How user generated content affects your brand & customer engagement

User generated content (UGC) is giving your brand the opportunity to convey the message to a new potential customer. It’s efficient due to the fact that the brand message it’s not coming directly from the brand. Today individuals are starting to trust more referrals over a brand talking about how great their product/service is. But, you’d still need to talk about the quality of your products/services to the public and make it attractive so that the audience can connect with.

Focusing on more user generated content is a great way to acquire fresh new content, and generate more revenue for your business. Some of the most impactful content may come from your customers in the form of hashtags, positive reviews, photographing your products and sharing them on social media. UGC is actually any form of content about your brand generated by your audience and posted on social media platforms.

But, what are the benefits of UGC for your brand? With our experience at Social Media Boutique Agency we’ll cover just that.

Well, first of all, UGC heavily impacts customer buying decisions. It has the ability to impact what, how, when & why customers purchase from your brand. It’s also seen as an honest review given by real customers and this can influence another customer to make the purchasing decision. Especially now when new customers decide to do social research on brands before deciding to actually purchase. And the content shared by brands is not enough to influence their decision, they now find content created and shared by fellow consumers more valuable, and research that first. They want to dig deeper into a brand before making a commitment to purchase.

Secondly, UGC is highly relevant for every brand, and seeing as more people base their decision to purchase on this type of content, you as a brand/business can eventually determine what products suit the needs of your customers.

Thirdly, with user generated content you’re reaching a wider audience in a short amount of time. And the audience you’re reaching is actually within your target demographic, thus, increasing the number of potential customers.

We’ve discussed the benefits of user generated content. But, as the title suggests, how does it affect your customer engagement? We’ve briefly talked about that, so we at Social Media Boutique Agency will get into it more:

User generated content increases trust

UGC increases brand awareness and popularity among customers and potential customers significantly. UGC also fosters consumer trust by providing recommendations from people (influencers) they can trust with their opinions.

Increases authenticity

Letting the customers steer the marketing message creates a connection between the brand and audience. Invest in user-generated content campaigns where real people can recommend and use your product to reinforce your brand's core message and eventually improve conversion rates.

Increases dialogue

Brands can directly ask their customers what they want thanks to social media platforms. Such conversations allow businesses to continuously learn from their customers and improve the customer experience. Customers feel good about contributing to a brand they care about when they are encouraged to provide feedback.

User generated content helps you collect data

Focusing on user generated content helps you find out which platforms your audience is most responsive on, discover important demographic information, and pinpoint important problems & needs. Giving you a more sense of who your target audience truly is.

And to answer your question, yes, user generated content does drive sales. It adds a sense of authenticity to your brand, it drives traffic to your website, and increases conversions. Simply put, user generated content elevates your brand & content.

While most marketers are trying to control the freedom that comes with user generated content, it’s best to just be a part of it, and encourage your audience to create content in form of contests, hashtag campaigns, and a chance to be featured on the official brand profile. It might seem scary as you're not fully controlling the content that gets associated with your brand or business. But, given the experience of the Social Media Boutique Agency, user generated content is the sure way to boost engagements, get real-time feedback, have more brand advocates, and create a stronger brand identity.

Are you ready to add user generated content to your content strategy? Let’s chat about it:

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