What is UGC, Anyway?

This term has actually evolved - but this is how we look at it:

User-generated content used to mean reviews, photos, and videos that your customers make about your brand without getting paid. However, the term has now become a catch-all for all content created by:

*influencers (people with a social media audience who make creative for a living),

*paid creators (people who make content, who maybe don’t have a following, and

*customers.

Lately, some people have started using the term ‘customer-generated content’ to refer specifically to authentic content from real customers, as opposed to paid creators.

Does UGC Really Work?

However you interpret it, UGC is an extremely effective way to sell products online, as it builds trust and connection with your brand. But whether it is paid for or real - it needs to be filmed in a way that appears authentic and relatable

Brands using UGC get 28% more people interested compared to those that don't.
Websites with UGC get 20% more people coming back for more.
Reviews from users can make a product page show up higher in online searches by up to 25%.
56% of people trust what other users say more than what the brand says.
Brands that talk with people who make UGC get 45% more time spent on their website: Source - here!

It can be tricky to get the really great - authentic content - but we will break it down for you here!

How to get UGC/CGC from your actual customers

Give Clear Instructions Encourage your audience to create and share content by providing clear instructions and incentives via email. You can build it into your post-purchase flow, or send out campaigns to your whole list.

This could be as simple as asking them to tag your brand in their posts or participate in a specific campaign, or as detailed as sending them a detailed briefing document.

Offer an incentive that is meaningful to your audience. For some brands, a discount on future purchases is enough. For others, a cash or voucher incentive works best. For some brands, free products can be the driver. Work out what works best to drive your customers to send you content.

Engage with Your Audience: Actively engage with your audience by responding to comments, reposting their content, and showing appreciation for their contributions. This fosters a sense of community and encourages further participation.

Run Contests and Challenges: Organize contests, challenges, or giveaways that incentivize users to create and share content related to your brand. This can generate excitement and increase participation.

Feature User Content: Showcase user-generated content on your website, social media channels, and marketing materials. This not only highlights your customers but also encourages others to contribute.

Use branded hashtags: Encourage people to use special hashtags for your campaigns. You can make different campaigns with different hashtags. Or you can make a special hashtag for a big marketing push. This way, you're promoting both your campaign and the user-generated content.

Always ask permission and credit creators: Always ask before sharing someone's post. If you find a really good one, ask if you can share it. It's important to show respect and follow the rules. You don't want to be known for using someone's work without permission.

Monitor and Moderate: Keep track of the content being generated by your audience and moderate as necessary to ensure it aligns with your brand values and guidelines.

Provide Feedback and Recognition: Acknowledge and appreciate users who contribute valuable content by liking, commenting, or featuring their posts. This encourages ongoing participation and builds a positive relationship with your audience.

Measure Results: Track key metrics such as engagement, reach, and conversions to assess the effectiveness of your user-generated content strategy. Use this data to refine your approach and optimize future campaigns.

How to get user-generated content from paid creators.

For video content to use in ads, its often best to work with creators who specialise in making this type of content. This is different from paying influencers to create content for their audience.

For the purpose of this article we are going to focus on the type of creator who isn’t necessarily an influencer.

The trick here is to be really specific about what you want. We recommend you make a list of all the ads you plan to make with the UGC, and then break down into modules all the shots that you will need.

Sharing a brief like the one below with the creator so they know exactly what is required helps a lot to get the content you need:

Best Places To Source Paid UGC Creators

Twitter or Instagram - Search for hashtags like UGC or UGCcreator, or approach people who appear to be creating content in the style the fits your brand

Fiver and Upwork - Gig work platforms like Fiver and Upwork can be a great place to advertise your project - remember to be super specific about the style and type of content you need.

Shopify Collabs - Collabs is an all-in-one solution to find influencers and run an affiliate program that boosts sales – all within your Shopify Admin.

TikTok Creator Marketplace - Creator Marketplace is the official collaboration platform to connect brands and creators on TikTok. With Creator Marketplace, you can collaborate with brands on both paid and reward-based campaigns.

Grin - Grin combines influencer marketing with e-commerce, letting you gift products, track sales referrals, and find influencers from your customer base.

Brandwatch Influencer Marketing Software - Brandwatch helps you find the right influencers, manage relationships, and track campaign success using social media and customer intelligence platforms.

Upfluence - Upfluence helps you discover new influencers and manage campaigns easily, with added social listening features for research.

Creator.co - Creator.co is an end-to-end solution, offering influencer marketing and affiliate marketing tools.

Skeepers - Formerly Octoly, Skeepers' influencer platform fits well with their other tools and stands strong on its own.

Kitly Business - Kitly Business is a great option for agencies, offering influencer and campaign management tools.

Intellifluence - Intellifluence is an influencer marketing platform for smaller businesses, with a decent network of willing influencers.

Insense - insense is both a creator and influencer marketplace, providing tools for managing campaigns and sourcing user-generated content for ads.

Billo - Billo is a cloud-based social selling platform, designed to help small to midsize eCommerce businesses connect with video creators to produce a variety of custom videos such as unboxing, testimonials, 360, how-to, stories and more in order to enhance the social proof of the brand

Clip - Clip helps brands drive revenue with performance-driven UGC videos. Lower their ads CPA and drive organic traffic to social media accounts.

Here are some examples of UGC ads-