How To Use UGC To Your Advantage

User-generated content is becoming increasingly important to both customers and brands. By gaining insight into what UGC your customers are creating, you can influence your marketing and development strategies, adapt your communication style and interactions with customers, and motivate them to create more authentic UGC. 

Why do people trust UGC? 

92% of consumers trust the online content of their friends and family more than any marketing ploy, and UGC is an authentic option for them thanks to the parasocial online relationships they tend to trust as much as their loved ones. No matter how hard marketers try, UGC has something they rarely achieve: true organicity. By its very nature, UGC resonates much more with people. When comparing UGC to marketing, people are 2.4 times more likely to choose UGC as more authentic. This is largely due to the fact that people are creating what they want to see - both in terms of content and presentation. At the same time, the glut of advertising has made people sceptical of all marketing and they often filter it out. For example, 53% of millennials said that UGC influenced their decision to purchase, and they were five times more likely to click on an ad if it contained UGC. You can read more about the impact of UGC on customer behaviour and brand interactions in our article. 

What types of UGC exist? 

Anything a customer creates that relates to your product or brand is UGC. Whether it's a private message to a friend, a photo on social media that happens to feature the product, or a purposefully written review. Anything related to your brand or product that is created by a customer is UGC content. This can be divided into several categories, each with its own benefits for your brand.

Occasional UGC

This is content that customers create casually. Often it is product mentions in private messages and conversations, comments between friends on social media, and accidental product shots in photos or videos. The customer's goal isn't to create content with your product, but it will happen 'incidentally'. This type of content is the most authentic that can be created because the product is mentioned or captured organically and mostly unintentionally. 

For example, it could be a photo of someone on a trip or meeting of friends with a customer wearing your dress or jacket. The photo is shared because of the trip, but the product is also in it. Whoever sees it may associate your product with a positive experience and reaction, subconsciously remember it, or even ask about your product.  

"That's a very nice jacket! Where did you get it? Did it keep you dry and warm when it was raining?" 

Intentional UGC 

People like to brag! 

It's hard to believe, but it's true. People love to brag, and what better to brag about than something new they've got, something that suits them, something they've wanted for a long time, something that serves them so well or looks great in photos. In the case of intentional UGC, the quality of this material tends to be higher, if only because people take care to make the photo pretty and the caption or post readable and interesting. This type of material can trigger fear of missing out (FOMO) in others. And they can easily tell themselves, consciously or subconsciously, that they would like to have it too. 

Influencers often work this way too, bragging about new products, and their followers are motivated to buy either because they trust the influencer, want to be like them, or don't want to be "the only one who doesn't have it".

Intentional UGC can take the form of photos, posts, but also stories and life experiences, in which the customer subtly but very purposefully includes a mention of the product. While they like to brag, it may not be immediately obvious that they are doing so. They may be bragging not just about your product, but about the experience in general. 

"It's important for our family to spend time together outdoors. And that's even when it's cloudy! So we dressed properly and survived the downpour in the warmth and dryness. Good thing we got those new jackets. And the view above the clouds was amazing." 

Interactive UGC

When a brand interacts with customers and allows them to communicate and interact publicly, it creates space for both casual and intentional content. Such UGC can look like a comment under an advertising post, for example. Whether through a "call to action", a brand's effort to establish communication, or just a customer's desire to share their experience on a relevant site. This motivates others to consider buying and other interactions. 

Or they may think of their loved ones when they see the ad post and tag them. Either as a recommendation or a reminder of an interesting product. The tagged person tends to create a more positive image of the brand and product due to the Halo Effect because of the friend's recommendation. By liking the one who tagged them, they will also feel more positive about the product itself. They will reflect on the post and not pass it on, as they would if they came across the ad by accident themselves. 

Another way to make UGC interactive is through competitions and participation in the brand community. This could be sharing their own product photo, re-sharing promotional material, tagging friends or creating unique text or images. It is important to remember that the power of authenticity still applies. The more authentic the interaction and UGC content, the more likely it is to impress passers-by. Tagging five friends or oversharing material will have less impact on individuals due to the clear and calculated nature of the ad but will still have a wider reach. A self-shared product photo or participating in a competition for the best and most unique content will have a more organic and interesting effect. 

"Yes, I have this jacket and I recommend it! We got caught in a rain on a trip and unlike my husband, I stayed completely dry". 

Experiential UGC

Wondering when the reviews will be mentioned? Right now. Customers share their experiences with a product in a variety of ways, and that includes reviews. These can be posted in several places - a product page, a review-focused platform or social media, or a customer's blog. These reviews can often be a comprehensive analysis of the pros and cons and unembellished experiences. They serve potential customers best. They help them decide between products and help the brand boost SEO, among other things. Each type of review has a different effect, even the average one, and a brand can influence a lot by how they respond to them. Find out how to respond to positive, neutral or negative reviews in our article. 

