User Generated Content, what is it?
Posted: Wed Jan 22, 2025 4:58 am
User Generated Content (UGC) is any content that has been created and posted altruistically by users . Often, these users are fans or followers who promote a brand rather than the brand itself promoting itself . User Generated Content can be in any format including blogs, web pages, images, social media posts, etc.
When Coca Cola came out with their personalized bottles the world went crazy for them. The “Share a Coke” campaign took off all over the world with bottles bearing names of people in different countries.
To maintain momentum, customers were asked to share photos of themselves enjoying their drink with their personalized Coca Cola bottle on social media . The result? Coca Cola customers took on the role of advertisers.
This wasn't just a one-off campaign, or a nice fluke. Instead, it's one of thousands of successful user-generated content (UGC) campaigns - it drove millions in revenue and a whole new image.
share-a-coke-campaign
But what exactly is User Generated Content?
As we said before, user-generated content is defined as any type of content that has been created and published by altruistic users, or rather, generated by "fans" of the brand.
Yeah, but... UGC still sounds like another marketing buzzword to you , right? Well, I have to tell you that it's not a fad at all. These types of strategies/campaigns have been working for quite some time now (well, considering the fast-paced world of the Internet).
When you consider that 86% of millennials say user-generated content is a good indicator of a brand’s quality (source: Trend), and that 68% of social media users aged 18-24 take into account information shared on social media when making a purchasing decision (source: eMarketer), it’s easy to see why user-generated content is so powerful.
Why user-generated content is so successful (and why you shouldn't ignore it)
Why do brands turn to their audiences to share their products instead of creating their own ads?
UGC puts customers front and center
Customer-centric businesses are on the rise, because companies constantly have to keep up with their audiences’ trends. In this fast-paced, digital world, attention spans can be lost with just one click. If brands don’t cater to their customers, their customers will simply find another brand.
Online users are becoming more and more savvy and know which companies are using pure marketing techniques and which ones are being authentic and transparent. They don't need to be told which ones are more successful.
People don't trust sellers
Which brings me to my next point. Over the past ten years, the idea of the sleazy salesperson/marketer has soared to unprecedented heights.
Instead, they crave stories, they crave connection, and they crave interaction cpa email marketing database with other humans (a byproduct, perhaps, of the increasing amount of time we spend in front of a computer, mobile, or tablet screen?).
We’ve actually been seeing user-generated content for centuries, but now there are media platforms to make it more accessible across the globe. And when you find out that 92% of people are more likely to trust a recommendation from someone else , it becomes clear just how far the trust between people and marketers has spread.
It's authentic
Authenticity is very important in the online world we live in. Customers are no longer passive consumers driven by TV ads and billboards. Instead, they are active choosers of their own destiny and want a say in what they do and who they buy from or don't.
But how do they choose who to buy from? They opt for brands that have the same values as them , brands they can connect with on a human level, and brands that “earn their trust.”
Create a community
User generated content brings audiences together. Instead of being an “us” versus “them” situation where brands are constantly trying to win over consumers, UGC brings everyone together into one big happy family .
It is common knowledge that people like to feel part of something. In a 1986 theory written by MacMillan and Chavis, there were four things that encouraged people to feel part of a community:
1. Feel like a member
2. Influence
3. Integration and satisfaction of needs
4. Shared emotional connection
Points 2 and 4 are of particular interest in user-generated content. Influence has to work both ways: members must also feel that they have influence over the community, an element that UGC brings to the table.
Shared emotional connection is also driven through UGC. MacMillan and Chavis stated that healthy communities have a story, and this is what binds them together.
It is profitable
UGC is all about users creating content. They are not paid and do so for a variety of reasons, whether it is to share their experience, to make a connection with like-minded people or to have a chance to win something. This is obviously a lot cheaper than spending thousands, or even millions, on prime-time TV commercials and billboards on Madrid's Gran Via.
The beauty of user-generated content is that users execute the actions, while brands don't have to empty their pockets on campaigns that may or may not perform well .
The ROI is higher
According to ComScore, brand engagement increases by 28% when consumers are exposed to a mix of professional marketing content and user-generated content.
Take for example the Starbucks White Cup Contest that took place in 2014. Customers were encouraged to doodle on their Starbucks white cups and post their images to enter a contest to find a template for a limited edition Starbucks cup.
