Access to smartphones and various social media sites has changed how we consume content and connect with our target audiences. Individuals around the globe are not just passive viewers anymore; they are active participants.
The active participants help create authentic, raw, and captivating videos that shape the landscape of online platforms. These user-generated videos have emerged as a powerful tool for brands and will become even more so as technology advances.
In this comprehensive guide, you’ll understand user-generated video content, and learn how you can harness this online content format to grow your brand. Let’s get started!
In This Article:
What Is User-Generated Content?
User-generated content (UGC) refers to any form of content, including videos, images, or customer reviews, created and shared by loyal customers on social media channels or other online platforms.
You can then repost this user-generated content on your own content properties and channels to reach new audiences and create a buzz around your brand.
Why Is UGC Video Content Important?
There are a couple of reasons why user-generated video content, in particular, is a crucial aspect to include in your content marketing strategy. Here’s how user-generated video content can help your business.
Increased Conversions
User-generated video content can hugely impact your conversion rate. First, this content serves as social proof. When potential customers witness others enjoying your product or service, they feel more confident about making a similar purchase decision. The validation reduces uncertainty, leading to higher conversion rates.
Remember, unlike brand marketing videos, video UGC features actual customers using your product in their daily lives. This also fosters relatability, which makes your potential customers more inclined to engage with your product pages and make purchases. Recent research shows there is an 8.5% increase in conversions for product pages with UGC, including video UGC.
User-generated video content also enables creators to do more than just mention a product. When viewers see how a product solves a problem or fulfills a specific need, they are more likely to convert since it’s easier to visualize its value in their lives.
Improved SEO Rankings
You can also improve your SEO ranking with the help of user-generated video content.
When visitors find entertaining videos, they are more inclined to engage with the video content and your other website content. This leads to longer video watch times or site dwell times and lower bounce rates, which can positively impact your website’s SEO rankings.
User-generated videos add more depth to your site’s content, making it more appealing for both users and search engine algorithms. Additionally, they provide opportunities to incorporate keywords, from the description to the video title. This helps boost your rankings.
User-generated videos also allow you to step up your eCommerce, retail, or even SaaS link-building game. They can attract backlinks from other reputable websites and blogs, which are a significant search ranking factor.
Increased Brand Awareness
User-generated video content plays a crucial role in increasing brand awareness. UGC receives 28% higher engagement than content made by brands on social media. Then there’s the fact that 91% of consumers prefer video content. This means user-generated video content is more likely to go viral, especially on social media platforms.
Viral videos lead to exponential exposure to wider audiences, significantly increasing brand awareness.
Enhanced Trust and Credibility
Most consumers today, especially the younger demographics, are selective with the brands they choose to buy from. To build brand trust and credibility, you need to create authentic content.
User-generated videos are authentic and relatable content. Unlike brand-created marketing campaigns, these videos showcase real people and genuine experiences, boosting brand trust and credibility among potential customers.
When users promote your brand voluntarily, it shows other potential customers that your brand is trustworthy. Additionally, consistent brand advocacy builds credibility over time.
Types of User-Generated Video Content
User-generated video content comes in various forms, each with its own pull with audiences and advantages. Here are some of the key ones:
Product Reviews and Testimonials
These videos feature customers’ honest opinions about a product, highlighting factors like its unique features, benefits, and even shortcomings.
Genuine video reviews and testimonials from your customer base will ensure confident purchasing decisions and build brand trust.
Unboxing Videos
Unboxing videos give viewers a firsthand look at what to expect when they buy a product they’re interested in. As a result, they stir that sense of excitement and anticipation, which gets and holds viewers’ attention.
Over 60 million hours are spent watching YouTube unboxing videos. 62% of viewers watch these videos to find specific products.
How-to and Tutorial Videos
How-to and tutorial videos are other common types of user-generated video content. They’re instructional videos showing someone how to navigate and use a product.
In the process, users show how the product(s) can help viewers achieve excellent results. That’s great PR for your brand.
Product Hauls
Product haul videos showcase a person’s recent purchases, mostly in a specific location or from a single brand. The #Sheinhaul trend has been one of the most popular ones this year, accumulating a total of 13.7 billion views.
While mostly entertaining, these videos also give viewers an idea of the products to buy.
Tips for Creating Compelling User-Generated Video Content
It’s not easy to get customers to voluntarily create compelling user-generated video content about your brand. However, you can’t afford to miss out on the great benefits. So, here are a couple of great tips to help you create successful user-generated video campaigns:
- Encourage and Reward Participation: Incentivize users to create videos through social media contests, giveaways, or exclusive discounts. Doing this fosters a sense of motivation and excitement.
- Engage with Video Creators: Acknowledge and respond to user-generated videos with appreciation through comments and likes. This will help foster a positive relationship with your customers. It’s also proof of brand authenticity.
- Repost and Share User Content: By regularly showcasing videos created by users on your website and social channels, you demonstrate that you appreciate their contributions and encourage more people to do the same.
You can also incorporate UGC videos into your email campaigns to act as social proof that draws in your recipients. Remember to include your virtual business card with links to key web pages that’ll provide more details about the product. This will help increase the possibility of conversion.
- Provide Clear Guidelines: Users want to know the type of content you want. So, clearly outline the theme, guidelines, and technical specifications for the videos to ensure consistency and relevance.
Above all, ensure you’ve built a great brand presence and an equally amazing product that’s worth recommending. Also, never forget to ask for permission before using the visual content and credit the creators.
Examples of User-Generated Videos
Now that you understand the importance of user-generated video content, let’s go ahead and look at some great examples.
Sephora
Sephora has built a whole online community (the Beauty Insider Community) that is sustained by user-generated content, which includes video. The brand collects UGC from various online platforms and reposts it on its online community gallery page. This unboxing ASMR video is a great example.
Such a video makes it easy for potential buyers to learn more about the product before buying it. It’s also shoppable, making it easier for viewers to make purchases.
GoPro
GoPro also has great user-generated video examples you can emulate. The brand has grown its online presence through giveaways and challenges that encourage users to share UGC.
For instance, they currently have a daily challenge where users with the best POV videos like the one below and photos get $500.
Such incentivized challenges encourage more users to share user-generated content, including videos. They also cost less than most marketing strategies since you avoid additional content production or content distribution costs.
Anima Iris
Anima Iris is a brand that sells handmade designer handbags and accessories for women. What stands out most is how the brand interacts in a personal way with users even after it reposts their UGC video content. See below:
Notice that they also credit the original UGC video creator. Doing this encourages more customer content and also allows your audience to verify a customer indeed created it.
Temu
Due to its wide range of products, cheap prices, free shipping offers, and free returns, people tend to shop in bulk from Temu. As such, the brand is big on reposting customer shopping haul/unboxing videos like the one below. Such videos encourage people to either buy the same products or find other unique purchases.
Temu also has a branded hashtag, #Temufinds. Powerful hashtags make consumer-generated content easily searchable and encourage more shoppers to share their own shopping haul experiences.
Join the Revolution
User-generated video content has revolutionized the way brands connect with their audience. By embracing users’ creativity and authenticity, businesses can boost conversions, SEO rankings, brand awareness, and brand trust and credibility.
However, to get UGC videos that help you enjoy these benefits, you need to encourage and reward participation, repost users’ content, and provide clear UGC guidelines. Additionally, create awesome products and forge a great brand reputation.
Don’t forget to borrow an idea or two from the video examples we’ve shared. All the best!
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