Every day, we’re flooded with advertisements. It’s no longer confined to TV commercials or billboards – they’re on social media platforms, in your email inbox, integrated into podcasts and more. With the constant bombardment, how are brands and organizations standing out from the crowd? UGC.

What is UGC?

UGC, or user-generated content, is changing the way you’re being influenced to purchase products, try a new restaurant or attend events. Instead of an ad coming from a brand, it’s now coming from a person – a trusted influencer or someone similar to the company’s target audience. And with 92% of consumers revealing they trust recommendations from friends and family above all other forms of advertising, it’s working.

What does a typical UGC post look like?

UGC content comes in all sorts of shapes and sizes:

1. Visual content is the most common form of UGC. In fact, you’ve probably posted your own UGC content without knowing it!  If you’ve watched a video of someone unboxing a package with a company tagged, that’s UGC. Any sort of post promoting a brand, company, product, organization or service can be UGC. And, for brands, this is great news – they now have a bank of content to use (with approval) of real, positive experiences and results. That’s what potential consumers are looking for.
2. Reviews and ratings – If you posted a positive review after a stellar dining experience or completed a survey after an oil change, those are all forms of UGC. While these are great data-gathering tools for brands and can provide meaningful insights, it also supplies them with content they can repurpose into promotional materials. 

What are the benefits of UGC?

UGC is capitalizing on what consumers want most – real results. If you’re looking to boost your social media presence, UGC could be a great place to start.

1. Authenticity – Real people, real results. As AI-generated content takes over newsfeeds, people are craving authenticity now more than ever. When it comes to promoting a new product, the best way is to capitalize on that desire. An easy way to do so is to share organic content, such as positive reviews or customer-taken photos. You’re not only promoting your product with genuine feedback, but also making the person sharing their experience feel special and seen, creating another positive touchpoint with your current audience and encouraging other customers to do the same. 
2. Brand loyalty – People not only want to love your product, but also your brand. Consumers care about your business practices – the more transparent and in alignment with their own beliefs, the better. When a potential consumer or customer trusts the person reviewing your product or service, they’re more likely to visit your establishment or purchase your offering. Establishing brand loyalty can create lifelong supporters. 
3. Cost-effectiveness – Traditional print and digital advertising can be expensive. Instead, meet customers where they are by leveraging your current audience to shape your campaign. As mentioned earlier, you can share positive reviews or customer-taken photos, but you can also leverage local micro-influencers to promote your product or service. More than likely, their followers look to them for recommendations and suggestions, so a genuine post about your brand could go further than a billboard that’s hard to track success.

Advertising will remain constant. However, how current and potential customers consume it is constantly changing. Lean into the transition and capitalize on real people, real results with UGC.