WHY INVEST IN USER-GENERATED CONTENT?

It’s authentic, cultivated, easily shared, cost-effective, and created outside of the brand sphere. AND 90% of purchasing decisions are led by user-generated content now.

The cult of celebrity influencers has faded and has been replaced by content created by regular people. User-generated content now generates 7 times the engagement than brand created content. If you want to move forward on the road to success, you need to build a sense of community within your consumer base. Millennials don’t just buy into a product, but the experience it provides. Starbucks doesn’t just sell a banging cup of cappuccino, but a lifestyle. Kapish? So the goal is to create a community that your audience loves, and it will bring results. If you build it, they will come. Isn't that right, Kev?

So what does all this mean? Basically, you need to start building a community. Remember Rome wasn’t built in a day, so the sooner you start, the better. Let’s break it down:

• BUILD A COMMUNITY. LinkedIn or Facebook groups are the best places to start, with the infrastructure in place to easily nurture an audience, with effective admin tools at hand.

• INCENTIVIZE. Though the opportunity to create may be incentive enough for some people, anything extra you can add to sweeten the deal could make all the difference. Throw in discounts, prizes, etc.

• MAKE IT SHAREABLE. There is no point in investing in UGC if it's not easy for your customers to share. We live in a visual world, so consumers want items that will make great visuals. If your brand products look good, people will be more willing to use them in UGC.

• PLAN A STRATEGY. Again, there’s no point in getting extra content from your users if you don’t use it effectively. Share it on your channels, to bring the best content to the forefront of your audience.

To get an idea of its importance, look at the rise of TikTok. It’s the biggest emerging platform on the planet right now and consists entirely of UGC. The rise of this unique and niche network shouldn’t come as a surprise. People are no longer looking for large communities, but the relevant ones. Less noise, more genuine engagement.

So what should you take from this? What UGC content has over any other content is true engagement and a lot more brand advocates. This is due to raw, uncensored content accompanied by the character and belief of the content creator itself.

Make it one of the most valuable investments (and also one of the most affordable) for your marketing strategy this year. Thanks for reading.

Yours ethically,

Click Ethical Blog Squad