Raise your hand if you remember entering a colouring contest when you were a kiddo. You know, the one with an illustrated, paint-by-numbers restaurant place mat or a whimsical doodle of a friendly brand mascot waving eagerly in black and white, just waiting to be brought to life with pops of colour.

I have fond childhood memories of getting my creative juices flowing and putting pencil crayon to paper – all in the name of winning that coveted basket of chocolate treats or that gift certificate for a pizza party for me and five of my buddies. Seven-year-old Michelle was determined to win the colouring contests… and my mini works of “art” won a prize on more than one occasion. Perhaps it was the early makings of my competitive spirit? I digress.

While the sweet treats or the pizza party had a definite cool factor as a prize, it was really a sense of pride – or bragging rights, if you will – that fueled the motivation to take part in colouring contests. The chance to be singled out and showcased as a member of the community: a contributor.

It got me thinking about the merits of user-generated content or UGC – photos, images, videos, blogs, product reviews and other forms of digital media that (devoted) users share about a brand they love via social media platforms. The authenticity. The reliability. The originality.

With the disruptive noise of endless notifications, sponsored posts and pop-up windows surrounding our shared digital experience, it’s no surprise that the content that stands out and speaks to us is often the UGC created wholeheartedly by someone who we can relate to. Someone who may be a version of us. Someone who we aspire to be. Someone who we can learn from.

It’s that steadfast loyalty, pure joy and (#notsponsored) brand love that radiates from UGC that helps create a sense of trust. Trust in knowing that a fellow hiker swears by said backpack on outdoor adventures, or a fellow foodie applauds said kitchen gadget for homecooking, or another mama sings the praises of said doodad for soothing a teething baby, the list goes on.

What’s great about UGC is these are real-life (often unfiltered) snapshots of a brand experience, created by real people like you and me. It may not always be sunshine and rainbows – product reviews via UGC can also be blunt and matter-of-fact, particularly if it’s not a glowing review. It’s typically the brand advocates who champion the message because they want to share their word-of-mouth experience for the greater good or provide tangible customer feedback to help a brand improve future versions of a product or service offering.

With UGC marketing, the engagement is at maximum with users creating content, engaging with campaigns like contributing to hashtag campaigns, interactions through responses and gamification, etc.* – @SocialMediaWeek

Consumers are 2.4 times more likely to view user-generated content as authentic compared to content created by brands.** – @Hootsuite

90% of users trust UGC to influence their purchase decisions.* – @SocialMediaWeek

92% of consumers trust recommendations from people they know, and 70% trust online consumer opinions.* – @Hootsuite

Now, don’t get me wrong, UGC is not a replacement for all branded content. UGC is simply another avenue for telling your brand’s story. It’s another tool in your toolkit to complement the purely branded content and other promotional assets in your marketing mix. UGC is a way to engage your customer base in brand storytelling and community building through gamification, and perhaps generate some versatile, evergreen content along the way that brands can repurpose for campaigns down the road (with the user’s permission, of course).

And it’s not only the audience and the brands who stand to benefit from UGC; the adoring fans who created the content get their moments in the spotlight among their peers. Bragging rights, if you will. Or perhaps a chance to win a coveted basket of chocolate treats or a gift certificate for a pizza party. Because, who doesn’t love chocolate or pizza?

Looking to nurture some brand love with a UGC campaign and keep the conversation going? Let’s chat.

-michelle

* Source: How UGC is Redefining Marketing in 2020, Social Media Week, February 7, 2020
** Source: A Marketer’s Guide to Using User-Generated Content on Social Media, Hootsuite, March 12, 2019