets visited Airbnb last year, which is epic.

*The image is a screenshot of the Airbnb Instagram feed

Adobe

To promote creative designers and artists, Adobe, the world’s leading provider of design tools, came up with the brilliant idea of using the hashtag #AdobePerspective. Adobe invited creative designers to showcase their skills through videos f the Adobe tools, such as Illustrator, Photoshop, etc., and share their original artwork.

This is an exceptional example of UGC for companies with ingenious target audiences. Adobe’s Creative Cloud program showcases these artworks under the Global Creators label.

Adobe saw this as a fantastic chance to interact with its target audience. They also use this content to highlight the vast capabilities of Adobe products.

*Adobe’s Creative Cloud program showcases these artworks, under the Global Creators label.

Go Pro

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs includes recognition, which falls under esteem.

GoPro capitalized on this with their UGC strategy and created nearly an endless stream of ad content.

The action-camera brand came up with a photo of the day contest. Every day, they would post the best photo submitted by their users.

With over 18.8 million followers on social media, this contest creates a long-term engagement, and it’s even active today.

To snag a shot, GoPro customers created the highest quality content. As a result, the company has an almost endless supply of content at no cost.

*The image is a screenshot of the GoPro Instagram feed

Mama Earth

The Indian skincare and makeup brand Mama Earth is an excellent example of how UGC strategy works wonders. By telling an emotional story about a brand that is Asia’s first “Made Safe Brand”, they build an emotional connection with their audience.

With every order, they planted trees for their consumers, which delighted them and led them to become their advocates.

They then created a community of brand advocates by hosting events, workshops, and meetups. Mama Earth builds brand loyalty and advocacy by building solid relationships with its customers.

“Mama Earth Mommy Song” was a contest held by the brand, where consumers could upload videos with kids singing the song.

Their #MamaearthMummySong hashtag gained over 9 million mentions, including on Instagram and TikTok. This user-generated social media campaign created a buzz and received nearly 1200+ entries.

This is an amazing example of UGC marketing by Mama Earth.

*The image is partly a screenshot of the Mama Earth Instagram post

Why do user-generated content and brand advocacy coexist?

Brand advocates are essential to a business’s success. They are people who are loud about their enthusiasm for your brand and are passionate about it. They not only support brand promotion, but they also foster brand loyalty and trust.

As a business, appreciate their support lso recognize them in whatever way possible. Brands that use UGC as a part of their marketing strategy can see a big boost in their brand advocacy.

Blending UGC and brand advocacy in your marketing strategy can be used as a powerful weapon to stay ahead of your competition. UGC can serve as social proof and help build trust with potential customers.

Featuring genuine customer feedback is an effective way to promote themselves, as it can create a more authentic and relatable message than traditional advertising methods.

As a result, when customers endorse a brand, it can generate greater brand visibility and exposure, increasing customer loyalty. Resultantly, we can see it in your increased sales revenue.

By encouraging and leveraging the power of UGC, brands can tap into the power of their customers to help promote the brand and drive business growth.

Dos and Don’ts of UGC

Many marketers are unaware of how to use UGC responsibly, morally, and legally in a digital environment with complex copyright regulations.

Let’s look at some do’s and don’ts that companies should know when using UGC to enhance their brand reputation.

Do:

• Reward customers for sharing experiences with your brand.
• Businesses can share UGC on their website, social media channels, and other marketing collaterals.
• Always seek consent when using someone else’s content, and be sure to give credit.
• Respond to UGC and engage with your customers.
• A brand can use UGC in various formats, such as videos, images, and text, to appeal to different audiences.
• Have a legal process in place to get permission before publishing UGC.
• Keep reviewing UGC regularly to ensure it aligns with your brand’s value.

Don’t:

• Don’t use or edit UGC without the creator’s permission.
• Don’t use UGC that is offensive, discriminatory, or violative of any laws.
• Don’t use UGC for commercials without taking the permission of the creator.
• Don’t delete or ignore negative feedback or comments from the UGC.

Available Tools for generating UGC

92% of consumers worldwide say that they trust reviews and recommendations from friends and family more than any form of advertising, According to Nielsen’s Global Trust in Advertising report.

So why not make the most of the UGC? Let’s look at some tools and platforms you can use to collect and curate this content:

• Social media platforms: Social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter allow customers to share their experiences and in return generate content for your brand. User-generated social media marketing is an easy feat nowadays you can ask consumers to include branded hashtags, run contests, and offer incentives.
• UGC platforms: TINT, Hootsuite Streams, and Social Native formerly Olapic; these platforms allow businesses to organize and manage User Generated Content. These platforms are designed for collecting and curating UGC for your brand.
• Surveys and polls: Companies can also use surveys and polls to collect customer feedback and use it on social media and websites.
• Review sites: Reviews and Ratings can also generate great content for brands and can be used as UGC.
• Email campaigns: Sending out emails and asking customers to share their experiences can also be an effective way to collect UGC.
• Influencer marketing: Influencers are the new stars today. People want to be like their favorite bloggers: eat at the same places, buy the same clothes, and whatnot. They share content that has a powerful impact. Influencer-generated content is the best way for a brand to communicate with its target audience because the influencers showcase products in their own unique style.

Brands must ensure they have the legal right to use any type of User Generated Content by getting permission from the content creators.

How to turn your customers into Brand Advocates?

Brands can easily convert customers into advocates by going the extra mile for them. They are already your happy and satisfied customers — now is the time to sweep them off their feet and make them spread the word for your brand. Here are some tactics you may use to convert your customers into devoted Brand Advocates.

• Respond to customer inquiries and concerns: When customers feel the brand values their opinions and feedback. Brands that actively seek customer feedback and take action based on that.
• Embrace social media:: Encourage customers to discuss their personal interactions with your company. Share consumer testimonials, reviews, and feedback on social media.
• Deliver valuable content: Consumers like content that might be useful to them. Create instructive how-to guides, product evaluations, and blog pieces so customers can share them.
• Appreciate your audience: Always let your clients know how much you value and appreciate them. Simple gestures like personalized thank-you notes or exclusive promotions for loyal customers can go a long way in building strong relationships with your customers.
• Welcome customer feedback: When customers feel the brand values their opinions and feedback and actively take action based on the feedback, the chances are more that they will follow the Brand.

The above strategies will help a brand create a loyal customer base. They can be brand advocates and promote the brand to their friends, family, and followers.

Conclusion

In the present digital landscape, UGC and brand advocacy go hand in hand because consumers are more likely to interact with and trust a business when they see positive experiences shared by their peers.

UGC can serve as social proof and help brands to build trust with potential customers. And brand advocacy can lead to increased visibility and reach. As a result, it increases sales and loyalty from customers.

By using UGC, brands can make their content stand out; also, by doing so, they can even build a strong social media presence and a loyal audience. Brands can get creative and explore new ways to engage their audience.

Don’t wait any longer and start now. Let the examples in this post inspire you!