What is UGC?
User-generated content (UGC) is authentic, brand-specific content created by customers, employees, brand loyalists or content creators. In short, it’s any content not produced directly by the brand or company. It’s essentially less polished, more authentic and relatable content.
UGC has always been about but has taken off in the last decade with the rise of content creators and social media influencers. A whopping 92% of marketers say user-generated content increases brand awareness of their products.
More recently, we’ve seen an increase in UGC used within paid campaigns, as the appeal of ‘real’ content is what consumers want from brands. Incorporating UGC into your campaign strategy can help increase your overall click-through rate, ad relevance and user engagement.
What types of UGC are there?
User-generated content comes in many forms, from images, videos, product reviews, blogs and podcast conversations. UGC videos across TikTok and Reels have taken over social media – for example, #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt. Do we need to say more? The link between UGC and conversions is clear – people trust this content and are more likely to be motivated to purchase or convert.
What are the best practices for UGC?
Permission is key! You must always ask creators for their permission to use their produced content. You can contact them via their comments, email, or DM them to ask for their permission. It’s also important to give credit to the creator by either tagging them in the caption or image. You can also pay content creators and social media influencers to create UGC for your brand.
How can your paid social campaign benefit from user-generated content?
When you set up a campaign on Meta, it tracks the relevance of each ad to a person before and after delivering it. Meta uses ad relevance diagnostics to show whether the ads are relevant to the audience reached. The three ad relevance diagnostics assessed are quality, engagement, and conversion rate ranking. Analysing your ad relevance rankings will help empower your ad optimisation decisions.
Highly relevant ads cost less, perform better, and lead to better user experiences overall. Using user-generated ad content is a proven way to gain user trust and improve your ad relevancy (based on your industry). 44% of consumers say they trust user-generated content more than anything else.
Which brands use UGC ad content well?
1. ASOS
ASOS, an online eCommerce store stocking a range of brands, is the OG for using UGC in organic and paid ads. In 2014, they utilised user-generated content to accelerate customer engagement with the use of a hashtag they created, #AsSeenOnMe, which is still ongoing and being used today.
Most recently, they’ve been using UGC across their TikTok Ads, with the content focusing on unboxing hauls and style fashion lookbooks, with the ads reaching the top 30% CTR on TikTok Ads.
2. HelloFresh
Hellofresh, a recipe box delivery service, uses user-generated content across its organic channels and ad campaigns. Recipe content is huge across TikTok, with over 60.4K posts using the hashtag #RecipeIdeas. HelloFresh has been using creator-lead content showing step-by-step how quick and easy it is to make meals. Most ads are hitting the top 50% in click-through rate (CTR).
3. Estrid
Estrid, a razor subscription service, regularly encourages customers and influencers to share their content and use their products. Estrid’s socials mostly feature user-generated content, as they are no stranger to a good UGC strategy. On TikTok, they run a ‘shaving tips’ series using a range of UGC-led content all reaching over 10K views per post. In the past, they’ve used UGC in ad campaigns, which has driven consumer awareness and trust.
Start Your Next UGC Ad Campaign With Trio
Incorporating user-generated content (UGC) into your ad campaigns is a powerful strategy that can significantly boost brand awareness, engagement, and trust. UGC takes various forms, with social media platforms like TikTok being significant hubs for UGC consumption.
User-generated content is not just a trend; it’s a valuable asset that can elevate your marketing efforts. Consumers trust UGC, and leveraging it can enhance your ad relevance, ultimately leading to better user experiences and more favourable brand outcomes.
Ready to take your social ad campaigns to the next level? Contact our team at Trio Media today. Let us help you harness the power of user-generated content and create compelling campaigns that resonate with your audience.
