According to Stakla.com, only 13% of people say direct marketing content from a brand impacts their shopping.
What is User Generated Content?
User-Generated Content or UGC, has taken over digital marketing and how brands are advertising their business. User-Generated Content in short is content in the form of a video, photo, or text on social media to promote a brand but published by their fans. UGC has been growing popular with the rise of social media influencers and platforms. Social media websites like Instagram and TikTok have made it easy for brands to promote their image and products through UGC. According to tint.com more than 86% of brands use UGC as part of their marketing plan to push their products.
How Does UGC work?
Influencers can have millions of followers and a fanbase of their own and when they post content using different brands, it helps a business increase sales. UGC consists of a person posting content about a brand to their social media accounts for free which can lead to a paid position within the brand. One post can change the directory of a business and UGC is key to growing a brand. Most of the time these people aren’t paid for their work, but post the product because they love it. UGC content can come from these influencer programs, or from promotional campaigns run by brands that ask regular users to post content regarding events or to enter contests or sweepstakes using a brand’s hashtag.
The Impact of UGC… A few facts
UGC is more than just people posting content to their social media accounts. Companies can receive up to 26% of website traffic increase when they share a customer review to their social media account. This is important to companies because it boosts their interaction with customers while also potentially increasing company profit.
There are also money saving benefits for marketing budgets. According to tintup.com UGC can save companies on average $72,000 per year in marketing expenses. Since UGC is essentially free advertising and promoting, companies don’t have to spend as much money on getting their brand name out there.
When it comes to Millennials, 84% claim that when companies use UGC, it is more influential on the way they shop. Millennials are anyone from ages 23 to 38 and are considered to be the largest group of online shoppers accounting for 20.2% of overall shoppers.
On social media pages that feature UGC, brands have noticed about a 50% increase in conversions on their websites. UGC shows that a brand can be trusted and puts out a quality product which gets people talking and more interested in the brand. Conversation on a website means that people are interested in what the brand has to offer.
How can UGC be beneficial?
UGC helps brands reach a large audience
With promotion of a brands products or benefits through influencers, more people are being reached and becoming aware. Often times, fans become obsessed with a person and buy a product from a brand simply because their favorite celebrity is wearing it. Even if the brand is a big business, UGC can still bring in a large and new audience.
UGC helps a company efficiently use their budget
Since UGC is free, many businesses can benefit from their brand being posted by people because it gains attraction with no cost. Without paying people for posting their brand, the brand gets recognization and website traffic.
UGC creates credibility and trust in your brand
Since UGC is direct content from customers, it allows other potential customers to believe that the brand is trustworthy. With people posting their experience with a new product and brand, it shows to other people that the product is a good product.
UGC makes your brand unique
With peoples personalized experiences with a product, it creates a uniqueness that is made just for that brand. People may feel confident, beautiful, or just simply enjoying a product for what it is and that makes a brand stand out amongst others.
List created with the help of adsmurai.com
How Rihanna’s lingerie company uses UGC
In May of 2018, singer Rihanna launched a lingerie line named Savage X Fenty and despite her popularity and world wide fame, the fashion line didn’t immediately take off. The brand only had a few items and fans weren’t impressed with what they saw. It wasn’t until 2019, when the brand started to post pictures of women that weren’t models in their clothing, that the line finally took off. The brand is known for their inclusivity which encouraged more people to buy and post pictures of themselves in the clothing because they finally felt the confidence to do it. Fans of Rihanna began posting their pictures highlighting how beautiful it made them feel. This type of UGC soon lead to the creation of the ambassador program. Singer Normani was the first official Savage X Fenty brand ambassador, which consists of posting pictures in the new lingerie sets they come out with.
What does UGC look like for Savage x Fenty?
Savage X Fenty relies heavily on UGC to continue customer retention, gain new customers, and gain brand awareness. On their website, Twitter, and Instagram pages, Savage X Fenty features women who post pictures in their lingerie using the hashtag they created. Anyone can upload pictures all you have to do is wear the product and tag the company using the #savagexfenty hashtag to be featured. This is all voluntarily done by people whether they are fans of Rihanna or just simply like the clothes. This hashtag is very effective because there are so many people who post in it and love the clothes they produce.
Another way Savage X Fenty uses UGC is through their Instagram story when they come out with a new lingerie set and ask people to take pictures in their new items. They will post the new items with an instagram poll asking fans if they are ready for the new stuff.
How UGC has helped Savage X Fenty
Along with Rihanna’s renowned international fame, UGC has driven Savage X Fenty into being one of the most profitable clothing brands in recent years with comparison to big companies like Victoria Secret. With the brand gaining popularity due to people posting themselves in the clothing, UGC can be contributed to the companies success. Savage X Fenty is an only online shopping experience so through UGC, Savage X Fenty can continue to thrive in the future.
Teaching Social Media 