Digital presence is a fundamental aspect of companies in today’s world that is worth knowing and exploiting; however, to make use of it you need to know everything it has to offer.
Discover what is user-generated content and how to use it to your advantage.
User-generated content or UGC, as it corresponds to its acronym User generated content, comprises everything that Internet users create and publish on a website, social network, platform or other.
These publications or User generated content are usually comments that users post on networks or websites, opinions, posts, images and more.
In addition, they can be presented in a variety of formats, sizes and levels of depth, ranging from a small comment to extensive explanations.
In this sense, these comments are far from being just publications, they are actually very valuable resources for companies with a digital presence and the marketing they do.
From the point of view of digital marketing, user comments are used to guide strategies, in addition to being a free and natural dissemination tool, spontaneously provided by Internet users.
Making use of these strategies not only allows the company to have a clear idea of the users’ perception of the brand, but it is also free and does not require any type of investment.
A clear example of companies that have managed to profit from UGC is Amazon, the largest online sales platform today, and even travel sites such as Booking or TripAdvisor.
These companies have managed to profit from comments, reviews, responses and other posts made by users, generally in a positive way, regarding a product or service received.
This content is essential for any website and can be very useful for the company, users and potential buyers.
Undoubtedly, the importance of user generated content is undeniable, to the point that through a study conducted by TurnToNetworks it is assured that 90% of users become customers and make their purchase when the content uploaded by others is positive about the product or service.
The same study also confirmed that nearly 80% of these buyers may pay a higher amount or wait a longer period of time for a product or service that has received a UGC advantage.
While advertising may attract potential customers, it is the user generated content that motivates the user to make the purchase.
This situation is normal, since human beings tend to trust their peers and their experiences more than what the company is trying to sell.
Naturally, it is understandable that this happens, because advertising is usually focused on benefiting the product or service to be sold, while the users’ opinion is transparent and disinterested.
In this sense, it is enough to consider how is the buying process that each one of us performs in our daily lives, it is more than certain that we will take into account the opinion of other users at the time of making a certain transaction.
It is rare that you buy a product or service that has received a bad review, while you will surely buy something with the best ratings from users.
It is possible to ensure that user generated content is indispensable at all times, but they prove to be valuable at different times for users and companies.
For users, UGC is needed when:
On the other hand, for the company, user generated content is necessary when:
Brands, such as LiquidaZona, use user-generated content in a key way to develop marketing strategies, thanks to the fact that every day users give greater value to the opinion of others than to advertising when it comes to making a purchase or contract.
In this sense, the usefulness of user generated content for brands can be summarized in three key aspects:
User generated content saves time, money and effort, when they are used to spread and share positive reviews about the brand.
This means that the publicity generated by UGC is not only free, but also more trusted by other users.
Today, User generated content carries more weight and value than any other strategy a company can implement, so trust among shoppers grows exponentially with positive reviews, and the same is true for purchases.
UGC can make a brand’s popularity rise exponentially, but it can be short-lived or counterproductive if not handled properly.
In this sense, brands make smart use of this content and promote the positive while discarding the negative in the eyes of the public or use it to their advantage to modify the strategies employed.
