User-generated Content is all the rage in the freelancing world right now. It’s actually the majority of the business that most brands like FMCG firms get and have gotten in the past couple of years. It is one of the key tactics to growing your e-commerce store quickly and without breaking the bank.
It is one of the most effective content formats that you can use to promote your brand online. In fact, according to recent surveys, 85% of consumers find visual UGC more influential than brand photos and videos, and 25% of search results for the world’s biggest brands are links to user-generated content.
In this article, we will dive into what is the meaning of this marketing strategy and how this special kind of content is shaping the future of marketing.
What is the exact Meaning of User-generated content?
User-generated content or “UGC” back in the early days of social media. This meant organic content that users actually were posting. It is the original content featuring your brand.
In fact, instead of being created directly by you or someone you are affiliated with, it is created by your customers or fans and shared by them through social media.
This content might be a picture, a video, a blog, a post, or a testimonial. Although campaigns to encourage the creation of user-generated content can be launched directly by brands. UGC is most commonly used as part of a larger influencer marketing strategy.
Collaborating influencers encourage their followers to create their own brand-specific content and share it through their social media channels. Each sharing follower then, essentially, acts as a secondary brand advocate for your brand.
As a result, your brand can reach an even larger audience and you can potentially convert more online users into customers.
UGC vs Influencer marketing
Influencer marketing could be a form of UGC. But it is a little bit different. You can use influencers to produce content about your brand or your products. It can be a quite sophisticated way of building your audience quickly.
As you know. Influencers are people that have dramatically large social following and because of this fact, they have a large influence online. So, by getting your product in front of an influencer and getting them to promote it, you reach their entire following. It is a good way, especially for building a small brand.
However, there should be a good balance between influencer marketing and UGC. Both of them should be a part of your strategy to boost your brand.

Whilst influencer marketing is a huge boost to brand awareness quite effectively and quickly, they by nature are taken a bit more as an advert.
Nowadays, followers are really wise and they are completely aware of those influencers who are paid or motivated to leave certain reviews. As a result, whilst it can be really good for reach it doesn’t necessarily build the same level of trust as having genuine customer reviews.
So, it is very important that you’ve got a good balanced approach to influencers versus genuine user-generated content.
The Necessity of Using UGC in 2024
Consumers are increasingly favoring companies that are transparent, consistent, and genuine in their communication. The first and most important thing about genuine UGC is the authenticity of it. It helps you Enhance Brand Authenticity. Brand authenticity has never been so important.
People are much keener to click on the content if it’s User-generated. It is because of their relatability. They are genuine and there is nothing fake about it. Just like Amazon, Google, Nike, and so on, people write their reviews. This is people’s endorsement of your product.
And what anyone wants to know when they like a product, is what is the real picture and real quality of it. So, who is better than a real customer who writes a comment beneath it? You don’t get more authentic and unbiased than content that has been created by non-affiliated customers!
User-generated content can also help you develop more authentic relationships with your customer base. It gives your customers a voice and helps them feel seen and heard.
Secondly, people are much more likely to trust a brand that has been recommended by a friend or peer than paid advertising promoted directly by a brand. It Builds Community Loyalty and Engagement. User-generated content can be a great way to build a loyal and engaged online community.
By giving your customers a voice, you are making them feel that they are a part of your success, not just a spectator.
The cost efficiency is another good reason why UGC is important these days. Creating content for your brand is quite very important. But when you have clients and employees, the cost of that is minimal comparatively if you shoot your own staff.
If you have a model or if you work with an influencer, it would be really prohibitive. So UGC is by far one of the most cost-effective and scalable ways you can do for any marketing campaign.
All this helps to increase engagement and customer loyalty and develop brand affinities in your target market. It Increases Campaign Reach and Impact For most brands that invest in influencer marketing, as we said, one of their main objectives is increasing their reach.
You want a campaign that will help you expand into a larger share of your niche market so that you can engage and convert more customers. And user-generated content is a fantastic tool for this.
The more fans and customers that create and share content related to your brand, the greater your reach will be.
Because this form of content is seen as being authentic, the UGC shared online is likely to make a much bigger impact. Why is that?
Because this enhanced authenticity provides you with social proof that people can trust and buy into. All this helps you secure your reputation as a credible and valuable brand. As a result, you can positively impact the buyer’s journey and speed up the purchasing process.
Now, user-generated content (UGC) is becoming a crucial marketing tool for brands, as it allows them to express their intended message and evoke the right reactions from a consumer base that is hungry for more relatable and individualized marketing materials.
The Power of UGC in Inbound Marketing
User-generated Content plays a crucial role in inbound marketing. It will for sure boost brand trust and loyalty between your customers and clients. By featuring real-life experiences from your customers, you’re showing potential buyers that your products are worth their time and money.
Moreover, UGC can drive organic traffic to your website and boost your SEO, as it encourages social sharing and increases user engagement.
UGC also helps your brand create a community around your product, fostering long-term relationships with your customers.
Bottom-line
In marketing, a paradigm shift is currently taking place as companies transfer a large amount of power from their own centralized control to millions of creative customers worldwide who are eager to share their ideas, thoughts, and insights.
Traditional theories that see businesses as the main agents of production and promotion are being superseded by a more nuanced perspective that acknowledges the increasingly blurred boundaries between consumers and businesses as more and more users want to be active participants in innovation rather than passive recipients. This is because user-generated content (UGC) is becoming more and more common.