Have you ever noticed yourself watching user product review videos on social media? Hearing a consumer’s real and honest experience of a product is like a trusted recommendation from a friend. This is ‘User-Generated Content’ (UGC) and brands have been leveraging it for years. But what if brands could employ consumers to create UGC and amplify their voice even more? Enter UGC Creators.
What is UGC?
User-generated content (UGC) traditionally refers to content created by everyday people (real users) that is shared spontaneously with brands. The content includes videos, photos, testimonials, reviews, or anything a consumer publishes online. With permission, brands can share this content on their platforms and in their marketing campaigns. UGC stands out from brand-produced content as it’s authentic, transparent, and trustworthy.
Consumers love hearing about other people’s experiences with a product and prefer making a purchase decision based on a recommendation from someone who’s tried it, than from branded advertising. Brand-produced content can often feel too ‘salesy’ or overly promotional. People don’t trust brands, and they often don’t trust marketers.
What is a UGC Creator?
A UGC Creator is a content creator who gets paid by brands to create content that looks like organic UGC. Each creator has their own style, which allows brands to choose the best fit for them. Brands are shifting how they communicate on social media. The role of the UGC Creator was born to provide brands with more opportunities to post meaningful content on their platforms, rather than traditional brand-produced ads.
How is a UGC Creator different to an Influencer?
Influencers promote brand’s products to their large social media follower base. UGC Creators don’t need followers as the UGC they create is being shared on the brand’s platforms, not their own. Essentially, UGC Creators are freelance creators producing content on behalf of the brand.
How authentic is UGC that’s produced by a creator?
If UGC is valued for being real and authentic, isn’t UGC that’s produced by a creator deemed fake? What’s authentic about the content that has been paid for? As a brand, it’s important to acknowledge that UGC creators produce content that ‘looks’ like UGC. It’s not true organic UGC, but it can still work well as part of your content strategy.
For your UGC-created content to be successful, it’s important to work with creators who align with your brand and would genuinely use your product. This way, the creator can be authentic and give a true consumer testimonial.
Why should brands embrace UGC Creators?
- Cost-effective: Working with UGC Creators can be much more cost-effective than Influencer campaigns. Influencers charge based on their following, so while they can be a successful tool for reaching new audiences, the cost of macro or mega influencers can be out of budget. While Influencers are often used once for a product launch, you can partner with a diverse range of UGC Creators for ongoing content that forms part of your monthly content strategy.
- Builds trust: We’ve said it already: UGC is authentic and trustworthy. It feels like word-of-mouth from a friend. If your brand doesn’t have an ongoing stream of organic UGC to pull from, UGC Creators can fill the gap. Even though it’s paid content, if partnered with the right creator, it can still generate trust.
- Drives engagement and sales: Statistics from Search Logistics show that UGC is 35% more memorable than traditional content, and UGC campaigns result in 29% higher conversion rates than campaigns that don’t use it. Additionally, 79% of people say UGC highly impacts their purchasing decisions. The bottom line: UGC drives better engagement, higher conversions, and more sales.
How to find the right UGC Creators for your brand
Several UGC services exist to help connect brands with creators. Check out Fiverr, Upwork, Insense and Tint. You can also use the hashtags #UGCCreator and #UGCContent to search for creators on social media. Before reaching out, do your research on the creators to understand their product niche, their style and if their content will align with your target audience.
Start collaborating with UGC Creators
Marketing is no longer about big, in-your-face ads. It’s about the stories you tell and the connections you make. Who better to tell stories about your products than the consumers themselves? People trust people, which is why collaborating with UGC Creators to produce authentic UGC can be a powerful step for your brand.
Keen to know more? Check out our What is User Generated Content? eBook and our Build User Generated Content Like a Pro eBook. Or, talk to a NOUS digital content expert to learn more about building your brand’s content strategy.
