RGC Digital Marketing

By Richard Gerretson-Cornell

Driving Engagement With User Generated Content

Digital Agency Sydney | RGC Digital Marketing Agency

It is inevitable that social media has been a game changer for marketing professionals.

With over 3.5 billion people online and 2.5 billion social media accounts, brands have been faced with exciting opportunities and unique challenges.

In fact, research suggests that $20 billion spent on social media advertising is wasted annually due to irrelevant, impersonal and disengaging brand messages. So how can marketers capture their audience’s attention and create authentic brand experiences through social media marketing?

Personalisation in marketing and consumer engagement have become popular and thoroughly researched topics in recent times. As traditional methods of mass advertising fail to capture an audience’s attention, marketers look to other ways to engage their consumers, including various personalisation tactics that focus on real human connections and humanising brands to become more relevant and relatable. Such tactics include user-generated content (UGC) which fosters authentic and transparent relationships between a brand and their consumers.

User-generated content has become a crucial component in a brand’s social media marketing strategy, inspiring and encouraging consumers to share their personal stories and brand experiences with their friends, family, businesses and the world. Amongst the billions of content that are posted daily, consumers are contributing endorsements, genuine testimonials and honest product feedback. In fact, more and more customers are increasingly heading to social media to source such information as 86% of consumers believe that user-generated content is a valuable metric in determining the quality of a brand. Further to this point, a recent study by Salesforce revealed that 92% of consumers trust and have a greater appreciation for content produced by their peers in comparison to the messages manufactured by brands. Through UGC, marketers can improve their customer experience strategy and leverage the content to influence the customer journey and truly engage with their audience’s in a personalised and creative way that stands out amongst competitors.

In order to engage with audiences in a relevant, personalised and innovative way, brands need to have a comprehensive understanding of their consumers. Experts agree that user-generated content on social media can help marketers improve their brand strategy and develop an enhanced understanding of their audience by examining and analysing the type of content that their users are sharing via their personal accounts. Through this analysis, brands will be able to create their own marketing collateral that is strong and completely resonates with their intended audiences, thus increasing engagement and proving that user-generated content in digital marketing is essential.  

Furthermore, studies show that consumers respond to implicit messaging while over informative, irrelevant brand messages that are product focused and can be found in 2/3 of advertisements worldwide are filtered out. Cognitive science even suggests that consumers rarely think through their purchasing decisions and therefore instant judgements and existing brand associations are a fundamental part of the purchasing process.  By creating stories and experiences through UGC, marketers are adding appeal and emotional impact into their campaigns in order to increase the relevance and engagement factor for their audience.

In addition, a recent salesforce study revealed that 50% of consumers find UGC related campaigns more memorable and enjoyable than content produced by brands. Meanwhile, another study revealed advertisements that trigger an emotional engagement with a brand linked to market sales success, highlighting why many brands have incorporated UGC into their campaigns. For example, Coke implemented the ‘Share a Coke’ UGC campaign, which encouraged customers to purchase a beverage with their name on it and share the experience and user-generated content on Facebook and other social media platforms. This initiative increased engagement, allowed consumers to share brand experiences in an authentic and genuine way and also resulted in a 2% profit increase for their United States market. GoPro is another popular example, with thousands of user content currently available on Youtube. The brand then features this content within retail stores located in airports and surf shops to create an integrated and genuine brand feel at all points of the customer journey.  Therefore, the user-generated content has allowed brands to add to the customer experience through real-life content, excitement and authenticity and allows the consumer to be involved.

While UGC has multiple benefits for brands, the legalities pertaining to copyright and licensing are ambiguous and marketers need to be aware of these before launching campaigns. It is essential that permission is granted from the owner before content is used in campaigns and that both parties are aware of the intended use. Depending on the desired use of the content, marketers may also embed the UGC without the user’s permission, as it automatically credits the owner and links back to the original source. Hashtags can also be incorporated via social media to obtain UGC for campaigns as users are knowingly providing the content and understand that it may potentially be used.

Overall, user-generated content has become a widely accepted tactic within social media marketing to facilitate personalisation and increase consumer engagement. Through compelling personal stories and user experiences, the customer journey is easily influenced resulting in positive brand associations which can lead to sales. Customers are also increasingly looking to social media for recommendations and feedback in relation to products prior to making a purchase, and therefore user-generated content campaigns can provide an authenticity that manufactured brand messages can’t.

