How to Grow Your Brand with User-Generated Content
Today’s internet is swimming in content. Everywhere we look, we’re inundated with blog articles, videos, social media posts, infographics, photos, and more. It’s been this way for nearly a decade, and people are becoming desensitized to it.
Consumers no longer automatically register brand-generated content as valuable or trustworthy, bristling instead at blatantly “corporate” messaging. Demand is growing for content that’s more authentic and sincere.
Enter user-generated content; customers posting about their experiences online or leaving detailed reviews. If you can authentically encourage and share this type of content, you’ll give your brand a major boost and connect with your audience more genuinely.
Why is user-generated content so valuable?
- Customers trust it. 92% of consumers believe organic, user-generated content more than they do traditional content, such as professionally produced blogs, videos, and ads.
- It’s a major driving force behind buying decisions. 79% of consumers say their purchasing decisions are highly influenced by user-generated content.
- It has more staying power, particularly among younger audiences. Millennials find user-generated content 35% more memorable than other media.
- It helps build a community. The process of asking for and promoting user-generated content initiates interactions with your audience, which naturally builds and strengthens relationships with your followers and customers.
Creating user-generated content effectively
Reviews
Reviews are the bread and butter of user-generated content and are often the first thing people turn to when considering your brand. A massive 92.4% of people admit they are more likely to make a purchase after reading a trustworthy review.
Always ask your users to leave feedback; it doesn’t take much more incentive than a quick follow-up email thanking a customer for their recent purchase. You can also generate reviews by offering customers a future discount or other added value in exchange for leaving their opinion. Even if only a small percentage of your customers end up leaving positive reviews for your business, that’s serious social proof that drives markedly higher revenue.
- Vans constantly encourages and sources content from their audience. By featuring customers’ Instagram posts, Vans essentially creates a user-generated catalog that they feature on their website. Visitors can easily relate and picture themselves “in someone else’s shoes,” motivating them to make a purchase, snap a few pictures, and get featured themselves.
Video content and photos
Internet users watch an average of 16 hours of online video per week, and that’s still not enough — 86% of online audiences want to see more visual content from brands they like. Photos and videos are a tremendous driving force for sales among young people; 50% of Gen Z and 49% of Millennials say video and photo content has influenced their purchasing decisions.
- VEC, a Timelapse client and leader in construction technology, features 2–3 minute videos on the interactive portion of their website, dubbed VEC Frontiers. These short, shareable clips give clients engaging, digestible content that promotes their business and updates industry professionals on emerging developments.
Creating your own visual content is by no means a bad start. User-generated photos and videos, however, are orders of magnitude more powerful. Leverage social media campaigns to encourage satisfied customers to share photos or videos of themselves speaking about your product, ideally incentivizing them with promotions or advanced access.
- Branded events are a great way to start generating more organic shares across social media. Timelapse works with Bikes Make Life Better to organize an annual Bike Forum promoting sustainable transportation solutions. With informative panels, interactive workshops, and stunning graphics, there’s plenty of shareable content that can start conversations on Instagram or Linkedin
If you’re lucky enough to find your audience sharing photos and videos of themselves promoting your product on social media unprompted, be sure to retweet or share the content in your own feed while constantly encouraging customers to tag your brand in new posts.
Social media contests
In case we haven’t driven the point home so far, social media is your brand’s best friend. It’s also the perfect medium for competitions that combine user engagement with the rush of luck and rewards.
Hashtag contests encourage your followers to share their feedback tagged with a specific phrase. This method can snowball into a highly visible stream of user-generated marketing that multiplies your brand reach, with new users piggybacking on the content of existing customers.
Organizing simple sweepstakes competitions is equally simple and effective. Just ask users to share particular content like photos, videos, or reviews in exchange for a chance at exciting prizes.
The bottom line
User-generated content can be an incredibly influential strategy, leveraged to earn publicity, generate trust, and expand an existing customer base. It’s a vital part of any modern, comprehensive marketing plan.
To discover how Timelapse can help you grow your brand with user-generated content (in addition to other powerful marketing techniques), get in touch with us today.