Getting reviews may not be easy. Thanks to analysis and studies, we know that the strength of reviews lies in their number, quality and recency. Their credibility can be underlined by working with a third party - Heureka.cz or Testuj.to. Using third parties can help give the impression of objectivity. Receiving various titles - for example, "verified by customers" or "TOP 2" from Heureka will give the product and the review a stamp of legitimacy. At Testuj.to, on the other hand, we take care to effectively collect authentic and honest reviews, which in their quantity and quality will allow potential customers to form a comprehensive idea of the product and its advantages and disadvantages. The overall process is simplified by linking with Heureka.cz and Mall.cz and we are able to provide reviews on other websites such as Datart.cz, Pilulka.cz or Alza.cz. 

In addition to classic reviews, they can also share their experiences with the product by telling their own story. Some of them can also create tutorials, either about a specific product or about an activity related to the product. Can the product be used in a new and unique way? Thanks to this customer, everyone else will find out too. Users may also be in the habit of sharing their daily experiences, thus mentioning a new product they just tried. This can take any form - text, with photos and as a video. 

If the product plays any part in somebody’s experience, it can impress followers, fans and close friends. They'll realise they could use a similar product too, maybe even ask where they can get one. It's a valuable source of information even if it's initially a negative experience. This may not make the brand happy at first, but if the brand shows that it is able to communicate and resolve problems quickly and helpfully, it may in turn win over potential customers. 

"Unfortunately, my jacket was a size too small and I was worried if I would be able to return it before my holiday. Luckily though, they replaced it quickly and without any problems and it came in handy for my holiday!"

What does UGC affect? 

User-generated content affects a wide range of areas. These can be summarised into two categories - either the product itself is affected or the overall brand reputation. This will then affect how much loyalty there is to the brand and whether customers will be happy to return to it. 

How does the UGC affect individual products? 

Regardless of what users share, much of the impact of UGC on products depends on what you do with UGC materials yourself, how you use them. Yes, already-published UGC can't usually be changed - it influences those who see UGC authentically and organically. UGC is a new form of Word-of-Mouth, it has a big impact on the public and potential customers. You can read exactly how in this article. In short, UGC has the ability to persuade to buy. To make the public aware of a product or warn them against buying it. 

However, UGC can be a valuable source of information that a brand, its marketers and developers can work with. If reviews are posted on your product page, it will increase the of-page and therefore search engine visibility. Therefore, provide your customers with the opportunity to write reviews, and then share them, respond to them using useful keywords, post them on your site and take advantage of click-throughs. 

Based on the UGC content, marketers can adjust their strategies: to better target audiences and adjust product descriptions and marketing materials to highlight strengths and uniqueness. Leveraging UGC content makes the product more attractive, perhaps by sharing and posting UGC on websites and social media. Last but not least, they will have the opportunity within their materials to clarify confusion and avoid misunderstandings that may make some customers unhappy - such as misuse of the product, unrealistic expectations or unclear instructions. Sometimes all it takes is something as simple as editing the product description on the product page. 

UGC also plays an important role in product development. With UGC, a brand can either improve its current product or focus on the given parameters and features when developing the next model. If people are telling you what they like and dislike about a product, reflect this valuable information in further development and production. 

How does UGC affect brand reputation? 

UGC affects a brand's reputation in different ways, but they are all highlighted by how the brand responds. All UGC content can highlight a brand in both a positive and negative light. Every interaction between a brand and a user is important, whether they are a (potential) customer or a random passerby.  

Any responses to reviews should be carefully considered, as should any interaction on social media. These interactions are public and each one affects your reputation. It's crucial that the brand seems human, trustworthy and most importantly - that it doesn't lose face. And that's even in the case of criticism. Use negative interactions to show that your brand is always willing to help, to listen, and most importantly, to offer solutions. If a public conflict arises, it's important to remember that it may cost the brand potential customers and the best solution is to resolve and settle the conflict. Ideally, doing so will also show the public that if they have a problem, you will resolve it in the same elegant way. 

When UGC is published on a third party platform, it adds credibility to the brand. No longer is the brand reviewing these materials themselves and having them "controlled" by the brand, and because of this, users tend to trust these reviews more. 

Allow your customers who share UGC with your product on their social media to feel seen and appreciated. Comment below their UGC, respond, share. This way you can motivate others to create this content too, increasing your reach.

Conclusion 

By leveraging UGC content, you can increase your brand reach and product sales. UGC has different forms and effect on the public. The more authentic the capture of the product experience, the more likely UGC is to motivate someone to buy. Brands have several ways to leverage this UGC. From simple interactions, to creating brand loyalty to help share UGC content, to creating a community, to responding to reviews and customer experiences. Whether publicly in the form of responses or as part of marketing strategies and product development. 

Given the impact UGC has on the public and potential customers, it would be a shame not to take advantage of this type of content. There are various strategies to encourage users to share UGC, our company Testuj.to provides a review collection and moderation service, and UGC acquisition and subsequent work with the data collected is something your marketing team should absolutely focus on.