What Is User Generated Content (UGC)? Definition, Strategies and Considerations

Have you ever posted a picture of your new haircut on Instagram? Or left a review of a particularly stellar bagel you had downtown? Whether you knew it or not, you were creating user-generated content.

User-generated content is one of the fastest-growing and influential marketing tactics in the world. It turns your customers into participants, fostering genuine community, loyalty, and trust. Read on to discover how UGC transforms digital landscapes, fosters community, and amplifies brand influence.

Definition of User-Generated Content (UGC)

While you’ve probably created UGC before, what is it actually? User-generated content refers to any form of content–including text, images, videos, and reviews–that is created and shared by users of a platform or community instead of you. This content reflects personal experiences, opinions, or interactions, which is one of the reasons it’s so powerful.

Growing Significance in Digital Marketing

UGC serves as a valuable source of social proof, as consumers trust the recommendations and experiences of their peers over your branded messaging. With the rise of social media and online communities, UGC has become an integral part of digital marketing strategies, enabling you to amplify your reach, build trust, and foster meaningful connections with your audience.

How Do Users Make UGC?

There are many types of user-generated content, but the most popular are created via social media (posting photos, videos, text updates, and stories on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and TikTok), review and rating platforms (like Amazon, Yelp, TripAdvisor, and Google Reviews), blogs and vlogs (YouTube, Vimeo, Medium, Blogger, and WordPress), forms and discussion boards (Quora, Stack Overflow, Reddit), collaborative platforms like Wikipedia and GitHub, and contests or challenges.

The Power of UGC

The power of UGC is unprecedented, particularly for these three reasons: 1) It fosters genuine connection at a whole new level. 2) It’s exceptionally effective at increasing engagement. 3) It builds brand credibility quickly and sustainably. And it scales like no other.

Fostering Authentic Connections

Unlike traditional marketing messages, UGC has no embellishments–no bells or whistles. And unlike your brand marketing, it doesn’t have an obvious aim. Real users create it and it offers an authentic snapshot of their experiences and interactions with your brand or product. Real life, real opinions. This authenticity resonates deeply with other consumers. By showcasing real-life experiences and testimonials, UGC helps brands connect with their audience on a more personal level, fostering a sense of genuineness and sincerity that traditional advertising often struggles to achieve.

Enhancing Engagement and Interaction

When your users actively participate in creating content, whether through reviews, comments, or user-submitted media, they become emotionally invested in your brand or product. This heightened level of engagement leads to increased interaction between users as they share their thoughts, experiences, and recommendations with one another.

Building Brand Credibility

UGC provides compelling evidence of your brand’s authenticity and value as consumers rely on the opinions of fellow users who have firsthand experience with your product or service. By showcasing user-generated content that highlights positive experiences and satisfied customers, you can effectively build sustainable credibility and establish yourself as a trustworthy and reliable source in your industry.

How UGC Shapes Brand Narratives

The most effective user-generated content strategies include inviting customers to share ideas and tips for optimal product use, service optimization, and DIY, initiating contests and challenges, inviting customers to share how “they” Taco Bell, “Just Do It,” etc., and encouraging customers (as well as potential customers) to engage with one another.

Done correctly, UGC can have a huge effect on your brand perception and storytelling by helping consumers understand what type of people use your products, how you fit into everyday life, and why you’re a necessity. It can show, instead of tell, customers that you’re customer-centric and place people above all else.

Here are a few of our favorite UGC examples: 

Sephora actively maintains its Community Gallery featuring content from users and encouraging Sephora beauty insiders to share tips, tricks, and aesthetic successes with one another.

Vitamix runs a contest asking consumers to vote for their favorite “Smoothie of the Year” on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

UGC Platforms and Strategies

Generating UGC is one thing; getting millions of consumers to see and interact with it is another. Enter: UGC platforms. UGC platforms help you get the most out of precious UGC by implementing proven strategies that use UGC to reach more people and boost awareness of your brand.

