Your Customers Should Determine Your Marketing Strategy

Remember the iconic #ShotOniPhone hashtag that swept the internet and took over social media? That was one of the most successful User-Generated Content (UGC) campaigns of all time, with over 23.7 million posts on Instagram. The hashtag was so impactful that it was even transformed into billboards!

As a marketer, wouldn't it be amazing to have your target customers right by your side, helping you craft the perfect marketing strategy? Well, with UGC, you can!

UGC is the New Influencer Marketing

Gone are the days of spending millions on irrelevant ads and campaigns that consumers ignore. With the rise of UGC, authenticity is king. A report by Stackla revealed that 90% of consumers place a high value on authenticity when choosing brands to support. They want to see content from real people, not just paid professionals.

So, can any brand leverage the power of UGC? The answer is a resounding yes!

The Creator Economy is Thriving

From TikTok to Instagram, the creator economy is booming, and every brand wants to be a part of it. But what's the difference between a UGC creator and an influencer?

A UGC creator specializes in creating captivating content for brands to use across their marketing channels. Meanwhile, an influencer focuses on creating content that aligns with their personal brand and reaches their audience, which may overlap with the brand.

Why Does UGC Win?

According to a study by Tintup, 76% of consumers have purchased a product based on someone else's recommendation. That's the power of UGC!

UGC Creators or Influencers - Which is Right for You?

Both! Influencers and UGC creators exist on a spectrum, and each offers unique value to brands. UGC creators excel in creating testimonials and feedback, which can be repurposed to address consumer pain points throughout the marketing funnel. Meanwhile, influencers are great for creating brand awareness and reaching existing audience sets that align with your consumer persona.

Established brands can tap into UGC creators to increase their touchpoints across various marketing channels, while influencers can be used to promote activations or create professional content as collaborations.

For example, Sephora now has an “As Seen On TikTok” shelf in their stores, showcasing the power of customer testimonials and leading to higher conversions. And Farrow&Ball, a home decor company, showcases customer-generated images on their website as authentic design inspiration.

Your Customers are Your Best Marketers

By embracing UGC, you are essentially outsourcing content production to your customers, making them the heroes of your brand's story and forming a relationship with your community.

VSCO, a social media tool, uses its social media channels to showcase its users from around the world, providing a glimpse into the personalities of its consumers and keeping the brand name consistent through social listening data.

See, UGC creates a sense of trust and social credibility through small creators without relying on their personal brand. It evens out the marketing funnels, resulting in more conversions than highly produced ads, and expands your community organically.

What do you think?