4 Ways to Use UGC in Marketing

User-generated Content (UGC) is a powerful marketing tool that you can use to build trust, attract attention, overcome objections and more. Let’s take a closer look at the 4 ways to use UGC in marketing to convert more leads, customers and sales.

4 Ways to Use UGC in Marketing

What is UGC and Why is it Effective?

User-generated content or UGC can be almost any brand-oriented content created by another person, not the brand itself. It might be text-based reviews, videos, pictures, blog posts and much more. We’ll get into the types of UGC and the ways to use UGC in marketing in a moment.

Since most consumers don’t trust advertising and marketing, content created by other consumers is often more engaging. Most consumers trust reviews and testimonials by other consumers as much as they would trust family and friends, and much more than they trust advertisements or other marketing content. This means using UGC in marketing can help to make your strategy more effective.

Keep in mind, it’s important to use UGC in marketing the right way. Before using another person’s content, always ask for permission. Make it clear how you are using their content, and get their permission in writing.

1. Repost to Social Media

Social media is one of the most common ways to use UGC in marketing. Hundreds of brands have created powerful social media profiles by leveraging UGC. Images and videos are most popular for this, making Instagram and YouTube the go-to platforms for UGC in social media. Using UGC in social media can help you save time filling your social media content calendar, while also highlighting content from your followers and fans.

GoPro may be the most famous effective user of this strategy. They’ve created a YouTube account with millions of subscribers and billions of views, mostly by reposting users’ videos. With a focus on adventures, extreme sports, and video content, GoPro naturally lends itself to this UGC in marketing strategy.

Your product doesn’t have to be exclusively video-oriented to be effective on social media. AirBnB has created a highly impactful Instagram account by sharing snapshots of users’ experiences. To effectively leverage this UGC in marketing strategy, encourage your customers to share their experiences on social media. Make the content easy to find by encouraging users to use a particular hashtag.

2. Use in Advertisements

Most of us have learned to tune out ads. Though advertisements can still be effective ways to build brand authority and awareness, it’s harder to make a believable product claim. Leveraging UGC in your advertisements can help make product claims more convincing, and demonstrate social proof.

There are many ways to go about this. There are as many different types of UGC as there are types of advertisements. Here are a few to consider:

• Try incorporating a text or star-based review into an online display ad. With ad-targeting, you can even display a five-star review to a customer who’s already viewed a product page before.
• Integrate a user video into a YouTube ad to capture customers’ attention faster and increase conversions.
• Use audio content from a testimonial in a radio or podcast advertisement to show social proof.

3. Add to Product or Services Pages

When a customer visits a product or services page, they’re usually considering a purchase. They may have some doubts about the product’s effectiveness or questions about how a particular service works. Reviews can help to resolve customers’ common doubts, questions or objections. This is a great way to use UGC in marketing that can help to increase conversions and sales.

Patagonia is one of many brands using this strategy. On their products pages, they include helpful data from previous buyers, such as the size and color the customer bought, as well as what type of activity they’ve used it for. This helps to give the reviews context, and addresses questions potential buyers may have about the product’s fit or ideal usage.

4. Feature in Your Blog

If your blog is an active part of your marketing strategy, you can also use UGC here. There are many ways that other bloggers or consumers may write about your products or services. They might do a general, long-form review of their experience, try out similar products and compare them, do a profile on your business, or something else. This type of UGC is ideal to share on your own blog.

To find this type of content, use tracking tools like Google Alerts. This will tell you when your business name or another keyword you specify comes up anywhere online. When you find relevant blog posts featuring your business, product, or services, ask to guest post the content. Or, you may come across similar posts that don’t include your business. Ask the writer to include you, and tell them that you will feature their post if you do.

There are many ways to use UGC in marketing strategies. You can use this to save time, so you don’t have to curate content by yourself, and also show consumers’ trust in your business. By using UGC at the right touchpoints, you can maximize your impact on potential customers and drive more leads and sales.

Posted in: Social Proof