Nearly 4,000 customers submitted their designs in just three weeks, proving that people were ready and willing to engage with the brand.
When Coca Cola came out with their personalized bottles the world went crazy for them. The “Share a Coke” campaign took off all over the world with bottles bearing names of people in different countries.
To maintain momentum, customers were asked to share photos of themselves enjoying their drink with their personalized Coca Cola bottle on social media . The result? Coca Cola customers took on the role of advertisers.
This wasn't just a one-off campaign, or a nice fluke. Instead, it's one of thousands of successful user-generated content (UGC) campaigns - it drove millions in revenue and a whole new image.
share-a-coke-campaign
But what exactly is User Generated Content?
As we said before, user-generated content is defined as any type of content that has been created and published by altruistic users, or rather, generated by "fans" of the brand.
Yeah, but... UGC still sounds like another marketing buzzword to you , right? Well, I have to tell you that it's not a fad at all. These types of strategies/campaigns have been working for quite some time now (well, considering the fast-paced world of the Internet).
When you consider that 86% of millennials say user-generated content is a good indicator of a brand’s quality (source: Trend), and that 68% of social media users aged 18-24 take into account information shared on social media when making a purchasing decision (source: eMarketer), it’s easy to see why user-generated content is so powerful.
Why user-generated content is so successful (and why you shouldn't ignore it)
Why do brands turn to their audiences to share their products instead of creating their own ads?
UGC puts customers front and center
Customer-centric businesses are on the rise, because companies constantly have to keep up with their audiences’ trends. In this fast-paced, digital world, attention spans can be lost with just one click. If brands don’t cater to their customers, their customers will simply find another brand.
Online users are becoming more and more savvy and know which companies are using pure marketing techniques and which ones are being authentic and transparent. They don't need to be told which ones are more successful.
People don't trust sellers
Which brings me to my next point. Over the past ten years, the idea of the sleazy salesperson/marketer has soared to unprecedented heights.
Instead, they crave stories, they crave connection, and they crave interaction cpa email marketing database with other humans (a byproduct, perhaps, of the increasing amount of time we spend in front of a computer, mobile, or tablet screen?).
We’ve actually been seeing user-generated content for centuries, but now there are media platforms to make it more accessible across the globe. And when you find out that 92% of people are more likely to trust a recommendation from someone else , it becomes clear just how far the trust between people and marketers has spread.
It's authentic
Authenticity is very important in the online world we live in. Customers are no longer passive consumers driven by TV ads and billboards. Instead, they are active choosers of their own destiny and want a say in what they do and who they buy from or don't.
But how do they choose who to buy from? They opt for brands that have the same values as them , brands they can connect with on a human level, and brands that “earn their trust.”
Create a community
User generated content brings audiences together. Instead of being an “us” versus “them” situation where brands are constantly trying to win over consumers, UGC brings everyone together into one big happy family .
It is common knowledge that people like to feel part of something. In a 1986 theory written by MacMillan and Chavis, there were four things that encouraged people to feel part of a community:
1. Feel like a member
2. Influence
3. Integration and satisfaction of needs
4. Shared emotional connection
Points 2 and 4 are of particular interest in user-generated content. Influence has to work both ways: members must also feel that they have influence over the community, an element that UGC brings to the table.
Shared emotional connection is also driven through UGC. MacMillan and Chavis stated that healthy communities have a story, and this is what binds them together.
It is profitable
UGC is all about users creating content. They are not paid and do so for a variety of reasons, whether it is to share their experience, to make a connection with like-minded people or to have a chance to win something. This is obviously a lot cheaper than spending thousands, or even millions, on prime-time TV commercials and billboards on Madrid's Gran Via.
The beauty of user-generated content is that users execute the actions, while brands don't have to empty their pockets on campaigns that may or may not perform well .
The ROI is higher
According to ComScore, brand engagement increases by 28% when consumers are exposed to a mix of professional marketing content and user-generated content.
Take for example the Starbucks White Cup Contest that took place in 2014. Customers were encouraged to doodle on their Starbucks white cups and post their images to enter a contest to find a template for a limited edition Starbucks cup.
Nearly 4,000 customers submitted their designs in just three weeks, proving that people were ready and willing to engage with the brand.