More and more businesses are turning to user generated content creators to promote their brands. Why is this? In an era of marketing oversaturation, it takes some fresh thinking and genuine originality to cut through and make an impact. This happens to be an area in which UGC creators thrive. So, it makes sense for your business to start using them.
But there’s a catch. Not all UGC is suitable for every business. This is because every creator has their own identity, as does your brand. Get the two matched up and you have marketing synergy. Get them mismatched and you have a mess.
So, you need to find the right UGC content ideas to match your brand. Which means you have to find the right UGC creators. We’ll show you how. But we’ll start by looking at why UGC is so important.
What is a UGC creator?
Chances are you’ve heard of user-generated content, or UGC. You’ve probably even used content your customers have put together to market your products and increase brand awareness.
Using UGC is a great modern sales strategy for small business, in particular. You can make the most of limited resources while letting customers highlight the benefits of your products.
But while traditionally, UGC was created by real customers, the idea has shifted recently – and it led to the rise of UGC creators.
A UGC creator is a content creator who your brand reaches out to specifically asking for them to create content about your brand or product. They’ll often use and demonstrate your product as if they were a normal customer. But in many cases, you might pay or otherwise incentivize the creator.
Screenshot sourced from YouTube
Don’t confuse UGC creators with influencers. UGC creators may not have a mass following on social media, and often they won’t even be credited in content they help you create or create on your behalf.
But why is it so effective?
Read More: UGC Creator vs Influencer: Which is the Right Fit for Your Business?
The power of UGC
For a while, conventional marketing worked incredibly well. Professionals skilled in comms and psychology told us how great certain things were for us and how our lives would be transformed by them. And, by and large, we went for it. As long as what we were watching or hearing seemed authoritative, we tended to believe and buy.
However, the trouble with any practice like this is that sooner or later, people get wise. What was persuasive to one generation seems anything but to the next.
Coupled with this, there’s been a growing skepticism on the part of consumers, who have, to an extent, woken up to a number of the most widespread marketing techniques. In short, consumers have displayed a growing willingness to doubt the message in conventional marketing.
1. Genuine people, genuine connections
UGC on the other hand brings a new energy to marketing. The most important aspect of it and why it does so much to boost brands is that it comes from a different source to what consumers have experienced previously.
User generated content creators aren’t salaried marketeers. They’re not boffins using complex algorithms to arrive at a message that might gain traction. They’re real customers, just like other customers. They’re enthusiasts. They’re fans. They’re regular folks.
It’s this regularity that makes all the difference. Other customers are likely to perceive what a UGC creator is saying as more authentic, because it comes from someone they perceive to be similar to themselves. A genuine connection then ensues.
This tactic works especially well for beauty brands like UpCircle, who very much rely on video reviews and testimonials from UGC creators to create connections with their customers, demonstrate the effectiveness of their products, and build trust.
Screenshot sourced from Instagram
2. Sense of community
The consequence for this, as far as your brand marketing strategy is concerned, is huge. Brand promotion is all about getting people to regard your brand favorably. When a user generated content creator does this for you, it generates social proof.
This, in turn, encourages others to want to explore your brand, which then generates more attention and more social proof. Before you know it, you have a burgeoning brand community that looks like a great place to hang out in and be a part of.
3. Originality
The other important factor to register when it comes to UGC is that it can be enormously original. This is because it comes from somewhere wholly different to conventional marketing. It can come from any number of unique individual perspectives, so the possibilities are hugely exciting.
One brand that does this particularly well is Who Gives a Crap, a sustainable toilet paper brand whose branding and marketing is as light-hearted and amusing as its toilet paper wrapping. The brand regularly uses UGC creators to share videos on its social media channels, showing the various creative ways people reuse their toilet paper rolls, wrappers, and boxes.
