A guide to user-generated video content
Written by James Westfield | 4th August 2023
It’s a fact that customers patronize brands they trust. That’s why building a good level of trust is a critical aspect of any marketing effort.
User-generated video content can help you with this.
This guide explores everything you need to know about this type of video content.
User-generated video content can help you with this.
This guide explores everything you need to know about this type of video content.
What is user-generated content?
UGC is authentic content created by customers and anyone who isn’t affiliated with your brand. This form of content is trusted precisely because of that. It’s content that comes from people who have had experiences using your product but don’t have a direct relationship with you. So, the perception is that what they say about your brand is true.
Because consumers perceive UGC as authentic, it can influence purchase decisions. In fact, a survey showed that 79% of people’s purchasing decisions are influenced by this type of content. Meanwhile, only 13% say brand-created content can exert consumer influence.
UGC’s most popular forms are written posts on social media sites and customer reviews. But there’s another form that you should leverage to maximize your marketing efforts: videos.
Because consumers perceive UGC as authentic, it can influence purchase decisions. In fact, a survey showed that 79% of people’s purchasing decisions are influenced by this type of content. Meanwhile, only 13% say brand-created content can exert consumer influence.
UGC’s most popular forms are written posts on social media sites and customer reviews. But there’s another form that you should leverage to maximize your marketing efforts: videos.
Why user-generated video content is important
Around 51% of individuals have a greater tendency to share videos than any other type of content. Combine this with the influence UGC can exert, and you have a potent marketing tool.
User-generated content videos can be short-form or long-form.
Short-format videos are less than ten minutes long. Instagram Stories and Reels, TikTok videos, and Facebook Stories fall under this category.
Long-format videos, meanwhile, run for more than ten minutes. Examples are product videos, product reviews, and unboxing videos.
Whether short-format or long-format, note that UGC videos don’t always have to be recordings of real-life situations. You can encourage customers to create other types of video content. For instance, they could create animated video content about what they like about your brand.
Tools like Simpleshow can help them make something unique.
Whatever format you decide on, make sure the UGC video comes with relevant captions once you post it on your marketing platform/s. You can use generative AI tools to create these. You can even create summaries of the transcripts of your long-format videos. Just insert the right prompts.
User-generated content videos can be short-form or long-form.
Short-format videos are less than ten minutes long. Instagram Stories and Reels, TikTok videos, and Facebook Stories fall under this category.
Long-format videos, meanwhile, run for more than ten minutes. Examples are product videos, product reviews, and unboxing videos.
Whether short-format or long-format, note that UGC videos don’t always have to be recordings of real-life situations. You can encourage customers to create other types of video content. For instance, they could create animated video content about what they like about your brand.
Tools like Simpleshow can help them make something unique.
Whatever format you decide on, make sure the UGC video comes with relevant captions once you post it on your marketing platform/s. You can use generative AI tools to create these. You can even create summaries of the transcripts of your long-format videos. Just insert the right prompts.
4 user-generated video content tips
But how do you generate UGC video content in the first place?
Here are some tips:
Here are some tips:
Incentivize customers
Don’t just sit around and wait for customers to create UGC video content. Some may need a little more “convincing.” That’s why incentives are key.
Why not hold social media contests with cash prizes or other rewards for the winning UGC video? You could also offer discounts for the winning content creators.
Why not hold social media contests with cash prizes or other rewards for the winning UGC video? You could also offer discounts for the winning content creators.
Leverage hashtags
Hashtags can help you organize user-created content and your own content on social channels. All you’d need to do is search for a relevant hashtag on a specific platform. You should find all the content, including UGC, related to your brand.
But don’t just use any hashtag for your UGC video marketing campaigns. Make sure you use the ones that reflect your brand personality. If you’re a fitness brand with a serious personality, for example, your hashtag could be something as straightforward as #YOURBRANDNAMEfitnesschallenge.
Make sure your hashtags are easy to remember, too. Opt for short ones, not more than 25 characters. You can use more than one hashtag but don’t overdo it. The Digital Marketing Institute recommends only up to two hashtags on social media posts.
Take advantage of influencer marketing
Influencers have a massive following on social media channels. Their opinions are also valued in a specific niche. Because of these, they can help get your UGC campaign off the ground.
Just make sure you choose an influencer whose followers are the same audience you’re targeting with your campaign. Reach out to them with your proposal via email. You can use an email finder to look for their contact details. Email verification is key, too. You wouldn’t want your emails to fall into the wrong hands.
There are many ways you can leverage influencer marketing for UGC video content. You could, for instance, ask your influencer to record themselves doing your dance challenge. They can then post this video on their social media platforms like Facebook, TikTok, or Instagram.
Or, you could ask them to create unique influencer content about your brand.
These strategies will encourage your influencer’s target audience (and yours) to create similar quality content about you.
Just make sure you choose an influencer whose followers are the same audience you’re targeting with your campaign. Reach out to them with your proposal via email. You can use an email finder to look for their contact details. Email verification is key, too. You wouldn’t want your emails to fall into the wrong hands.
There are many ways you can leverage influencer marketing for UGC video content. You could, for instance, ask your influencer to record themselves doing your dance challenge. They can then post this video on their social media platforms like Facebook, TikTok, or Instagram.
Or, you could ask them to create unique influencer content about your brand.
These strategies will encourage your influencer’s target audience (and yours) to create similar quality content about you.
Repurpose content
Make the most out of the high-quality video content created by customers. Repurpose it for use on your other marketing channels. This is a great strategy, especially if you’re running out of content to post for your brand.
For instance, you could repost your UGC video on your website or product pages. You could also incorporate UGC videos into your email campaigns. This is great for social proof. To further increase the chances of your audience taking your desired action, include your best digital business card. This way, your subscribers will only need to scan the QR code to reach you on their preferred channel. Your contact details will get automatically saved on their phones, after all.
For instance, you could repost your UGC video on your website or product pages. You could also incorporate UGC videos into your email campaigns. This is great for social proof. To further increase the chances of your audience taking your desired action, include your best digital business card. This way, your subscribers will only need to scan the QR code to reach you on their preferred channel. Your contact details will get automatically saved on their phones, after all.
In Closing
User-generated video content can help boost your visual content marketing strategy. It doesn’t just increase engagement. It also serves as social proof and helps in building trust. Besides, user-generated video campaigns are cost-effective. You can generate content for marketing purposes without spending as much.
You learned four UGC video tips from this article. Incentivize loyal customers to create UGC videos. Ask them to use hashtags. Also, leverage influencer marketing. Finally, repurpose this content.
Follow these steps, and you’ll reap the best results.
You learned four UGC video tips from this article. Incentivize loyal customers to create UGC videos. Ask them to use hashtags. Also, leverage influencer marketing. Finally, repurpose this content.
Follow these steps, and you’ll reap the best results.
Author's Bio
James Westfield is the Marketing Manager for Writer, an AI writing platform designed for teams. He has over 10 years of experience in the industry. When James isn’t in the office, you can find him on the golf course.
Marc Bartolome is the Head of Business Development at SEO Services Australia, a strategist, and enabler of hundreds of successful digital marketing campaigns. Always looking out for the little guys, he specializes in helping SMEs create a bigger impact online – which is why he writes blog posts like this.
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