If you’re a business owner and the term “UGC” doesn’t ring a bell as one of your key marketing strategies, it’s time to get familiar with it. UGC or user-generated content refers to any piece of digital content that is created by the followers, customers and/or users of the brand that’s being marketed. This content is both customer centric and customer facing. Think reviews and testimonials, unboxing videos, product reviews, hashtag campaigns, and more. The most important quality of any high level UGC is that it appears authentic, even if it is sometimes not.
The number one reason why UGC is vastly renowned as a top marketing technique in 2022 is because it’s incredibly inexpensive and even more effective. It’s able to quickly bridge the gap between a brand’s identity and the customers that use them. Anyone who has ever made a purchasing decision online has most likely read or considered customer reviews and ratings before making that decision. User-generated content works the same exact way, although it’s more impactful, memorable, and digitally imposing. In fact, 79% of people say UGC greatly impacts their purchasing decisions, (Stackla, 2020). Today, pushing out UGC to your customers is a fast tracked way to get customers in the door, thinking about your brand, and eventually making a purchase.
Ten years ago, companies had to spend tens of thousands of dollars for large scale video shoots that took months to plan, shoot, edit and deliver. Today, your next paid or organic video campaign can be done start to finish in just an afternoon. It’s no longer about having the newest camera or shooting a cinematic masterpiece to tell your brand’s story. Now, an iPhone and a kitchen countertop could be your next driver for thousands more in revenue. It’s even been reported that more than 30% of millennials have unfollowed a brand due to inauthentic content, (Stackla, 2017). Eventually, production companies and freelance videographers may even move full time into shooting on iPhones. With so many influencers closing brand deals for 5K, 10K, even 20K for a branded video, the rise of professionals shooting on iPhones seems inevitable.
So if UGC is so cheap, so easy to create, and so effective at digital marketing, why isn’t everyone doing it? Well, the biggest reason is that we’re still in the midst of a massive shift in content. When this trend continues into 2023 and beyond, you’ll start to see production companies hired not for their cinema quality cameras or their intricate lighting setups, but for their editors who understand the qualities behind effective TikToks and Instagram Reels. They know what works on Snapchat and what fails on Twitter. They know the dimensions, file size limits, and durations needed for the best engagement on Facebook. So while UGC is cheap, quick and easy to produce, it’s the expertise behind these platforms’ algorithms that really challenges businesses who try to dive head first producing and editing this content.
If you’re ready to change your digital marketing strategy with authentic and impactful UGC, head over to the Book A Meeting button in the top right corner to book your free video consultation with 34 Motion Media.