What Is UGC and Why Should You Adopt It?

Have you noticed that companies fill their social media channels with content produced by their customers? This type of content is called UGC (User-generated content) and is predicted to be the future way of marketing oneself on social media, especially for e-retailers. Below I will tell you more about what UGC is and why you should take advantage of it on your channels.

What is UGC?

UGC can be all different types of content such as images, texts, videos, and reviews. The important thing is that the content must have been produced by the users themselves and show how real customers use your products or services and what they think of them.

Why UGC?

But why should you as a company then work with user-generated content? I believe that there are three primary benefits of UGC.

1. Authenticity

Consumers experience user-generated content as more authentic than content produced by brands themselves. Publishing UGC in your channels can therefore lead to your brand being perceived as more authentic. Thus, your brand gains increased credibility and make it easier for users to relate to you and your brand.

2. Increased trust

Regardless of whether your company sells products or services, consumers want to know what they are paying for. The more people’s buying habits become digital, the greater the pressure on brands to be more transparent with what they actually offer. In a survey conducted by Reevoo, 70% answered that they trust UGC more than regular branded content. UGC can therefore help to increase your brand’s trust and make the consumer more confident in making their purchase with you and that you will eventually become their preferred brand.

3. Major impact on customers purchase decisions

Then one of the perhaps most important reasons – UGC has a strong influence on the willingness to make a purchase. As many as 79% say that user-generated content has a major impact on their purchasing decisions. Good user-generated content in your social channels can therefore have a big impact on whether a customer makes their purchase with you or not.

Read more about User-generated content

How to use UGC to sell more

Despite the above-mentioned benefits of UGC, in the end, it is usually one thing that is most important when you run e-commerce, to sell products. And this is possible with a combination of UGC and the smart shopping tools available on several social media platforms.

First and foremost, make sure you choose content from your customers that arouses a desire for your products or services. An example might be if you are an e-commerce retailer of clothing. You can then repost a customer who posted an inspiring picture wearing one of your outfits, or if you are offering weight-loss products, post a picture of a customer before and after. The important thing is to make sure that the image is in line with your brand and that it gives value to your followers. The content then functions as marketing for your product but also provides value to your followers with inspiration on how they can style the garment. Users also get an idea of ​​what the product might look like in real life, which can be a contributing factor to the customer making a purchase decision.

Use shopping tags

To simplify the customer’s purchase price and maximize your sales, make sure you use UGC together with shopping tags that are available on, for example, Instagram. In this way, the customer can see the current product tagged directly in the image, be inspired and get a wish, and then go ahead and buy it directly on the website. The customer does not have to look up the product himself and gets a seamless and simple shopping experience, which can ultimately lead to increased sales.

Implement UGC in your e-Commerce

If you want to take it a step further, you can also start implementing UGC on your website. Consumers are six times more likely to buy the product if it includes images from social media. Therefore, make sure to include content from your customers also on the product page itself, to ensure that the customer completes their purchase.

How to get started with UGC

If your company has not started using UGC yet – the right time is now! Create a hashtag that is unique to your brand and encourage your customers to use it to be visible on your social media channels. You can, for example, send the hashtag when you will be sending out orders or send out an email where you urge customers to use the specific hashtag. You can also organize a competition on your social media where users can win a prize if they upload a picture with your products and use the hashtag.

You can then follow the hashtag and look for content that suits your brand and flow. Also, do not forget to check-in posts that you are tagged in, which users often do to specify where products come from. Also, make sure to keep an eye out if you are mentioned on social media – it is not always users who tag your brand or use your specific hashtags.

Important to remember

Always ask for approval from the person who took the picture before you publish.

When publishing, make sure the person who took the photo is clearly tagged. Most people say yes to being seen to get more exposure, so make sure the creator is visible. This also means that other users see that they can have the chance to be seen and can be inspired to produce their own content with your products or services. Let’s start rocking UGC now!