Pros and Cons of Incorporating User-Generated Content Into Your Branding Strategy
Marketing and branding tactics frequently vary as a result of the ever-changing nature of the digital world and the various methods in which people like to acquire information. Incorporating user-generated material into your branding is a tremendously popular strategy that is bringing new benefits to businesses. Instead of developing all material in-house, user-generated content (UGC) is a technique for incorporating other people’s content into your marketing. Companies are reaping significant benefits from this approach, but there are some drawbacks that should be considered. Continue reading to find out what business founders and CEOs have to say about the advantages and disadvantages of user-generated content.
Advantage: There is an additional element of trust.
Nowadays, in a world dominated by social media, social users look to a new identity with a reverence akin to that reserved for celebrities. Consumers place a high level of faith in the opinions of others regarding things they are considering purchasing, according to research. This, in turn, results in significantly higher conversion rates for sales leads. Many brands choose to collaborate with one or more social influencers who are similar to the target demographic and who can attest to the validity of the product in order to enhance trustworthiness among consumers.
AssemblyAI was founded by Dylan Fox, who is also the CEO.
Advantage: Organically acquiring long-term customers.
Whenever you have the ability to incorporate user-generated material in any manner, your branding will naturally become more natural. Typically, this is also something that consumers and existing customers would notice, which will make it simpler to establish emotions of trust and dependability with them. The foundation for attracting long-term consumers who will even recommend you to their friends and relatives can be laid in this manner.
Marc Atiyeh, President and CEO of PAWP
Advantage: You can reach a larger audience.
That user created content improves social awareness about your organisation is not a myth; it just follows the simple rule that the more people speak about and share your material, the more people become aware of you. As a result of incorporating other people’s work into your marketing approach, the original producers of that content are more likely to share your reposting of their content, so directing all of their followers to your page. And while marketing and advertising methods might provide impressive results, there are times when nothing can compete with the success that comes through word-of-mouth. Make careful selections of your content writers to ensure that their target demographic is the same as yours in order to build a greater following.
Diathrive was founded by Michael Hennessy, who is also the CEO.
Cons: The requirement for close monitoring.
When businesses are able to delegate a significant percentage of their content generation responsibilities to third parties, it creates the necessity for the business to actively monitor the content that is being linked with their brand, which is a positive development. The likelihood of a brand making a mistake increases exponentially as the number of content providers that have access to the brand increases. Set clear standards for user-generated content (UGC) and maintain a close check on the content that is posted in order to avoid deviating from the marketing purpose or voice.
JuneShine Inc.’s Justin Chan is the company’s growth manager.
Establishing a mutually beneficial relationship with content creators is an advantage.
The most beautiful thing about developing a relationship with content creators is that, when done correctly, the partnership benefits both parties equally. Increased followers in your target demographic (assuming both you and the creators have the same audience) helps your firm obtain more exposure, reduces the amount of material you have to publish each week, and builds a strong relationship with influencers who will help market your brand. Influencers, on the other hand, are featured on company websites, get more followers, are compensated for their efforts, and create real-world professional contacts. Another important topic to discuss is the value of customer referrals to businesses and brands. Because people are more inclined to acquire a product after hearing a positive review from someone they respect, your organisation should solicit as many product reviews as feasible.
Tyler Hayden is a young man who aspires to be a professional athlete. Read, PT Pioneer’s Founder and Senior Editor
Customer User Generated Content (UGC) for Free Feedback is a plus.
Simply put, our consumers are the cornerstones of our organisations’ success. It is important to recognise that when people supply us with any form of input or content, it should be considered as such. Aside from that, our customers ARE our brand. As a result, including them into branding initiatives in as many different ways as possible is nearly a no-brainer.
OSDB Inc. was founded by Ryan Rottman, who is also the company’s CEO.
Negative Content is unavoidable, which is a disadvantage.
One disadvantage of incorporating user generated content into your marketing strategy is that you relinquish control over all of the content that represents your company’s brand. While you can find content creators who are a good fit for your mission and identity, and you can clearly define your content guidelines, there is still an increased likelihood of marketing blunders; some would even argue that negative content is unavoidable when you delegate that level of content freedom to others. Companies will have to decide how essential the benefits of user-generated content are in comparison to the potential for undesirable content. One key step you can take to prepare for mistakes is to develop a crisis management plan of action in advance of a crisis rather than in the midst of it.
Sarah Pirrie, Healist Naturals’ Brand Director, discusses the company’s mission.
Pro: Brand Strategy has gained more authenticity as a result of this.
Incorporating user-generated content (UGC) into your branding strategy is an excellent method to increase brand trust. Users’ generated content (UGC) is easily relevant for customers, and it helps to reinforce the authenticity of a brand’s overall marketing approach. The most successful user-generated content (UGC) achieves a delicate balance between remaining true to the creator’s style while still adhering to a brand’s high-level style requirements. While user-generated content (UGC) can be a great content strategy, being faithful to your brand is as crucial.
Dr. Kathrin Hamm, Bearaby’s Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Pro: Recognize the types of content that users find appealing.
When you partner with social media influencers to include user-generated content (UGC) into your marketing strategy, those individuals are typically well-established with a huge following base that includes both their own and your target audience. As a result, whatever the influencer is advocating has been successful in getting them followers and encouraging them to interact with consumers. Collaboration with content creators allows you to acquire vital insight into what content users like seeing and interacting with on a regular basis. Consider making a list of the steps that have been successful, and attempting to model some of your marketing plan after this new understanding. After that, when you incorporate the influencers’ user-generated content (UGC) into your own branding, their followers will gradually become your followers, and vice versa. This is a course in social listening, which can help you figure out what kind of content your audience is most interested in.
According to Lauren Kleinman, co-founder of The Quality Edit
Working around the legal side of things is a disadvantage.
Something that will arise for your organisation as a result of adding user generated material into your marketing is a new set of legal problems that you will have to deal with. Understanding licences and ownership rights is critical if you want to avoid any future disputes with content creators. Setting explicit standards and crafting reusable messages for requesting content authorization and defining ownership rules has proven to be quite beneficial and will save you time in the future, as I have discovered. And, of course, save copies of all correspondence to protect yourself in the event that any differences occur.
Kashish Gupta, Founder and CEO of Hightouch, discusses his business.
Cons: Staying away from low-quality products.
Despite the fact that your brand maintains a high level of consistency and quality in its content, you decide to outsource user-generated material in order to reduce your overall content burden. Unfortunately, this may result in some low-quality content that you’ll have to sort through in order to maintain your brand’s high quality standards. Some of the content that is sent your way will not reflect the highest level of marketing value. A similar statement can be made about sources and background information. Keep an eye out for content that does not mention trustworthy sources or that does not appear to be founded on fact. Unfortunately, adopting UCG results in a greater requirement for screening and monitoring content, because when your team isn’t the ones generating the content and conducting the research, there is more chance for error that could be detrimental to your brand’s reputation.
BarkBox CEO Manish Joneja discusses the company’s mission.
Advantage: More time can be spent on other activities.
There’s no denying that user created material saves you valuable time! Your material load will be significantly reduced, allowing you to devote more time to other critical aspects of marketing and outreach. Outsourcing your content also opens the door to a whole new universe of advertising opportunities, since content creators are tasked with spreading awareness of your organisation among their own target audiences. Once you start utilising user-generated content, you’ll find yourself with more free time and a consistent influx of followers that are interested in your brand!
