What Does User-Generated Content (UGC) Mean?
Content contributed by users can be of any kind and is often seen as images, clips, social media write-ups, appraisals, or endorsements.
When Coca Cola released their custom coke containers, the world was enthralled by them. The “Share a Coke” effort was widely accepted and featured a variety of soda bottles labeled with names of individuals from different countries.
Customers were urged to post photos of themselves enjoying a beverage with their customized Coke container on social media in order to maintain their enthusiasm. The result? Coca Cola’s customers stepped into the role of advertiser.
This wasn’t only a one-time operation, or an unlikely success.
Rather than being one of the forgotten initiatives, this user-generated content (UGC) campaign gained the organization it supported a very significant boost in both their revenue and the way they were seen.
John Doerr, a venture capitalist, suggests that the Internet will be dominated by user-created material in the near future.
But what exactly is User-Generated Content (UGC)?
User-Generated Content is referred to as any material that has been produced and made available by fans or, phrased differently, admirers. This term encompasses all types of visual or written representations of a brand, including images, videos, customer reviews, tweets, blog posts, and more. It is when customers or consumers do the promoting rather than the brand itself.
It seems like UGC is just another word for marketing, doesn’t it? In fact, it isn’t a fad at all. It has shone brightly for a period of time (which is relatively short when you consider the pace of the internet).
Let us go back in time a few years to the point when Burberry launched the User Generated Content (UGC) campaign titled “Art of the Trench.” At that juncture, companies began to embrace the concept of having their followers market their services – because personal recommendations are the finest sort of endorsements, even in the digital era.
Burberry encouraged those devoted to their product to post images of themselves and their companions wearing their signature trench coat. Burberry just needed to select the most outstanding entries, displaying them on a separate website and on its Facebook page.
When looking at the fact that 86% of millennials have modern tendencies, and 68% of 18-24 year-old social media users change their purchasing decisions based off information on social media, it is understandable why user generated content is so impacting.
Why User-Generated Content is So Successful (and Why You Shouldn’t Ignore it)
It is clear that user-generated content (UGC) campaigns have been an ongoing presence in the marketing realm due to their high level of efficacy, such as the Share a Coke campaign.
But why are they so successful? What are the reasons for companies to ask their customers to help promote their products instead of creating their own advertisements?
UGC Puts Customers Front and Center
Businesses that focus on their customers are growing in popularity, as businesses need to stay up to date with the changing desires and requirements of their audiences. In this hurry-up, highly mechanized culture, individuals can quickly lose concentration with only a tiny click. If companies do not give customers what they want, customers will go elsewhere and find a different company that does.
Online users are getting wiser in distinguishing between companies that utilize questionable marketing and those that take an authentic and open approach.
People Don’t Trust Marketers, They Trust Real People
Which brings us to the next point. In the last decade, the concept of the unscrupulous marketer has reached record levels. The common person nowadays is not swayed by aggressive sales techniques.
As opposed to traditional outlets, people seek stories, relationships, and interactions with other individuals. Could this be a result of the greater portion of our days consumed by computers?
The truth is, we have been accepting user-generated content for centuries, but with the emergence of social media, it has become much simpler for people all over the world to access it. It is very apparent that the connection between customers and marketers has grown immensely when it is taken into account that 92% of people would tend to have more faith in a personal referral than organised advertising.
User-Generated Content is Authentic
According to a survey conducted by Cohn & Wolfe, the majority of consumers, 63%, preferred to purchase from a business they considered to be genuine, compared to its competitor.
Authenticity is so important in today’s online world. Individuals are no longer simply following the guidance of television advertisements and outdoor advertising. Rather than passively accepting what they are provided, they desire to have an influence in determining which businesses they purchase from.
But how do they choose who to buy from? Consumers choose companies with similar beliefs as them, companies that they can emotionally relate to, and companies that understand their needs.
UGC Creates Community
UGC brings audiences together. Rather than a contest between brands and consumers, user-generated content fosters a sense of unity and camaraderie among all involved.
People like to feel a part of something. In 1986, MacMillon and Chavis proposed a theory that mentioned four components that enable people to feel like they are part of a community.
- Membership
- Influence
- Integration and fulfillment of needs
- Shared emotional connection
Particular attention should be paid to Points 2 and 4 within the UGC. Power needs to be a two-way street – users must be able to sense that they are able to impact the group, something that user-generated content facilitates.
Shared emotional connection is pushed through UGC, too. MacMillon and Chavis argued that each healthy community has a tale that serves to bond them.
UGC is Cost Effective
UGC is all about the users creating content. Most of the time, these individuals are not paid for their activities, and they take part for an assortment of motivations, be it expressing their knowledge, developing a rapport with like-minded people, or having a possibility of winning a prize.
It’s much less expensive to do this compared to paying massive fees for TV ads during peak hours or for posters in Times Square.
The advantage of user-generated content is that people are in control, whereas advertisers don’t have to spend a lot of money on advertisements that could be unsuccessful.
10 Examples of Excellent User Generated Campaigns
1) Burberry
Burberry is a venerable British apparel business that first opened its doors in 1856. In 2006 when Angela Ahrendts assumed the role of CEO, she set out to complete the task of transforming the dated brand by inaugurating a strategy that focuses on user generated content. In 2009, Burberry released the Art of the Trench website, providing people with the opportunity to post pictures of themselves wearing Burberry items and make remarks on each other’s apparel. Burberry saw a 50% increase in online sales in the year following the opening of their website.
