Happy Friday, folks!
How do you sell to your target market in an era where consumers have become smarter?
Let's be real; peopledon't always trust adsthese days.
So, what do they trust then?
Content from real customers.
When it comes to making buying decisions, 93% of buyers trust the recommendations of families and friends.
A whopping 92% of consumers will even believe other people’s recommendations, even if it’s people they don’t know.
Even brands have taken notice. Surprisingly, 87% of brands are taking advantage of content produced by customers to appear more authentic.
This type of more engaging content has a name—User-Generated Content or simply, UGC.
Today, we’re going to talk about UGC, why it’s infinitely better in terms of conversion rates & cost production, and how you can use it in your marketing strategy.
In case it slipped past your radar, we've just launched our new and improved Forms!
Growing your audience is simpler than ever with features like:
👉
Easy breezy customization
👉
Advanced targeting rules & geolocation
👉
Personalized questionnaires
and premium functionalities to help you grow your customer base.
Explore how you can leverage Sendlane’s forms here.
How to Leverage UGC in eCommerce Marketing
What is User-Generated Content?
User-generated content (UGC) is any content created by existing customers or any audience about a brand. It can be in the form of reviews, videos, stories, product images, or social media posts. Like this one from Rare Beauty on Instagram:
Your customers can create the content out of their own will. Maybe they’re trying out your product for the first time. Or, they simply love it and want to share their experiences with their friends and families.
When this happens, congrats, you just got free marketing!
Other times, UGC can be paid for. Brands can initiate the creation of user-generated content so they can incorporate it into their marketing strategies to drive users and increase conversions.
Yes, brands—especially those in the eCommerce space—have been shifting away from traditional marketing into UGC marketing. You’re about to find out why.
Why You Can’t Ignore UGC In Your eCommerce Marketing Strategy
Brands have been leveraging eCommerce user-generated content to market their products better.
Shopify reported that ads with UGC received 4x higher click-through rates and had a 50% drop in cost per click compared to other ads.
Why did user-generated content get so popular with eCommerce brands?
1. UGC is authentic
According to surveys, 75% of consumers say UGC makes content more authentic. This authenticity helps consumers visualize what a product would look like in real-world scenarios, driving consumers to make faster purchasing decisions.
Also, since customers create user-generated content themselves, it’s seen as real, raw, and true. Compared to “picture-perfect” brand photos, UGC is more influential to customers because of its more realistic feel.
On the other hand, only 19% of consumers relate and find authenticity from brand-created content.
2. UGC create brand loyalty and trust
Leveraging UGCis like having people promote for you. They offer buyers an unbiased, third-party opinion of your products. This ultimately helps more users trust your brand.
In fact, 72% of consumers said that real customer photos and videos are what they want to see on eCommerce product pages.
True enough, when Lush Cosmetic’s added shoppable UGC experience in their eCommerce website (homepage and product pages), they had a 333% increase in impressions in just one month.
3. UGC increases brand awareness
eCommerce businesses pay money to get their brands in front of their target users.
They use Facebook Ads, for example, to build a brand online awareness campaign just to get people to see or notice their eCommerce store.
At the end of the day, all they get are impressions and “likes” on their Facebook page, if they’re lucky. It’s not even money in the bank, but they’re allotting a budget for it, even if it can get expensive.
With user-generated content, you can build brand awareness at zero cost.
A good example would be GoPro who ran a "Photo of the Day Challenge" on social media and showcased their customers videos and images taken with GoPro cameras.
This one from Twitter stood out as our favorite:
Doing initiatives like this lets your customers spread your brand for you using social proof. Each has their own audiences, helping you put your brand out there for their loyal fans and followers to discover.
4. UGC is cost-effective
According to hubspot, nearly 50% of marketers say they spendwell over $80,000 annually on their content marketing. The amount and efforts allocated towards producing such content is no joke.
Imagine the number of staff involved in preparing the production set. There are models, directors, professional photographers, celebrity artists, and there’s also the location to rent.
Compare that to user-generated content. You can collect it for free when users tag you on social channels, do a #hashtag competition, or offer free trials.
