Customers today readily voice their opinion online about your product and services. If you serve them well, they'll shower you with praises. If not, be prepared to face their wrath. Either way, you have an opportunity to hear them out and modify your offerings as per their liking.
Their reviews, comments, social media posts, Q&A articles, etc., all come under User Generated Content (UGC). A report from MerkleyAndPartners suggests that more than 93% of consumers find UGC helpful when making purchase decisions.
User-generated content is original and authentic. Brands can use this content to entrust their audiences, promote their products, and increase engagement.
Types of User Generated Content
1. Social Media Content
People share their daily activities on social media. Be it a hotel check-in, a mouth-watering delicacy, or a new purchase; they share it all. According to BusinessInsider, users post and share around 1.8 billion photos on social media platforms each day.
Apart from photos, social media is filled with tonnes of video and short-video content. With each post, they knowingly (sometimes unknowing too) share their affection towards a brand.
2. Reviews and Testimonials
E-commerce websites have a dedicated section to share product reviews. Positive reviews improve the product's score, and the same also reflects in its purchase recurrence. Apart from e-commerce stores, many websites also feature a comment section where users can express their raw opinion.
Client and consumer testimonials are an integral part of any B2B, B2C brand website. It's in our human nature to trust something which our fellow users also trust. A study from AdWeek informs that UGC increases web conversions by 29%.
3. Live Streams
You can now stream Instagram lives, video calls, etc., flawlessly, thanks to the high-speed internet. These are long-form videos that involve general discussions, product reviews, and more.
Live stream video content is on a constant rise. As per StreamingMedia, video streaming saw a mind-boggling 72% rise between 2018 to 2019.
Benefits of UGC for your Brand
1. Provides Social Proof
You make several promises as a brand to your consumer-base. When people talk positively about your products and applaud your services, you secure the ever-so-important social proof for your venture.
According to HubSpot, more than 50% of users visit a company's website after reading social proofs. An optimized landing page and a converting CTA then take care of the rest.
2. Offers Valuable Insights
You can gain a competitive edge through smart UGC analysis. You get to know what people think of your brand, what they like, and what they don't. With quick rectification, you can expand your market reach to increase the inflow of organic traffic.
A report from Stackla informs that almost 20% of consumers unfollow a brand because it doesn't create authentic content. In-depth user-generated content evaluation offers valuable insights that can help you foster authentic content that pleases your audience.
3. Boosts SEO Performance
Search Engine Optimization helps you increase web visibility. You can offer the world's best services, but when people don't know of your existence, it'll hardly make a difference. Luckily, improved SEO performance is an add-on perk that you get among the other user-generated content benefits.
As per an analysis done by SearchEngineJournal, average web page visits nearly double when it gets customer reviews. So, integrate UGC in your SEO strategy and relish increased visibility in the online marketplace.
To Conclude
Brands often overlook user-generated content because they prefer to continue with their conventional content approach. When you utilize UGC, you improve your brand's authenticity through social proof. However, it is important to implement a profanity filter whenusing UGC to ensure that inappropriate language or content doesn't tarnishyour brand's reputation.
You also get marketable user insights, which help you devise customer-centric content. Your SEO performance also takes a boost as you see a surge in web traffic through a smart user-generated content strategy.
Which user-generated content do you produce the most? Voice your opinion in the comments section. We also accept insightful Guest Posts, and to write one, click here.
