The COVID-19 pandemic has quite literally turned the world upside down and left brands and businesses struggling to know what to do when it comes to marketing. As a result of logistical issues, budget cuts and changing consumer behaviour, brands have had to find new ways to get creative whilst at the same time try to understand how their customers are feeling and behaving.
UCG – (user generated content) has exploded in recent months
UCG (User Generated Content) has helped people stay connected, feel a part of something – even when they’ve been cooped up indoors for weeks. UGC has played an important role during the pandemic and it’s going nowhere fast.
You see, UGC is especially powerful in times of crisis, as people seek inspirational, enriching and relatable content that acknowledges their situation. Ultimately, UGC bridges the divide between brands and consumers and brings communities closer together – offering an increased sense of belonging and unity.
Brands like Tesco, KFC, CO-OP and Uber have really embraced UGC in their campaigns and it’s undoubtedly helped them to connect with their audience on a scale never seen before. Using UGC to tap into hearts and minds, brands who’ve stayed in tune with consumers will be off the blocks faster post lockdown.
Is UGC a trend that’s really here to stay or is it just a timely move?
The most beneficial aspect of UGC is its virality – it also helps in the to combine local content with global reach. Ultimately UGC continues to drive engagement and brand salience and urges brands to remain agile to develop strategies best suited to the here and now, which is something today’s consumers love. They want to feel a sense of belonging and to some degree, ownership. Rather than planning campaigns 12 months ahead, UGC might just be the kick up the rear that brands and businesses need – in the nicest possible way. For too long brands and businesses, have created campaigns and marketing collateral off the back of intuition. As a result, they’ve fallen out of favour. But, the rise of UGC in a post-pandemic world might just help bridge the divide between brands and consumers and reinvigorate lost brand loyalty.
Don’t believe what we’re telling you? Well here are some facts:
As much as 85% of consumers think that UGC holds more influence over their buying decisions than any other form of content. We’ll let that sink in…
What’s more, UGC posts see a 28% higher engagement rate than standard brand posts.
Ads based on user-generated content receive 4 times higher click-through rates and a 50% drop in cost-per-click compared to average ads.
More than half of consumers (50%) wish that brands would tell them what type of content to create and share.
We could go on, but those UGC statistics really do speak for themselves.
Well that’s all from us but we’ll leave you with this…
Today, user-generated content (UGC) is a powerful weapon that every marketer needs to have in their arsenal. But, with lockdown lifting, it will be interesting to see whether brands continue to focus on UGC in quite the same way.
If you’re interested in finding out how we can help with sourcing UGC for you next campaign, give us a call. Our sister agency, The Viral Group, is a leading UK media publisher who help brands and businesses of all sizes create campaigns that are perfectly in-tune with their target market. Using the best creatives, the best UGC and the best consumer psychologists, The Viral Group is one of the UK’s most well-respected agencies. Find out more.