Platforms can help you encourage UGC around specific campaigns and objectives, improve conversion rates for your UGC, and repurpose user-generated media for more effective marketing. Here are a few great platform options for your local business:

• Tagbox
• Trend
• Tint
• Tagshop
• Pixlee
• Stackla By Nosto
• Billo
• Bazaarvoice
• Yotpo
• Podium
• Social Native
• JoinBrands

Challenges and Considerations of User-Generated Content

While UGC brings your brand a plethora of opportunities, it also brings its own set of challenges and considerations. Here are a few things you should be aware of (especially when you hire UGC influencers).

• Your UGC influencers should always create ethical content that’s honest and transparent about their experience with your brand (and whether or not you’re sponsoring their content).
• Establish thorough vetting processes as not all user-generated content meets your brand standards, and quality and reliability issues may arise.
• Address security and privacy concerns, safeguarding both you and your users’ personal information.
• Consistent engagement and feedback management is crucial, requiring you to actively monitor and respond to audience interactions with your UGC.

Best practices include establishing clear guidelines and expectations for UGC influencers, fostering real (not staged) authenticity, and cultivating long-term relationships. Additionally, you should consider factors like cultural sensitivity, legal compliance, and aligning influencer values with your brand ethos to maximize the effectiveness of your UGC campaigns.

UGC Metrics and Analytics

Now, it’s time to measure. UGC metrics encompass a range of quantitative and qualitative measures used to evaluate the effectiveness, engagement, and impact of content generated by your customers across various online platforms. These metrics provide insights into the behavior, preferences, and sentiments of customers, helping you make strategic decisions. Common UGC metrics include engagement metrics such as likes, shares, comments, and views.

Sentiment analysis metrics also gauge the overall sentiment expressed by audience members toward the content, helping you understand audience perceptions and reactions. Metrics like reach and impressions measure the extent of an audience exposed to your content, indicating its visibility and potential reach. UGC metrics also include metrics related to user participation and contribution, such as the number of submissions, uploads, or contributions made by users.

Future Trends in UGC

No one can see the future, but we’ve got a pretty good idea of where UGC is headed over the next few years. And just a hint: it’s exciting. Read on for the inside scoop on the growing role of UGC in digital marketing and how emerging technologies are making an impact on it.

UGC’s Evolving Role in Digital Marketing

When it comes to UGC’s role, one notable trend to keep an eye on is the integration of UGC across various touchpoints in the customer journey, from awareness to advocacy stages. Brands are leveraging UGC not only for social proof but also for key insights into consumer preferences, behaviors, and sentiments. UGC is also becoming a cornerstone of personalized marketing efforts as brands harness data analytics and AI to tailor content experiences based on user-generated inputs.

Emerging Technologies

Several emerging technologies are poised to revolutionize the landscape of user-generated content and its impact on digital marketing. AI and machine learning algorithms are enabling brands to analyze and categorize vast volumes of UGC efficiently. This allows for the identification of trends, sentiment analysis, and creation of personalized content experiences.

Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies are also reshaping UGC by offering immersive and interactive storytelling opportunities. You can empower users to create and share AR/VR experiences, enhancing live engagement and brand recall. Additionally, blockchain technology is emerging as a solution to address trust and authenticity concerns associated with UGC. By leveraging blockchain’s immutable ledger, you can verify the authenticity of user-generated content, mitigating risks of fraud and manipulation.

Grow Your Business with Reputation Management.

Of course, UGC is only one piece of the puzzle. Growing your business includes taking total control of your reputation, both online and off. It includes gathering and managing thousands of reviews, sending review invites at the perfect touchpoint, making UGC creation easy, and continuing contact after a sale. And that’s where Podium comes in.

Reputation management solutions help grow your business beyond all content marketing efforts. With Podium Reviews, you can automate your SMS review invites to reach customers at the right time, every time. Podium Reviews brings every review and message into one place, decreasing your response time and increasing convenience.

Try Podium Reviews today.