Our social media marketing agency, RGC Digital Marketing, can show you how to produce user-generated content that connects consumers to your brand. To find out more about our offerings, please contact Richard on (02) 8883 2988 or email richard@rgcadvertising.com.au

Why SEO is important during Covid-19 Lockdown
GA4: The Latest in Analytics Technology
Your Go-To Guide To Writing Killer Content
10 Tips To Increase Conversions With Web Forms
7 Simple Content Writing Tips To Master In 2023
How Australians Used Social Media In 2015
5 Clever Ways to Build Your First-Party Database in a Cookieless World
The Value of Google Merchant Center For E-Commerce Businesses
Keep your automotive website on track with a local SEO strategy
Steps To Creating A Successful Digital Marketing Strategy
Mastering Google Ads On A Shoestring Budget
Master Google Search Console With These 5 Strategies
Web Mobile Application for Independent Locksmiths
The Importance Of Link Building For SEO
Instagram Shopping Helping Retail | Instagram Advertising Agency
Local SEO Statistics Of 2023 Across 5 Unique Industries
Get Schooled On Digital Marketing in the Education Industry
Why Should Businesses Continue to Invest in Marketing During Lockdowns?
How Can Marketing Agencies Deliver A Winning Pitch?
Discovering The Purpose and Power of Different Blog Types
The Evolution of E-Commerce in 2020
How Virtual Reality is Changing Digital Marketing in Real Estate
How Augmented Reality is Changing E-Commerce
Getting Started With Google Search Console
Threads: The Next Big Thing For Digital Marketers?
Digital Marketing Hacks to Grow Your Business on Instagram’s New Shop Tab
Content Creators: Why Their Jobs Are More In Demand Than Ever
The Importance Of Website Design In Building Your Brand
How Data is Fueling Digital Marketing in Automotive
How Image Recognition Is Changing Social Media Marketing
Does Content Marketing Really Work? Content Marketing Agency | RGC
Importance of Personalisation in Digital Marketing
Benefits Of Utilising An SEO Agency in Sydney
Why Business Owners Need to Prepare for a Potential Google Departure
Proactive vs Reactive Consumer Marketing
Post-Pandemic Digital Marketing Trends That Are Here To Stay
How can a website help the automotive industry | Web Design Agency
LinkedIn Announces Removal Of Native Carousels – What It Means For You
Designing Mobile-Friendly Restaurant Websites
See How Retail Can Use Programmatic to Personalise Advertising
Unleashing the Power of Memory: Nostalgia Marketing Takes Centre Stage in 2023
How Digital Marketing Will Change Post Covid-19
3 Valuable Techniques To Master Zero-Click SEO
Mitsubishi Electric and Sika join RGC
Need A Web Design Agency In Sydney? Here’s Why They’re Worth Your Time
Pushing The Envelope With Email Marketing
Chatbots Improve Customer Experience for Insurance Industry
RGC Wins at the 2017 Best Mobile Application Awards
RGC Wins Silver at the 2016 W3 Awards
RGC Won Website Feature Silver Awards For Client Websites
Amazon’s Impact On The Retail Industry
15 Powerful Local SEO Statistics You Can’t Ignore in 2023
Fundamentals of Search Engine Marketing
SEO News: Google’s December Core Update
Win Local Clients with Local SEO Services | Local SEO Agency
What a COVID-19 Second Wave Will Mean for Marketers
How Digital Is Changing Retail
Brand Safety In a Programmatic Environment
A Beginner’s Guide To Writing Metadata
How Smart Speakers Are Amplifying Sales In The Retail Sector
The Latest Insights Into Google’s November Core Update
6 Elements that Build a Successful Client-Agency Relationship
Why Choose WordPress: Unveiling The Secrets Behind Its Popularity And Benefits
5 Golden Rules for Choosing the Best SEO Agency for Your Business
How To Design A Website That Is Mobile-Friendly
How to Create Marketing Leverage Opportunities for your brand
How QSR’s feed their audience’s appetite for online food delivery
Programmatic Advertising Increases Customer Value for Insurance
What Does Voice Search Mean For My Brand?
Scammer Posing As RGC To Offer Employment In The Philippines
Recession Blues: Search Volumes Plummet But SEO Reigns Supreme
RGC Wins 2016 WebAwards for Sika Retail
5 Reasons Why Your Business Needs To Invest In Social Media Marketing
That’s A Little Bit Personal, Isn’t It?
The Future Of Search: Inside Google’s Project Magi
What has Social Media Taught Us?
SEO in 2023: Stay Ahead With Cutting-Edge Trends & Proven Best Practices
6 Important Elements You May Have Forgotten In Your Web Design
15 Eye-Opening Social Media Marketing Statistics Of 2023
Not Sure Whether to Hire a Digital Marketing Agency? Here’s Why You Must
Challenges of Online Shopping for e-Retailers | Google Shopping
Google’s October 2023 Core Update Explained
How Can Digital Marketing be Effective for Schools?
What Is Off-Page SEO & Why Is It So Important?
Revolutionise Your Service Marketing: Powerful Strategies for Success
Stop Twiddling Your Thumbs And Embrace The Chat Bot Era
ChatGPT: The Transformative AI System Changing The World of SEO
Why You Shouldn’t Ignore The Role Of Social Media in Brand Building
Debunking the Top Graphic Design Myths: Uncovering the Truth for Creatives Everywhere
How To Design A Scalable Website To Allow For Future Content
How To Optimise Your Blog Post For SEO Like A Pro
Why QSR’s need to serve up Engaging Social Content
A Guide To PPC Advertising
Will Nostalgia Marketing Still Be Relevant in 2022?