What Is Meant By ‘User-Generated Content’ And How Can It Benefit Your Business?

Today, creating fresh and unique content is becoming increasingly difficult. The fact is, as a collective, we humans publish so much content on a daily basis that it can be hard to keep up with it all – let alone think up fresh ideas for your audience to engage with.

Did you know it is estimated that 90% of the world’s data was generated in the last two years alone?! That is a staggering statistic which stands testament to just how obsessed we are with producing content for the world to see.

The good news is; you don’t have to be the only one producing content for your audience to engage with.

In this article, we’re going to talk about ‘user-generated content’ and how it can benefit your business.

What is user-generated content?

User-generated content (or UGC) refers to any content that is created by your audience in association with your brand.

When your audience creates content in association with your brand, it is typically positive, sharing appreciation. This is deemed as being more trustworthy in the eyes of your broader audience which is why UGC is such valuable content.

In essence, you get extra exposure without having to lift a finger or spend a penny. Nice!

What are some examples of UGC?

Before we get started on how UGC can benefit your business, first let’s look at some examples:

• Any and all social media content (e.g., tagged posts, memes, photos, etc.).
• Any time a customer leaves a review (negative or otherwise) on one Google or one of your socials; or when you are provided with a written testimonial for promotional purposes.
• When your fans (or perhaps not) write a blog post featuring you (all exposure is good exposure…right?).
• Video content (including live streams, product tutorials, unboxing videos, etc.).
• Q&A forums (and all comments with any @mentions).
• Case studies are also (somewhat) a form of UGC – even though they are typically prepared by the business. In any case, they serve a very similar function to the above UGC examples.

What are the benefits of UGC?

So, what’s all the fuss about? How can UGC benefit your brand and business?

• More social proof: UGC is essentially social proof. The more content your audience creates in association with your brand (especially when positive) the more likely new prospects who are encountering your brand for the first time will be to trust you. Take this SEO expert in Dallas; with over 500 five-star reviews, they have an overwhelming amount of social proof / UGC.

• UCG is more influential when it comes to the purchasing decision: according to a recent study, user-generated content is 20% more influential than branded content. In other words, as your prospective customers approach the checkout, the more UGC and social proof you have, the more likely they will be to convert. This is why product pages with client testimonials and videos embedded typically experience higher conversions.

• It doesn’t cost you a penny: you can’t argue with free exposure, right?

• Increase your brand awareness: every piece of UGC, whether it be a social media post, a product unboxing video, or a review = more brand awareness for you. Sure, the social media posts might not have professional photography, but your audience will love it because it’s authentic, and that’s what matters.

Conclusion: Look after your audience and they’ll look after you

The key takeaway from this post is that you really cannot invest too much time and effort into making your customers happy. The more positive an experience they have, the more likely they will be to create UGC and share the love with their connections.

From the moment a prospect interacts with your brand, it must be a positive experience. Optimize your website accordingly, boost your page load speed, create a flawless UX design, have intuitive internal linking, understand the search intent behind each focus keyword you target and meet expectations, deliver high-value content across all platforms, and when a customer leaves feedback listen to them and try to make positive improvements in your customer service every day.

If you can commit to that level of growth, your audience will reward you in kind.