Why UGC Video Content is Important and How it Can Bolster Business

Getting the word out about your brand requires building trust with potential customers. One of the most effective trust-builders is user-generated content (UGC), especially UGC video content. Here’s how you can leverage UGC video content to bolster your business.

What Is User-Generated Content (UGC)?

UGC is content made by users rather than by your brand. For example, if a happy customer takes a picture of themselves wearing a hat from your store, that’s UGC.

UGC video content is video-based UGC. If that same happy customer takes a video describing how much they love your hat, this is UGC video content.

Benefits of UGC Video Content

Here's how user-generated video content can benefit your brand.

UGC Video Boosts Credibility

Customers trust people more than brands. If you, the maker of a product, say, “my hats are really good,” everyone knows you’re somewhat biased. But if a person who doesn’t know you says, “this hat is awesome; I love it!” — that can be considered a credible statement from an unbiased source.

UGC Builds Community

One of the most significant advantages you can leverage for successful marketing is to build a community around your brand. UGC connects people of similar interests and shows audiences that people they relate to use and love your product. This gets people talking and positions your brand at the center of an interest-based community, which is powerful for sales.

UGC Increases Conversions

Even before a community is built, and even before your brand enjoys widespread trust and recognition, UGC drives up conversion rates on landing pages. In fact, social proof is a key component of many of the most successful sales pages, and UGC video content is the most powerful, immediate way to show this social proof to a potential buyer.

UGC Video Content Increases Engagement

Finally, UGC video content spreads your brand across social media channels, increasing engagement and awareness of your brand, which drives up follower counts as well as sales. This kind of positive attention can build a solid reputation quickly without ad costs.

Obtaining UGC Video Content

There are two ways to use UGC. One is by letting it do its own thing across social media channels, and another is by maximizing its impact by gathering it and using it in your own posts, landing pages, and email campaigns.

To get the most out of UGC, you want to be gathering it and using it yourself. You can do this in a number of ways:

• Ask for it – Sometimes simply asking for a picture or a video from happy customers after the sale is quite effective. Rather than asking for a “testimonial,” though, simply ask for them to share because it makes you happy to see them happy. And remember to obtain permission before reposting or sharing their image.
• Run contests – Contests and hashtag challenges are amazing ways to get people to generate their own content and talk about your brand. Offer prizes or incentives, and during the campaign, use hashtags or tagging to find UGC and reshare it to your social media platforms.
• Use influencers – Influencers are a powerful way to get your message out to customers. This is rarely free, but not all influencers are bona fide celebrities. Try finding micro-influencers in your niche who believe in your product.

Get Started on Your UGC Strategy Today

You can jump-start your UGC strategy right now by finding legitimate content creators who are willing to get to know your product and make UGC today. Check out Fiverr’s UGC and UGC Video services categories to find some of the best creators out there. Find the right creator, and you can make a real alliance to get your UGC strategy going fast.

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