The How and What of UGC

Happy Friday 👋

In this edition of Lucid Insights, we are talking all about User Generated Content (UGC).

What it is and how it can support the growth of your business.

Let’s dive in! ☕️

Creating content can, at times, feel overwhelming.

Trying to keep up with all the trends… it never ends.

But wouldn’t it be nice if your audience made some of your content for you? Well, that’s exactly what happens when you leverage the power of UGC.

So what is UGC exactly?

It’s pretty much what it sounds like… Content created by customers or users of a product or service. (Opposed to content created by the brand itself.)

This is important because having a strong social presence is crucial, and UGC has the potential to work wonders for your brand awareness.

How?

By turning your audience into your very own social advocates.

But before we hop into that, let’s talk about some of the main forms of UGC that you should be familiar with.

Reviews

One of the simplest forms of UGC is reviews and testimonials from your happy customers.

They come in written form or can be shot in video format.

One of the best places for your reviews to live is right on your website next to the product or service you are offering. This way, prospective customers can see that previous buyers are satisfied with their overall experience.

Reviews are a great way to build trust, and you will see throughout this post that reviews can be found just from someone talking about their personal experience with your business.

This brings us to the next form of UGC…

Social Media Posts

Anytime your customer or audience makes a social media post talking about your business, this is UGC.

It is a fantastic way to increase your brand awareness because anytime one of your customers snaps a picture, records a video, or writes a post that features your brand, you are likely reaching a larger audience of people who fall into your ideal target audience.

This is a good thing 👍

Blog Posts or Articles

Unlike most social media posts, which are typically shorter more digestible forms of content, some users will go the extra mile and dedicate an entire blog post or article to your brand or product.

This is great because not only will it support your SEO efforts, but it does even more to help your brand reach more customers. Some people prefer to read through a more in-depth account of someone else’s personal experience to help make a buying decision.

Comments and Discussions

Comments and discussions can easily be found in places like industry-specific forums or Reddit.

This is where someone will ask directly for someone to relay their experience and address any concerns they may or may not have.

Again, this is another angle that builds credibility for your brand.

Hashtag Campaigns and Contests

Not only are hashtag campaigns and contests an effective form of UGC, but it is one of the simplest ways to inspire your audience to take action for you.

UGC is great, but people taking the initiative to do so on your behalf is something that will ebb and flow.

That’s why offering your audience a chance to win something in exchange for sharing a piece of content with a specific hashtag is a great way to get the ball moving.

Okay so now you have a pretty good idea of what UGC is and know that it can come in a variety of formats.

Now let’s look at the top reasons why UGC is great for audience growth and brand awareness.

Starting with…

Authenticity.

When real people share their real experiences with your products or services others get to see an unfiltered look at what is offered.

This adds a layer of relatability that would be nearly impossible to achieve through your typical campaign.

Brands that utilize UGC can:

• Build trust

• Engage their community

• Provide compelling social proof

• Spark and spread creativity

Credibility

Nowadays, there are many instances when a consumer is looking to solve a problem but finds that there are countless solutions to choose from.

All of these options can be extremely overwhelming.

This is why one of the first things a lot of people will do is search for reviews or testimonials, and why you should ensure that those reviews are easily found throughout your social media channels and on your website.

This will provide social proof that you deliver on your promises.

Engagement

Every business and brand wants to grow its audience, but you can only grow so much on your own.

This is why UGC is so helpful. Especially in this day and age.

The more your audience creates content using and about your product or service, the faster you will grow and the more people you will reach.

It will also encourage people to engage by asking questions, conducting further research, and sharing with their friends.

Cost-Effective

This should be pretty obvious, but UGC is quite a cost-effective way to market your stuff.

Creating high-quality content can be quite expensive.

Whether you are hiring an agency like ourselves or paying someone internally, creating content costs a significant amount of time and money.

But, when your customers do that work for you, you get to sit back and enjoy all of the above benefits.

Quote of the week ✍️

Tired of content bottlenecks holding you back? Lucid Media helps brands tell better stories and grow audiences faster.