5 Reasons to Add UGC Marketing to your Strategy
In a world driven by consumer choices and recommendations, User Generated Content is a familiar way for consumers to advocate for products they love. Consider all the products you use each day, and of those products, which ones you’d recommend to a friend, co-worker, or colleague? We all are, in some way, advertising for a brand.
UGC taps into this sentiment of consumers being the brand advocates – authentic content is the result. TikTok has been a prominent player in this arena.
While the purpose of UGC is to connect to an organic audience, it is no small feat. UGC is an art all of its own and requires a sourcing strategy that pairs brands with the best UGC creators for their products.
How is UGC different from Influencer Generated Content (IGC)?
Influencer Generated Content is the big sister to UGC. Influencers have huge followings and connections with their audience. They’re important when we need to tap in with a creator who has built a niche community that the brand can access. They are often more refined and curated and have built trust and impact that can expand a brand’s reach if it’s the appropriate partnership.
While Influencer Marketing is still very relevant and essential to the digital market, UGC brings a fresh perspective to social advertising strategies.
Here are 5 reasons to consider adding UGC marketing to your advertising strategy.
1. It brings an authentic POV.
Imagine a friend raving about a product they love. Now, imagine that friend is also your brand's advocate. A great UGC creator can speak to a brand organically. These creators are just like you and me, and this instantly builds a level of trust and familiarity that is effective in helping customers convert.
UGC creators often share their experiences, stories, and unfiltered opinions. This transparency allows potential customers to relate and connect emotionally with your brand, making them more likely to take the desired action, whether it's making a purchase, signing up, or sharing content. It's not just a promotional campaign; it's a genuine endorsement from people who genuinely love what you offer.
Here's how to build an effective user-generated content strategy.
2. It provides an opportunity to extend your reach to a diverse audience.
The beauty of UGC is its diverse nature. Not only can we source creators from different backgrounds, niches, and talents, but that relatability can easily transfer to an expanded audience that maybe wouldn’t learn your product otherwise.
Moreover, UGC is inherently shareable. When customers share their UGC with your products, they become brand ambassadors, introducing your brand to their followers, who may belong to different demographic segments. This organic spread helps you reach audiences you might not have been able to access through conventional marketing efforts.
3. The numbers don’t lie—UGC is growing...and working.
UGC isn’t going anywhere; it’s projected to grow annually by at least 29.4% and according to Entribe, 86% of consumers trust a brand that optimizes UGC creators over Influencer Marketing.
We’re also seeing this trend. In 2023, about 75% of our clients added UGC to their existing channel mix, and they’re getting great results.
Our Growth and Creative team recently worked with a sustainable packaging client to implement UGC and saw an incredible uptick in performance—our top-performing ad achieved an outstanding Add to Cart (ATC) while maintaining an incredibly low cost per ATC.
When further reviewing the performance in Google Analytics, TikTok, specifically, delivered impressive conversions in only 30 days, and TikTok Event Manager recorded competitive complete payment events during the same timeframe. With all this success, we took the extra step and white-listed the top-performing creative content to reach a wider audience.
More on using TikTok for business growth here.
4. UGC offers a range of creative opportunities.
One of the benefits of UGC is its versatility and range of creative opportunities. Creators can construct content that is unique to their niche, audience, and platform. By collaborating with creators, brands can tap into this diversity and reach a wider range of potential customers.
UGC is not one-dimensional. This diversity of content not only keeps your brand's messaging fresh and engaging but also allows you to adapt to different marketing channels.
By working with an agency like BMG360, you can tap into a versatile angle of creative across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, etc., based on company needs. This allows for a more targeted and effective approach to UGC marketing.
Our rolodex of creators can produce across niches and we actively source new talent based on brand needs.
5. It helps you save your coins.
UGC is more cost-effective for brands. Unlike traditional Influencer Marketing, due to its industry accessibility, creators don’t have to have an established community to create UGC. This accessibility empowers brands to leverage authenticity, influence, and reach without breaking the bank.
User-Generated Content is not merely a marketing trend but a transformative strategy that can drive substantial results for your brand. Embrace UGC marketing's authenticity, diversity, and cost-effectiveness to create a compelling narrative around your products.
