User Generated Content (UGC)

User Generated Content Definition

 

User Generated Content or UGC for short is a picture, video, or written review created by someone who has experienced that product or service. 

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Why is it such a popular term and what does it look like in real life? 

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UGC can either be organic, or paid. Organic UGC is when a Content Creator (someone who loves photography, social media, helping businesses grow, may even have worked in social media marketing or influencer marketing before) films and creates pictures and/or short videos between 15-30 seconds long and a brand posts it to their social media channel feed.- usually TIkTok or Instagram. ​

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This is different from Influencer Marketing because the Content Creator doesn't have to post to their own page, so follower count isn't relevant. Creators create and edit the video, and the brand posts it on their own page.

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UGC is considered paid when a brand plans to use the picture and/or short video from the Content Creator as a sponsored post or ad on social media. Why do brands use UGC instead of just having someone in their marketing department make a pretty ad?

 

Statistics have found that 90% of consumers say User Generated Content influences their decision to make a purchase after watching it..

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Benefits​ of User Generated Content

 

Not only does UGC have high conversion rates 63% of shoppers believe it creates a more authentic shopping experience. The fact is, social media users prefer real people talking about real products and how they use them over a highly produced video.

 

Here are some other statistics on user generated content:

 

•  UGC content is 9.8x more impactful than influencer content (Stakla, 2020)

• 56% of people say UGC photos and videos are the content they  want to see from brands (Stakla, 2020) 

• 61% of people say that UGC encourages them to engage with brands (TurnTo, 2017)

• 97% of those aged 18-29 say that UGC has an extreme influence in their purchase decisions (TurnTo, 2017)

• Ads with UGC content had 73% more positive comments than highly produced ads (Jukin Media, 2018)

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User Generated Content Examples