Getting From Authenticity to ROI

Consumers aren’t asking for perfection: they just want a bit more realness.

In an increasingly polarized and divided world, today’s consumers are looking at brands to bring people together and make them feel part of a shared identity (Edelman Trust Barometer 2023).

The desire for involvement is driving the need for marketing strategies that actively encourage consumers to participate in shaping authentic, shared brand identities. Marketers from all industries are recognizing the power of UGC (user-generated content) to achieve this in order to connect with their audiences and ultimately drive sales. 

Professional marketing content might be easier to polish, but UGC gives consumers a greater sense of trust, which explains why 80% of consumers are more likely to purchase a product after seeing it in UGC, making it 6.6x more influential than branded content (Stackla).

These are just some of the reasons brands use UGC to identify with consumers and drive ROI:

It’s just more engaging

Social campaigns that feature UGC generate 50% higher levels of engagement (Stackla), providing a major boost to brand awareness. It is easy to understand why: content created by other people (and this rings even truer for consumers looking to feel connected and part of a brand’s shared identity) will see UGC as more relatable, interesting, and as something collective.

Let’s face it, it’s cheaper 

Affordability is, of course, another major factor for brands incorporating UGC into their marketing strategies. Professional marketing content has higher production costs due to the research, planning, skills, and creativity that go into making the content. Comparably UGC is more scalable, giving brands the option to invest in established influencers when a campaign requires a wider reach, while also enabling brands to run more affordable UGC campaigns with regular creators when authenticity and engagement are the greater goals. 

It feels more personal

Showing products in use by real customers and demonstrating how the product fits into their lifestyle, allows potential customers to identify themselves with a brand. This type of marketing strategy allows brands to connect with their audience in a more meaningful way, increasing the chances of conversion.

It helps with optimization

UGC can also help improve a brand's search engine optimization (SEO) by providing fresh and unique content for the brand's website and social media platforms. This can help to increase a brand's visibility and improve their search rankings, making it easier for consumers to find the brand's products and services.

With the rise of social media and the increasing use of video and visual content, UGC isn’t going anywhere. As consumers become more accustomed to seeing UGC in their social media feeds, brands will need to find new and creative ways to incorporate it into their marketing strategies. One trend that has been on the rise is the use of UGC in e-commerce, where brands are using customer photos and reviews to showcase their products. Additionally, the use of influencer-generated content is also expected to increase, as influencers continue to be a powerful marketing tool for brands.

One question yet to be answered is the role that machine learning and AI will play in the future of UGC – particularly given the technology’s growing prevalence in marketing. Given the growing consumer desire for authenticity, however, it’s likely that AI tools might become a way to analyze and curate, rather than directly replace, UGC. In this way AI will enable brands to quickly and easily identify the best UGC to use in their marketing campaigns and target specific audiences.

Overall, UGC is here to stay and will continue to be an important part of marketing strategies in the future. Brands that are able to effectively incorporate UGC into their campaigns will see greater success in terms of engagement, reach, and sales. It is important for brands to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and best practices in UGC marketing to stay ahead of the competition.

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