User Generated Content (UGC) is a great way to build social proof, brand image and customer engagement all at once. There are many benefits to it, and in this post we will look at what these are and how they can be used in your eCommerce strategy.
What Is UGC?
UCG is content that is created by your customers and users themselves. If they enjoy your product or service, they will create content, often shared on social media or similar platforms that demonstrate the customer’s reaction to the product. UGC is a very effective form of social proof, as the customers are so happy with the product or service they have decided to make the content promoting it themselves.
In the age of highly paid marketing campaigns and influencer marketing, many shoppers feel distrustful towards marketing campaigns. UGC bypasses this, as since the users are not paid, the customer can have faith in the advertisement.
Types of UGC can be:
- Social media post
- Social media story
- Short video
- Review
- Youtube video
How To Use User Generated Content In Your Campaigns
So now we know what UGC is, it’s clear why it’s so beneficial to any eCommerce strategy. Once your users start generating their own content, it’s clear you are moving in the right direction and doing the right thing. However, the next step is to learn how to use the content created to benefit your business. Let’s take a look at some of the ways this is possible:
Social Media Awareness
Since a lot of UGC is created and shared on social media, it’s important to make sure that your social media strategy is on top of this. If someone has created a short video or story, it should be shared by your brand. If this clip can become viral; even better. The more people who see the UGC, the better.
Raising awareness over social media is one of the main marketing channels these days. A tutorial or review video made by your customer and posted on their social media can be incredibly useful. Especially for Gen Z, this is the kind of social proof that counts.
Actively monitoring any UCG created relating to your brand, and then making sure to engage and share on your social media is important. This should be a key element of your social media strategy.
Ad Campaigns
When doing ad campaign outreach, don’t forget to include your UGC in this. If it’s already been doing the rounds on social media, and organically gaining traction, why not use it yourself? Creating strong ads that convert can most definitely involve UGC.
They are a strong source of social proof, so instead of reaching customers by the ads you’ve created to put your image across, UGC does the job for you. It shows that shoppers are happy with your products, which is a great way of gaining brand trust.
Product Pages
Adding reviews to product pages has long been established as a good idea. UGC can also apply here. Shoppers look to see other shoppers’ recommendations before making purchases. In some cases, this applies for up to 76% of consumers. Adding UGC to product pages will reassure customers, and help turn their browsing into conversions.
Using UGC in the form of TikTok, for example, can be an engaging and entertaining way to boost sales. It will show your brand image and keep users interested in what you have to offer.
Create A UGC Page
Why not really make the most of the content that customers make? Some of your customers may not be on social media, so they may not be aware of the content that users are generating. If you create a dedicated page on your website, then you make sure that any user who is potentially interested in purchasing, will be able to see what previous shoppers have said.
This is not taking it too far, but rather it’s proudly promoting that you like to keep your customers happy. It also shows the type of person that buys from you, and you can curate this. You can create a sense of community and brand ethos, whilst boosting sales.
Conclusion
Using User Generated Content in your eCommerce strategy is a great way to make sure you keep your customers happy. The customers who have previously made the content will be happy to be included on your site. Those who haven’t yet made purchases will be reassured. This will help create community and boost conversions within your business.