The whole purpose of ads is to drive genuine connections and sales to your business. And what better way to do that than to get your customers to vouch for you. Your audience might not listen to you, but they are absolutely going to trust others’ experiences with your products, which is why UGC ads play a major role in the success of your business.
So, let us find out how you can create these ads for your brand!
What are UGC ads, and why are they important?
UGC ads are non-paid ads that are created by consumers of a brand, product, or service. With their permission, brands can use this content to promote themselves. So, does this type of content really make a difference? They do!
Brand engagements rise by 28% when their content strategy comprises both marketing content and UGC content. This is a major advantage.
But, still, many brands fail to see the opportunities staring right at their faces. As few as 16% of brands have a strategy for UGC. Even though UGC ads get more click-through rates than conventional ad types, brands are not making much of an effort in this avenue.
So by having a proper strategy and implementing it consistently, you are already way ahead of the competition. So let us find out how you can do that!
5 UGC Strategies that can make you stand out from the crowd
Here are some tried and tested strategies that are proven to be effective. Mix and match these strategies in a way that fits your business, and you should be good to go.
1. Have clear objectives
Every big goal starts with a small objective. But without an objective, you will not have any direction to venture through. Which is why, before starting UGC ads, you need to figure out what you want out of it.
Some tips on working out your goals are as follows:
- Set SMART (Specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and Time-bound) goals. This way, you will have a clear idea of what you need to accomplish, and you can measure it accurately at the end as well.
- Understand your audience and create key messaging points that will resonate with them.
- Create detailed customer profiles and segment them based on that. And if your audience is very different, then consider having different campaign objectives for each group.
- Understand the platform (Facebook, Instagram, etc) where you are going to be using UGC content and abide by their guidelines.
- Develop visual guidelines for your brand. This can contain everything from brand values, voice, tone, dos and don’ts, and most importantly, references for the same.
2. Set Expectations from the start
Just because they are UGC videos does not mean you have to be okay with less-perfect content. This is where frameworks come in handy. With frameworks, you set clear expectations on what you want from these videos, and creators are usually happy to abide by them.
So, how do you create one? Here is how you do a framework:
- The guidelines you want the content to follow. This can be anything from brand voice to the type of content that you want to be covered in the ad.
- UGC content is created by other creators. So, to repurpose them for your brand, you need an exclusive sign-off from the creator to avoid legal complications. So, your framework can contain the legal clauses on the usage of their content.
- Mention the technical requirements you want the creator to have. This can be the type of camera that they use, output video quality, and so on. You can also specify the kind of locations they can shoot from (like minimally noisy areas).
3. Start working UGC into your ad routine
UGC ads generally perform better than normal conventional ads. But still being careful about choosing the videos is a crucial part of ensuring success. Here are some of the ways in which you can maximize your chances of success:
- Select UGC videos that have already been performing well with the audience.
- Make sure the content shares the positives about your brand, addresses the pain points, and positions your product as the ultimate solution.
- Make sure the content abides by the framework that you have created.
- When using UGC ads, select a platform where your audience is hanging out the most. For example, the Gen Z audience tends to hang out more on TikTok than they do on Facebook.
4. Make UGC fun
Why would a consumer want to make a video for your brand if it is not fun or incentivizing? This is where you, as a brand, have to step in and make it rewarding for them. Some of the ways in which you can prompt users to create content for you are as follows:
- Make it simple. Have small, simple guidelines that creators can easily follow. Make the entry barrier low by making it easy for them to send in their submissions.
- Use the social media channel that is bringing you the most traction to get the word out on your UGC program.
- Acknowledge the people who send their submissions to you. Like their post, share, comment, and engage with them. Also, actively engage with people who talk about your product on their socials.
- Give them a reason to make content for you. Offer exclusive discounts and recognition for their efforts.
5. Monitor key parameters
Remember the key metrics that we framed at the start of the planning process? This is where that comes in handy. Here, we will be comparing notes and finding out exactly how successful the strategy turned out to be.
Check the key metrics that you planned on earlier and see if you have reached your goals. If not, reiterate and work on making your next campaign better. Here are some pointers to help you do that:
- Use in-app analytics to find out how these ads have performed. Additionally, check Google Analytics to track the website activity of users who find you through these ads. Hubspot can also help you analyze the improvements UGC has had on your business.
- Keep an eye on general metrics such as average watch time, click-through rate, and interaction rate, return on ad spend (ROAS) to make sure your ads stay profitable.
3 Benefits of Using UGC in Your Marketing Strategy
So, what are the benefits of incorporating UGC in your strategy? Let us check it out:
1. Promotes authenticity
People value the experience of others so much that they start looking up to them for inspiration. If you think about it, users will have more reason to believe an outsider who tried your product and loved it. This is much better than hearing a brand say how amazing their product is.
Because you tend to believe the former one more. This authenticity and trust you gain is what is crucial for building a brand.
2. Less financial strain on your budget
Marketers know the strain of creating high-quality ads while working within budgets. But the concept of UGC blows this whole problem out of the water.
With UGC, you get advocates who vouch for your product on camera, content you can reuse, all without breaking the bank.
If you ask us, we would say this is an amazing opportunity!
3. A Sneak Peek into your Customer’s minds
The most important thing is to understand your customers, and UGC allows you to do that too.
Think about it, your UGC creator is a person who has no previous association with the product. They bring a fresh set of perspectives and will offer unique insights into the product that you might have overlooked.
If you listen and engage closely, you can use UGCs to uncover a ton of information that can later help you.
Conclusion
Starting your UGC journey can be intimidating. But with time, the journey will often bring you better results.
The same applies to your social media journey. Being consistent reaps benefits in the long run. But thankfully, Predis AI has made staying consistent very easy.
But how? By integrating a social media editor, scheduler, and automating tools in one platform. With Predis AI, you can manage all your social media channels from one place. So, sign up today for your free account and get started on giving your socials a stunning makeover!