Screenshot sourced from Instagram
However, herein lies a caveat. If you have this kind of range of possibilities, you also have potential for a clash with your brand. A user generated content creator might smash it with a streaming service, say. But put them onto shifting units of your unified messaging platform and they may not fit with what you’re trying to put out there. Things can then go south very quickly.
You have to get the alignment right. Let’s turn now to how you go about doing this.
Aligning user generated content creators with your brand
Here’s a step-by-step guide to getting your brand mixing with the best and most appropriate UGC creators.
1. Be clear about your brand values
Before you start approaching UGC creators in the interests of hooking up, take a long, close look at the brand you’re putting out there. What are its strengths? Why might people like it? Who are the people we’re talking about?
Note that this is where UGC creator alignment can succeed or fail. If you have a business aimed at supplying reading glasses to a primarily senior and, more likely than not, somewhat bookish, customer base, then to link up with a user generated content creator who deals almost exclusively in Brooklyn Drill will probably struggle to gain traction.
So, start with your own brand values. Once you have a sound idea of these, then you can proceed. But before you do, remember to have discussions with others. Or use Keyhole’s social media insights to see how your brand’s coming across.
Although you may have a sturdy conception of what your brand is about, it might actually come across to others wholly differently. If there’s a mismatch between intention and reality, then you might be able to use the right UGC creator to help bring things back on track.
2. Look for creators
The rise of the creator has been quite remarkable. It’s proof of humanity’s need for tutelage and curation.
But, how do you go about finding the right partner for your brand? Well, you can start by just taking a turn around the socials, exploring posts that use related hashtags like #UGCcreator.
Original image created by author
Remember, you’re not looking for influencers with a huge following. You’re looking for people who are genuine and whose content aligns with your brand values.
Look at the type of content they’ve put out there. An experienced UGC creator will have a portfolio of content they’ve produced for other brands, too. Like what you see? Get in touch.
That’s a very basic way forward. Might work, but it can be quite laborious and slow. Here’s a better way: use Keyhole’s social listening tool to see which creators are really cutting it in cyberspace. Then you can see how well they perform once they link up with you.
To help you get started, here are three UGC creators that have already established a reputation:
- DC Banks. DC is a content creator specializing in UGC with over 11 years’ experience. He’s collaborated with over 650 companies, amassing over 700k fans and 3 billion video views thanks to his content focusing on all things sports and fitness. He’s even partnered with brands like Gymshark, potentially one of the biggest brands leveraging UGC creators.
Screenshot sourced from TikTok
- Kate Shew. Kate is a mom and UGC creator who’s created over 300 videos for food, home, family, and lifestyle brands. Her content is all down-to-earth and honest but still fun, engaging, and to the point, just as parents like it.
Screenshot sourced from Instagram
- Hannah Jefferson. Hannah is a UGC creator and mentor who’s worked with over 200 big-name brands in the lifestyle, wellness, and beauty sectors. Her TikTok page features nearly 60 examples of her work, so there’s plenty to browse through. Her content is more polished and feminine, if that’s the vibe you’re going for.
Screenshot sourced from TikTok
3. Social media monitoring
UGC can be the work of just about anyone, not just influencers. So it pays to widen the net to include any material you see out there that chimes with your own particular message.
Again, Keyhole’s social listening tool is handy for this kind of trawl. You can dip into what’s being discussed, what hashtags are popular, and who’s setting the socials on fire with their fresh and fun UGC.
You may find that you encounter users who are already generating high quality content about your brand. This can lead to a beautiful relationship. You may find that they’re completely leaning into what you want your brand to be all about. Or you may find that the UGC creator has chosen to highlight aspects that you hadn’t even thought of, that you absolutely love. In which case, some brand tweaking might be in order.
You can also use social media monitoring tools to see what user-generated content your competitors and other brands in your niche are sharing.
For example, if you’re a sportswear brand, you might look to the big wigs – companies like Adidas or Nike, for example.
