User Generated Content: Next Level “Reviews” for Your Marketing

User generated content has been around for a long time. You've seen it in unboxing videos or tutorials or challenges or reactions. All of that stuff has been going for a while and we're seeing a higher reception and engagement rate with that content in this new generation within Gen Z and millennial.

So user-generated content is similar to influencer marketing, except that the people creating that content oftentimes aren't influencers. They have no influence over their peers. They're just creating this content that you can then utilize for your marketing strategies.

This is a marketing strategy that brands can use on their social platform, sharing content that other people have created. It's cheaper than creating video content. It's cheaper. Than creating influencer content because only cost is the cost of the product.

You send products to users who have the capabilities to create content good enough to be shared on Instagram or on Facebook or on TikTok, and they create that content. Doesn't cost you anything. They don't charge you anything. The reason that this is so valuable is because it adds a validity to your product.

In the same way that a testimonial or a client review adds validity that your product is successful or that your service is successful, it is showing. A next level of that because not only did they sit down to write a four line review on Google, but they created content. They loved your product so much, or at least that's the perception that they love the product so much that they created this content and now it's encouraging and incentivizing other customers.

To buy the product, try it out, and maybe even create more of their own content. So there's lots of ways that you can encourage this. First, you can find lower level influencers who have the capability to create content but don't have a huge following enough that you would want to pay for that influence. and you send them the products, they'll create your content, they'll send it back to you. They get a free product, you get a free user generated content, everyone's happy. You can also set contests or challenges or campaigns or rewards or even just incentivizing with exposure onto your platforms.

And that will help encourage people to create that UGC for.

The other great use case for user-generated content is on your website. Going onto a website and seeing a sea of user-generated content or of video testimonials or people trying your product that is going to make a huge. Difference, huge value add for potential customers as they come onto your page.

Don't let this be your only marketing strategy, but if you have a product brand or a service brand that relies heavily on reviews, this is a great way to help increase your validity in the industry. It's a great way to get started and to create a huge amount of content at a low cost.

BY JOSHUA STANLEY
FOUNDER & CEO OF LIFESTYLED MEDIA