UGC: how to use them for your brand?

UGC can be a valuable resource for your business because it allows you to create trust and engagement in users, establishing a direct link between brand and consumers.

It is essential to understand how to exploit them effectively, because incorrect management could prove to be a problem for the success of your business. Let’s find out together how best to integrate them into your marketing strategy!

The acronym stands for user-generated content, which we can define as any material created and published spontaneously by users on social media, on a website or any other channel. We want to emphasize the ‘spontaneity’ of the action, i.e. that there should be no direct solicitation from brands or payments behind these creations. In fact, their key element is authenticity: personal experience with a product or service represents trust and credibility.

This content can include product reviews, social media posts, videos, images, blogs, and testimonials. A common example of UGC are customer reviews on platforms such as Amazon or TripAdvisor, where users share their experiences and opinions about products and services. Other examples include photos of users using a product and sharing them on Instagram with the brand hashtag, or videos on YouTube where users review and discuss products.

UGC can benefit SEO by giving crawlers more information to understand what pages are about and whether and/or how relevant they are to users’ search intent. However, Google warns us that it is not always all sunshine and roses.
The main problem is that much of this content can be spammy, duplicate, of low quality and not entirely positive for the brand.

Just think how much a negative review can alert a potential customer, the same goes for comments on social media that are increasingly out of control.

Happy tips: there are a few tips to avoid problems on your pages, such as recruiting moderators, regularly reviewing content, using a CAPTCHA or publishing a content policy to clarify what you can and cannot publish.

After this short introduction, let’s find out how UGC can help your brand!

1. Authenticity and trust: UGC is perceived as more authentic than content produced directly by the brand. Most consumers trust online reviews written by other users as much as they trust personal recommendations. This authenticity increases the trust and credibility of the brand.

2. Social proof: The concept of social proof is fundamental to marketing. Users tend to trust experiences shared by other customers, which can positively influence purchasing decisions. This effect is enhanced when content is shared on social media, increasing engagement and loyalty.

3. Fresh and relevant content: UGC provides a constant flow of fresh and relevant content that search engines appreciate. Google, for instance, favors fresh and authentic content, which can improve a website’s SEO ranking.

4. Saving time and resources: using UGC allows companies to save time and resources in content creation. Instead of producing entirely new articles or posts, companies can curate and share content created by their users, maintaining high activity on their channels without an excessive investment of time and money.

Reviews and testimonials are a powerful form of UGC. Encouraging customers to leave feedback and share their experiences not only improves your online reputation, but can also increase organic traffic to your website.

Being active on social media is crucial for collecting UGC. Consistent posting and interaction with the audience can incentivise users to create and share brand-related content. The use of specific hashtags facilitates the collection and organization of UGC.

Organizing competitions that stimulate the creation of UGC can be very effective. Offering prizes for the best user-generated content not only increases interaction, but also creates a library of valuable content to be used in future campaigns.

In conclusion, UGC is a powerful tool for brands to improve trust, increase engagement and provide authentic and relevant content. By using targeted strategies, you can turn your customers into true brand ambassadors, generating mutual value!