The Write Angle TWA marketing, formerly known as The Write Angle

Why user generated content works

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that word-of-mouth recommendations are one of the most powerful forms of building consumer trust. One of the ways brands can do this is to embrace user-generated content (UGC). UGC is becoming an increasingly significant marketing tool as brands look for authoritative ways to communicate with their consumers, and particularly millennials who are keen to connect with their favourite brands.

UGC is defined as content produced by unpaid contributors and can take any form – pictures, social media posts, videos or blogs are just some examples. As we have already established, word-of-mouth recommendations are among the most trusted, and as people tend to share brands they are happy with, the producers of UGC for your brand will become your trusted brand ambassadors.

A big brand example of how UGC can not only enhance brand image but the company’s bottom line is Coca-Cola’s award-winning Share a Coke campaign in 2014. This saw the international brand swap their famous logo with some of the participating countries’ most popular names and asked participants to share this on their social media channels. The campaign exploded, with 235,000 tweets from 111,000 fans using the #ShareaCoke hashtag generating 998 million impressions on Twitter alone and more than 150 million personalised bottles sold. The #ShareaCoke proved to be a fantastic vehicle for UGC, with one gentleman even using the bottles to propose to his girlfriend.

UGC can be used to build brand authenticity, if consumers can see other people spontaneously advocating a brand across their social media; it can warm the consumer’s perception towards a brand.

The power of UGC can be potent, and we do not doubt that we will be seeing more of this marketing in the near future. Here at TWA Marketing, we can help you to increase brand engagement and build campaigns to boost brand engagement.