UGC can also be acquired at a minimum budget. It only costs $30-$300 per post for nano influencers.
4 Types of User-Generated Content
To better help you visualizeuser-generated content better, let us show some of the most used types of user-generated content at the moment.
Author’s Note: Content creators are getting more creative, so this can highly likely grow and change.
1. Customer Testimonials
A customer testimonial is a recommendation from a satisfied customer. This features a user’s thoughts on the product after using it for a significant amount of time—something that potential consumers would love to hear. Winalovee's post on IG is a great example.
2. Product Unboxing
Unboxing is the act of unpacking newly purchased products. It’s often used for tech consumer items in video reviews format.
The user shows how it was packed and how it arrived. What’s the new product’s size, finish, and feel, what items are included in the box, and what additional accessories they might need (if applicable)? Unbox Therapy on YouTube does a great job at this!
3. Product Real-Life application
Product real-life application is when a content creator tries on the product to give potential customers an idea of what he or she would be getting, should he or she decide to purchase.
This includes try-on hauls for clothes and product reviews for makeup, like this one from KathleenLights on YouTube.
4. Product Demo
A product demo is where a brand showcases how their service or product works by guiding the user through the process of using the tool. This reel featured on beis Instagram nails it!
All in all, user-generated content can come in different forms and sizes. You’ll have to see which types of social proof you want to experiment with.
Based on your niche, target market, and social platforms, you can decide which content forms are ideal for generating results.
Ready to start your UGC journey?
So now that you've got the basics down. are you ready toput your UGC into action?
Just keep in mind that yes, you can display UGC to capture your market’s attention... But don’t forget that building on that trust is more important. Nurture the relationship with your customers to make them happy.
Happy customers will definitely reward you with more awesome user-generated content that will get you even more sales for your next campaigns.
We’re excited to see where this UGC journey will take your eCommerce business!
If you enjoyed this weeks DTC Rundown, spread the knowledge and forward to a friend of colleague.
See ya next time! 👋
|
NL 4 easy ways to implement UGC͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ Happy Friday, folks!How do you sell to your target market in an era where consumers have become smarter?Let's be real; peopledon't always trust adsthese days.So, what do they trust then?Content from real customers.When it comes to making buying decisions, 93% of buyers trust the recommendations of families and friends.A whopping 92% of consumers will even believe other people’s recommendations, even if it’s people they don’t know.Even brands have taken notice. Surprisingly, 87% of brands are taking advantage of content produced by customers to appear more authentic.This type of more engaging content has a name—User-Generated Content or simply, UGC.Today, we’re going to talk about UGC, why it’s infinitely better in terms of conversion rates & cost production, and how you can use it in your marketing strategy. In case it slipped past your radar, we've just launched our new and improved Forms!Growing your audience is simpler than ever with features like: 👉 Easy breezy customization👉 Advanced targeting rules & geolocation 👉 Personalized questionnairesand premium functionalities to help you grow your customer base. Explore how you can leverage Sendlane’s forms here. How to Leverage UGC in eCommerce Marketing What is User-Generated Content?User-generated content (UGC) is any content created by existing customers or any audience about a brand. It can be in the form of reviews, videos, stories, product images, or social media posts. Like this one from Rare Beauty on Instagram: Your customers can create the content out of their own will. Maybe they’re trying out your product for the first time. Or, they simply love it and want to share their experiences with their friends and families.When this happens, congrats, you just got free marketing!Other times, UGC can be paid for. Brands can initiate the creation of user-generated content so they can incorporate it into their marketing strategies to drive users and increase conversions.Yes, brands—especially those in the eCommerce space—have been shifting away from traditional marketing into UGC marketing. You’re about to find out why.Why You Can’t Ignore UGC In Your eCommerce Marketing StrategyBrands have been leveraging eCommerce user-generated content to market their products better.Shopify reported that ads with UGC received 4x higher click-through rates and had a 50% drop in cost per click compared to other ads.Why did user-generated content get so popular with eCommerce brands?1. UGC is authenticAccording to surveys, 75% of consumers say UGC makes content more authentic. This