What is UGC?

UGC stands for User Generated Content. It’s all in a name, right? User-generated content is any kind of content created by a consumer and shared across multiple digital platforms. It is more than just a picture/review from one of your customers, it is equipped with feedback, questions, ideas and opinions related to users’ experiences with your brand. 

User-generated content is a trending topic at the moment in digital marketing. It has increased the ability of global brands to capture their target audience’s attention like never before and we are convinced that all businesses, big or small, can benefit from the advantages UGC has to offer.

Keep reading if you want to find out the main benefits of using user-generated content in your brand’s content strategy.

5 main benefits of UGC 

• Build trust & reliability

92% of consumers trust UGC content more than standard advertising content. Consumers trust the words of other people most, over the marketing messages of brands. In fact, 9 out of 10 people make an online purchase decision based on the recommendations of other consumers. That is why featuring consumer-generated media can help you build brand trust and reliability. 

• Boost conversion & encourage engagement 

A very important benefit of UGC and also one that all marketers and brands are looking for: conversions. Nowadays, online shoppers have become brand advocates. This means that what users share about their experiences with a brand will impact the revenue and success of that brand. 

79 percent of online shoppers state that UGC highly impacts their purchasing decisions. Moreover, brands saw a 25% increase in conversions when effectively using UGC content instead of professionally taken ones. These numbers make it clear that having a positive UGC for a brand will lead the consumers towards conversions.

In terms of engagement, UGC can also do the trick. Using UGC in online ads can generate up to four times higher clickthrough rates and up to a 50% drop in cost-per-click.

• Stay top of mind

Just imagine your ideal customer scrolling through Instagram or Facebook filled with other advertisements and different content types. What do you think will make them stop scrolling? The same old professional brand created content or content created by a familiar face. You already know the answer and that is what makes user-generated content so strong and impactful.

31% of online shoppers say advertising campaigns that include UGC are more memorable than traditional advertisements. We see a clear shift in the digital world towards staying top of mind. UGC content has resulted memorably in the eyes of online shoppers as they see their peers in brands’ advertising campaigns and find relatability to them. 

Valuable content in an easy & efficient way

It is not always easy to create good and valuable content. If you are ever running out of content ideas, why not turn to your consumer base? By using your consumers’ creativity, you can put in minimal effort and establish a regular online presence and drive traffic to your website in an efficient way. Thousand of heads are worth more than one, right?

This way you are also able to lift some workload of your internal content team so you can redirect your efforts into other important aspects of your business. It saves a lot of time in content creation and leads to maximizing returns on investment.

• SEO benefits

As the cherry on top, UGC also benefits your website’s SEO. There are multiple reasons why user-generated content in your advertising can help your website rank higher on Google. 

First of all, UGC can increase your site’s dwell time. Since UGC content is more appealing to the general public, they will automatically spend more time on your website. Dwell time is one of the important factors Google takes into consideration when determining your website’s user experience.

Secondly, UGC reviews can be rich with keywords related to your brand which will directly help your brands’ SEO ranking. 

Finally, showcasing customer review scores in your website rich snippets might help your website rank higher on SERPs and increase your CTR.

A small side note: Despite all the great benefits of UGC listed above, we recommend you need someone to supervise the UGC before it gets published. In order to make sure all imagery is in line with your brand values & DNA.

Keep in mind: Brands who are using UGC to deliver real and relevant experiences to their target audience, are the ones who are gonna win shoppers now and in the future.

Curious about integrating UGC in your content strategy & looking for a partner to help you in your digital marketing strategy along the way? Don’t hesitate to contact us!