The Ultimate Guide To User-Generated Video Content

More than 3 million people own smartphones globally. They have access to unprecedented video technologies and social media platforms that let them connect to each other in exciting new ways.

Today, everyone is taking advantage of these resources to tell stories, share our experiences and get seen on channels like Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok.

As more organizations leverage the power of content marketing to connect with customers, it’s time your business caught up with these evolving trends and made the plunge into video. But how exactly do you make your video strategy more authentic and noticeable than the rest? You should make use of user-generated content (UGC).

In this article, you will learn how to inspire your fans and followers to create user-generated video content affiliated with your company.

What is user-generated content?

User-generated content (UGC) is any content—text, video, images, reviews, etc.—created by your audience. That’s why it’s also known as user-created content (UCC).

This type of content is more effective than ads and engages your target audience better because it is created by customers, for customers. Moreover, search engines also respond well to UGC; 25 percent of search results are links to websites that host user-generated content. Therefore UGC is a powerful way to enhance your marketing strategy.

Brands can even work with influencers and micro-influencers to ask for UGC. They can also entice loyal customers to create video reviews of their products on various social media sites to create a buzz about the brand.

Why is it beneficial to include user-generated video content in your marketing activities?

User-generated videos are a brilliant strategy for brands to adopt. Not only does this type of content cost far less than traditional advertising, but it’s also clearly valued by customers, who are 2.4 times more likely to prefer UGC as it seems more trustworthy and truthful.

In the age of social media and concerns about authenticity, user-generated content can give the audience a more personalized perspective—one that resonates better with them.

Additionally, UGC gives businesses a chance to excite their customers and allows them to be more fun and creative with brand content. Overall, it improves customer engagement and can help speak to an online community of like-minded people.

3 examples of user-generated video content

The challenge with a UGC campaign is getting people motivated enough to participate and create quality content. While there are various strategies, such as introducing contests and offering giveaways, it can be tricky to develop the kind of UGC you want to see. Here are a few great examples of user-generated video content that can help inspire you.

Fenty Beauty

Rihanna’s makeup line, Fenty Beauty, took the industry by a storm with a 100 percent digital campaign that relied heavily on influencer reviews. Fenty Beauty combined reviews and testimonials from trusted Fenty customers to generate videos that discuss their products. This customer-inclusive strategy was successful in getting the brand 10.6 million Instagram followers in the last few years.

Nike

Another example of user-generated videos that work well comes from Nike. The company created their #betterforit campaign to inspire and motivate women to take care of their fitness and health goals.

The campaign includes personal anecdotes from world-class athletes and champions, including track and field star Allyson Felix. Felix embodies the #betterforit campaign through her struggles and goal-setting mentality in training and competition.

The reason for the Nike campaign’s success was the message of body positivity that encouraged women to take care of themselves and shine in the limelight, reiterating Nike’s mission to celebrate and encourage athleticism.

Pampers

Pampers asked their customers to send in videos of their babies in diapers via Facebook. Then, the company curated an adorable campaign using those user-generated videos. Not only was it super-cute to watch, but it also resonated with potential customers (parents), boosting the brand awareness and vitality of the brand.

How to create user-generated video content

There are many ways that brands can get and make use of user-generated content to connect with consumers. Here are a few ideas of how to start a user-generated video campaign, including suggestions of monitoring tools that can measure your campaign’s efficiency and effectiveness. If you want to collaborate with colleagues or clients on videos, I recommend these video collaboration tools.

Giveaways and contests

Holding contests is a great way of building brand awareness and reaching an untapped market segment. It is even more effective because people are usually eager to win prizes, which generates massive traffic for your site.

For example, Eggo (owned by Kelloggs) held a recipe contest for users to submit the different ways they prepare Eggo waffles. Users were asked to post pictures and videos of recipes on various social media platforms, resulting in a tremendous buzz for the brand and strengthening their customer loyalty. The winners (a gingerbread Eggo waffle and spiced pumpkin apple Eggo crumble) received cash prizes and plenty of customer likes and shares on social media.

Create content focused on your customers rather than your product

Remember, user-generated content is about your customers, not your product. When your customers feel ‘seen’, they make more of an effort to give good reviews and generate more online content.

For example, Starbucks created a “Meet Me At Starbucks” campaign, inviting customers to use the hashtag #HowWeMet and tell their stories about the first time they went to Starbucks or when they met someone interesting there. Customers were so excited by the opportunity to share their stories that they took Instagram and Twitter by storm, sending in videos and other instagrammable content.

Engage your audience with visual content

We already know that online written reviews can have a significant impact on people’s purchasing decisions. However, visual content marketing can also help you stand out. By adding UGC visual elements to your website, product detail pages (PDPs) and more, you can show customers how your products would look on them, rather than on a model. Many fashion brands are leveraging their loyal customers and influencers in their UGC strategy by sending them clothes that they review.

This type of campaign’s benefit is that brands can accurately measure what type of content customers are choosing to engage with and what item is being sold the most because of this content.

Conclusion

User-generated video content helps brands seamlessly connect and engage with customers in a unique and authentic way.

Take the time to deeply understand your consumers and their needs, and analyze what content resonates with them. This humanizes your brand and creates a personalized, engaged community that will find value in your products.