authenticity helps consumers visualize what a product would look like in real-world scenarios, driving consumers to make faster purchasing decisions. Also, since customers create user-generated content themselves, it’s seen as real, raw, and true. Compared to “picture-perfect” brand photos, UGC is more influential to customers because of its more realistic feel.On the other hand, only 19% of consumers relate and find authenticity from brand-created content.2. UGC create brand loyalty and trustLeveraging UGCis like having people promote for you. They offer buyers an unbiased, third-party opinion of your products. This ultimately helps more users trust your brand.In fact, 72% of consumers said that real customer photos and videos are what they want to see on eCommerce product pages.True enough, when Lush Cosmetic’s added shoppable UGC experience in their eCommerce website (homepage and product pages), they had a 333% increase in impressions in just one month. 3. UGC increases brand awarenesseCommerce businesses pay money to get their brands in front of their target users.They use Facebook Ads, for example, to build a brand online awareness campaign just to get people to see or notice their eCommerce store.At the end of the day, all they get are impressions and “likes” on their Facebook page, if they’re lucky. It’s not even money in the bank, but they’re allotting a budget for it, even if it can get expensive.With user-generated content, you can build brand awareness at zero cost.A good example would be GoPro who ran a "Photo of the Day Challenge" on social media and showcased their customers videos and images taken with GoPro cameras.This one from Twitter stood out as our favorite: Doing initiatives like this lets your customers spread your brand for you using social proof. Each has their own audiences, helping you put your brand out there for their loyal fans and followers to discover.4. UGC is cost-effectiveAccording to hubspot, nearly 50% of marketers say they spendwell over $80,000 annually on their content marketing. The amount and efforts allocated towards producing such content is no joke.Imagine the number of staff involved in preparing the production set. There are models, directors, professional photographers, celebrity artists, and there’s also the location to rent.Compare that to user-generated content. You can collect it for free when users tag you on social channels, do a #hashtag competition, or offer free trials.UGC can also be acquired at a minimum budget. It only costs $30-$300 per post for nano influencers.4 Types of User-Generated ContentTo better help you visualizeuser-generated content better, let us show some of the most used types of user-generated content at the moment.Author’s Note: Content creators are getting more creative, so this can highly likely grow and change.1. Customer TestimonialsA customer testimonial is a recommendation from a satisfied customer. This features a user’s thoughts on the product after using it for a significant amount of time—something that potential consumers would love to hear. Winalovee's post on IG is a great example. 2. Product UnboxingUnboxing is the act of unpacking newly purchased products. It’s often used for tech consumer items in video reviews format.The user shows how it was packed and how it arrived. What’s the new product’s size, finish, and feel, what items are included in the box, and what additional accessories they might need (if applicable)? Unbox Therapy on YouTube does a great job at this! 3. Product Real-Life applicationProduct real-life application is when a content creator tries on the product to give potential customers an idea of what he or she would be getting, should he or she decide to purchase.This includes try-on hauls for clothes and product reviews for makeup, like this one from KathleenLights on YouTube. 4. Product DemoA product demo is where a brand showcases how their service or product works by guiding the user through the process of using the tool. This reel featured on beis Instagram nails it! All in all, user-generated content can come in different forms and sizes. You’ll have to see which types of social proof you want to experiment with.Based on your niche, target market, and social platforms, you can decide which content forms are ideal for generating results. Ready to start your UGC journey?So now that you've got the basics down. are you ready toput your UGC into action?Just keep in mind that yes, you can display UGC to capture your market’s attention... But don’t forget that building on that trust is more important. Nurture the relationship with your customers to make them happy.Happy customers will definitely reward you with more awesome user-generated content that will get you even more sales for your next campaigns.We’re excited to see where this UGC journey will take your eCommerce business!If you enjoyed this weeks DTC Rundown, spread the knowledge and forward to a friend of colleague.See ya next time! 👋 Terms & ConditionsSupportBlog Sendlane 2712 Loker Avenue West #1107, Carlsbad, CA, United States, 92010 To update or remove your contact information please Manage Your Subscription.