2) Belkin
In 2013, Belkin and Lego collaborated to create a range of adjustable phone covers for iPhones. The corporation formed a social media outlet for shoppers, giving them a spot to post photos of their trendy new cases and to demonstrate to others the advantages of crafting their own.
3) Starbucks
An illustration of user-generated content is Starbucks’ White Cup Contest which was started in April 2014. Individuals from all over the US were asked to draw on the outside of their Starbucks containers and submit the images as entries. The victorious submission would form the basis for a new limited edition Starbucks mug. Approximately 4,000 clients submitted entries during a time period of three weeks. Starbucks was able to gain substantial attention and illustrate its high regard for consumer views by hosting the competition.
4) Tourism Queensland
In an attempt to bring more vacationers to the Queensland Islands, Tourism Queensland initiated the “Best Job in the World” initiative in 2009, and it was incredibly successful. More than 34,000 individuals from over two hundred nations sent in movies for the chance to win a six-month job as a caretaker that would provide an income of $150,000 AUD in one of the most picturesque tourist spots around the globe; in addition, many others enhanced their knowledge of Queensland as a holiday choice.
5) Target
In 2010, Target promised to donate $500 million to education and subsequently said that they would increase the amount of donations through a widespread college acceptance letter competition. Customers were asked to upload videos of themselves opening the college acceptance letters that they had received during the campaign. The highest quality videos were selected for display in Target’s newest advertisement, aiding in the success of its charitable efforts.
6) Coca-Cola
In order to increase visibility on Twitter, Coca-Cola developed the “Share a Coke” campaign wherein they personalized Coke bottles with customers’ names and passed them out to different locales. Customers were asked to take pictures of their custom Coke bottle and post it on Twitter and other social media outlets.
Coca-Cola initially began the promotional initiative in Australia in 2011, but then broadened its reach to the United States, the United Kingdom, and other parts of the planet. The business credits the initiative for causing a 2% rise in U.S. sales after more than a decade of dwindling revenues.
7) Chobani
Chobani, a business originally founded in 2005 that specializes in Greek-style yogurt, chose to manipulate their clientele in an attempt to better their image and drive up their sales. The business requested that their devoted patrons send in videos and pictures singing the praises of their yogurt. The content was distributed on the company website, promoted through billboards, and broadcast through other media. There was a growth of 225.9% in Chobani’s revenue between 2009 and 2010, which the company attributes to its marketing efforts.
8) Pepsi MAX
Pepsi MAX utilized user generated content to build a different brand persona. The enterprise devised a promotion that called on patrons to articulate the grounds that they enjoy Pepsi MAX more than Coke, and to post pictures on social media and a separate website that was made for the marketing action. The top submissions were entitled to a variety of awards, including a twelve months’ worth of free Pepsi MAX.
Unsurprisingly, the campaign turned out to be very popular. Approximately 7,000 contributions were handed in and the website acquired more than 50,000 unique visits. The level of involvement was especially noteworthy, considering the typical user spent around six minutes on the website, indicating that clients were intensely interested in the company.
9) Heineken
Heineken noticed that many of its consumers desired a draught that was more distinct. The beer makers consulted with their patrons in order to modernize the beer they have been brewing for 150 years. In 2012, Heineken introduced the “Reinvent the Draught Beer Experience” challenge, encouraging people to contribute their videos, photos, and suggestions to make their draught beer experience even better. Customers responded positively to the task and submitted hundreds of suggestions, assisting Heineken in not only making improvements to their product but also in sparking interest in the company’s brand.
10) Coffee for Less
Coffee for Less realized that web users searching organically are likely to be keenly interested in the company’s products and likely to make a purchase. The enterprise also found that depending on content created by users was an efficient route to strengthen its SEO, leading them to include fresh characteristics on their webpage that made it easier for people to read and share feedback.
How to Run Your Own User Generated Content Campaign
Initiating a campaign for user created content can be a powerful strategy for increasing your brand, as the organizations noted above showed. While each of their campaigns were slightly different, there were some commonalities between them:
- Each brand promoted its campaign over its own website and social profiles to gain traction.
- Each brand offered consumers a prize to encourage participation.
- Each brand rewarded customers for presenting its products or services in a positive light.
How can you capitalize on these advantageous results by starting your own user-created content marketing campaign? Consider any of the following tips as you plan your promotion:
Match your promotion type to your audience.
Requests have been made to customers to make videos demonstrating their experiences with a certain product or brand from some of the marketing described above. It’s essential to consider that making and uploading videos needs a certain level of technical knowledge which the average customer may or may not possess. If, say, your company is centered around an older demographic, this type of user generated campaign might not be a good match.
Request entries that you can use in your marketing campaigns.
Do not forget that you do not carry out your consumer-created content promotion out of generosity — you wish to get a benefit that you can use again in your upcoming advertisement campaigns. Take into account the diverse kinds of “entries” that should be taken into consideration for your promotion plan. Photographs, videos, and customer reviews are all highly effective types of content that can be effortlessly adapted for promotional purposes.
