What Is User-Generated Content and How You Can Use It in Your Brand

User-generated content (UGC), such as customer reviews and social media posts, is one of the most powerful marketing tools at your disposal. Not only does UGC increase engagement with your brand, but it also provides social proof that can lead to more conversions. Here's a closer look at why UGC is so important and how you can use it to your advantage.

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One of the main reasons why UGC is so valuable is because it helps create a sense of community and belonging around a product or service. When customers feel like they are part of a community, they are more likely to be loyal to the brand and less likely to switch to a competitor. In fact, State of User-Generated Content found 64% of consumers agree that when a brand they like and use re-shares content by customers, they are more likely to share content about the brand or its products.

UGC can be repurposed into other marketing collateral. If you have a lot of positive customer reviews, you can create social media graphics or promotional videos featuring quotes from those reviews. Or, if you have some great blog posts written by customers, you can share them on your website or social media channels

The Benefits of UGC for Wellness Brands

Several benefits come along with using UGC for your wellness brand. First, it helps you create more authentic connections with your target audience. When you share UGC created by one of your customers or fans, it shows that you value their opinion and are interested in what they say.

Additionally, UGC can help increase brand awareness and reach. Whenever someone shares your UGC on social media or another platform, it exposes your brand to their followers or friends, which can help your brand reach new people who might be interested in what you have to offer. 

While UGC doesn’t directly impact your search engine rankings, it does help with online visibility, distribution, and enhanced reputation. The value is undeniable. When more people share your content across social platforms like Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter, those posts will generate positive feedback from audiences, ranking higher than less popular pages with low-quality material or spammy blog posts!

 When Google sees that people are talking about your brand online, it perceives it as valuable and relevant, which can help boost your ranking in search results. 

Builds Trust and Credibility

One of the most significant benefits of UGC is that it can help build trust and credibility with your target audience. When customers see that other people like them are using and enjoying your products, they are more likely to trust your brand. UGC can also help to humanize your brand and make it seem more relatable. 

Increases Engagement and Social proof

UGC is a powerful marketing tool that provides social proof for your brand. When other people positively talk about your products or services, it helps build trust and credibility with prospective customers. In addition, UGC can also help to increase engagement on your social media channels and website. After all, people are more likely to stop and take notice of a piece of content if it includes images or video rather than just text. And when people are engaged with your content, they're more likely to remember your brand down the road.

Saves Time and Money

Creating original content takes a lot of time and effort, not money. Curating UGC requires far less time and money while still providing value to your target audience. This is why UGC is such a valuable asset for small businesses and startups that may not have the budget or manpower to create original content regularly. 

3 Types of UGC That Brands Should Be Collecting

Customer Reviews

Customer reviews are one of the most commonly shared forms of UGC. If you sell products on your website or on third-party platforms like Amazon or Etsy, encourage customers to leave reviews after they receive their purchase. You can also send follow-up emails after someone makes a purchase asking them to review the product they purchased. 

Social Media Posts

Social media is a goldmine for user-generated content. Share it on your channels whenever someone mentions your brand in a post or uses one of your hashtags! This helps amplify reach and also creates a sense of community around your brand.

Photos & Videos

Customers love taking photos and videos of themselves using your product or service and sharing them online. If you have an active presence on social media platforms like Instagram and Snapchat, encourage customers to tag you in their posts or use your branded hashtags. You can also run photo or video contests where participants need to tag your brand to enter. 

However, ask for permission.  The best ways to get explicit permission to use UGC are: Directly asking users for permission to repost their content from your profile. If you are given the okay, credit the user within the post and tag them in the video or photo.

Conclusion

In conclusion, user-generated content (UGC) is any form of content created by users of a product or service that is then shared online. UGC is valuable for brands because it helps create a sense of community and belonging around the product or service; it can help indirectly with SEO; and it can be repurposed into other marketing collateral such as social media graphics or promotional videos. Brands should collect customer reviews, social media posts, photos & videos from their customers as part of their user-generated content strategy.