Every consumer has a voice, and they’re making it known in the digital space—so much so that user-generated content (UGC), especially across social media, gives brands like yours new ways to connect with audiences. Unlike traditional media’s scripted messages and celebrity endorsements, UGC empowers real people to share authentic brand stories and experiences, fostering community.
Generate meaningful engagement. Discover how to skyrocket your brand engagement through UGC. We’ll show you why it’s the perfect tag team with Creator content to build trust and connections with your audience.
When you think about how you shop, any number of factors drive you, such as a brand’s mission, its values, and persuasive marketing. But, since the rise of the web, the opinions and experiences of others also motivate consumers. So you—and your customers—look to UGC to understand and assess products.
“Should I buy the latest mobile device?” “Is that new facial moisturizer worth it?”
Consumers seek opinions to inform their decisions, turning to reviews, testimonials, and related social and web content to learn more. They trust authentic voices, such as Creators and each other, over ads, motivating businesses like yours to leverage UGC to improve engagement and trust.
Reviews are invaluable, but there’s more than one way to incorporate UGC into your marketing mix. You can bring Creator content into social posts and ads and use it throughout your website and product pages. Keep a few things in mind to maximize brand engagement through UGC:
Long-form content, such as blog posts on your website, continues to grow in popularity for fostering deep audience engagement. But don't forget: Social media naturally draws consumers to Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Pinterest, and Snapchat for entertainment and shopping. LTK shoppers are twice as likely to shop Creators across social channels, and the draw is even stronger when you post long-form videos.
Simplify your marketing efforts and drive brand engagement through UGC. Social media ads engage users on their favorite platforms, gather data for future campaigns, and help marketing teams save time and resources on content creation. This content offers social proof to validate consumer purchases while giving your brand information it can repurpose across other channels, including ads and shoppable galleries.
Think about the user content you’ve seen in the wild: five-star reviews or scathing complaints. Instead of relying solely on these extremes, brands need to encourage customers who might otherwise remain silent.
Need inspiration to drive them to share their stories, reviews, and testimonials? Contests and giveaways encourage UGC, fostering a sense of community and offering authentic social proof.
You don’t fully control it, so how can you understand the value of UGC for your brand? It’s still possible to track UGC—including quality and quantity—during campaigns. One way to do this is by using custom hashtags to track brand mentions; this makes it easier to find content to reuse.
Creator marketing covers the full consumer journey. Use it in lockstep with UGC to engage consumers at every turn, leveraging LTK Ads and CTV campaigns to scale awareness, combining Creator and UGC social content to drive purchases, and more.
UGC and Creator content are better together. Combining the two can boost Creators’ placements, sometimes doubling or tripling their reach. That’s because when influencers create product content, their audiences follow suit, creating UGC to share their experiences on social media.
We’ve seen it firsthand! Consumers are on the lookout for authentic content that reaches them on a personal level—something Creators do naturally. LTK’s 40 million monthly shoppers share Creator posts to bring shoppers to the tipping point faster.
If there’s a theme in marketing today, it’s that consumers want to hear from sources they can trust. User-generated content and Creators pass individuals the mic to help brands build connections.
Bring Creator marketing and UGC together. We’ll connect your brand with Creators who can craft impactful strategies within the LTK platform and expand them to boost brand engagement through UGC and other tactics. Reach out today to begin your journey with LTK.