Screenshot sourced from Keyhole.co
What UGC campaigns do they run? Who are they collaborating with? How does their UGC content perform? Why type of UGC content truly gets their message across? Even if you can’t compete with leading brands like this, you might still find some inspiration.
4. Launch an outreach campaign
Sometimes what you’re looking for isn’t necessarily out there. This can be especially the case if you’re launching something new and/or quite niche.
For instance, if you’re selling a refreshing soft drink, your target audience is likely to be quite broad. There’s bound to be some UGC creator out there who you can find quite readily who will be a good match. However, if you’re dealing in a more focused area of business, then you may need to get more proactive.
At times like these, it can pay to try some cold outreach to see if you can bag a potential collaborator that’s right for you. Again, be clear about what brand values you want to promote, and send out word to your customer base to see if anyone can come up with appealing content that does the trick.
You can use whatever channel works for your demographic—emails, social media platforms, signs in shop windows. And if you want guidance about when to post, turn to Keyhole’s publishing guidance.
Finally, you might want to sling an incentive there too. People love free stuff.
5. Bring on the ambassadors
This is similar to the last point, but think bigger scale. Companies with mass appeal can put together a program wherein consumers sign up to be brand ambassadors.
These advocates then go out into the virtual world, producing content for brands showing the product enjoyed in a myriad locations and while occupied in countless different pursuits. This is the very essence of the online communities approach that we mentioned earlier.
Let’s look at an example. Ruffwear produces outdoor performance dog gear. Unsurprisingly, their target demographic is people who love spending time exploring the great outdoors with their four-legged friends; people with an active lifestyle who love swimming, hiking, running, skiing, and cycling.
For its ambassador program, Ruffwear partners with adventurers around the world who produce content from how-to videos to behind-the-scenes tours and personal stories.
Screenshot sourced from YouTube
The content always revolves around those core values of adventure and exploration, creating a connection between the UGC creator (in this case, the ambassadors) and the target audience through a shared passion.
But the content also shows Ruffwear’s gear in action. That might be someone’s dog wearing the brand’s lifejacket while stand-up paddle boarding, strapped up with snow boots in the mountains, or wearing a harness while hiking in the hills.
As a result, the brand markets a lifestyle through people who genuinely use and love their products.
Adding value via UGC creators
The thing you should never forget about your brand is that it’s fluid. It has to be or it will end up withering as society moves on. This is where user generated content creators can make all the difference.
The dynamism and novel thinking they bring will keep your brand alive and kicking. Find the right UGC creator and your brand will stay relevant.
Using Keyhole’s tools, you’ll be in the best place to find the most fizzing UGC creator for your brand. Book a demo today and unlock success with your UGC strategy.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How do I ensure that user-generated content creators understand and reflect my brand values?
To make sure creators align with your values, start by clearly communicating your brand values to any potential content creators. Provide them with detailed guidelines that outline your expectations for tone, messaging, and visual aesthetics. Offer regular feedback and encouragement to creators to ensure that their content consistently reflects your brand’s values. It may also be helpful to create a brief onboarding process where you discuss your brand’s mission and vision in more depth.
2. What should I do if a content creator’s work doesn’t align with my brand values?
If a content creator’s content doesn’t align with your brand values, address the issue as soon as possible. Start with a constructive conversation, providing specific examples of where the content falls short and how it can be adjusted to better align with your brand. Offer support and resources to help them understand your brand’s vision. If misalignment persists, consider whether the partnership is still beneficial for both parties, and be prepared to amicably end the collaboration if necessary.
3. How can I measure the effectiveness of user-generated content in reflecting my brand values?
To measure the effectiveness, monitor key metrics such as engagement rates, sentiment analysis, and audience feedback. Analyze how the content is received by your target audience and whether it positively impacts brand perception. Surveys and focus groups can also be valuable tools to gauge how well the content resonates with your brand values. Regularly review and assess the content against your brand’s values to ensure ongoing alignment.
