Let Them Create! The Benefits of User-Generated Content

Even though we’re crunched for time more often than not, these days, we love to create. Just look at the phenomenon of fan-fiction – writers deliberately take time out of their days to create content for free to share with other people online. There’s no monetary benefit, no personal social credit – just the joy of interacting with a product or interest.

If people are already so willing to create, why wouldn’t you invite them on to one of your marketing campaigns?

User-generated content can a) lower your campaign’s budget, b) build trust and connection with your audience, and c) attract more consumers than traditional advertising tactics.

Still not convinced? Let’s look at some of the benefits of utilizing user-generated content and see if we can’t convince you to bring your consumers onto your next campaign.

Take Advantage of Content Curation

Your business already curates your platform’s content. Any tweets you share, blog posts you’re backlinked on, or photos you post on Instagram are deliberately curated to build your brand awareness.

User-generated content can be as readily curated as the third-party content you already have waiting in the wings. When you start to include user-generated content in your stream of released work, you can:

• Extend your reach beyond your industry
• Nurture more effective, personalized leads
• Increase your social media conversions

Get Audiences’ Opinions

The increased interaction with everyday consumers means that you’ll have more opportunities to learn about your consumers’ needs.

You can start curating audience content via improved engagement by:

• Auditing Your Audience: What kind of content (tweets, Instagram posts, YouTube videos, fan art) are they creating in relation to your product? Who seems to have the largest following or the greatest pull among your audience?
• Identify a Theme: How are your consumers reacting to your brand? Is there a discernible pattern that you can take advantage of?
• Assess for needs: Are there frequent complaints about your advertising campaigns or recommendations for improved outreach?
• Find a Primary Platform: Where’s your brand seeing the most online interaction? If you’re popular on Instagram, for example, but less so on Facebook, you’ll have better luck finding marketable photo content than text content.

Get a User-Generated Content SEO Boost

So, user-generated content connects you with your audience and makes content curation, not to mention lead building, simpler. You wouldn’t guess, though, that user-generated content would boost your SERP ranking.

Kissmetrics notes that the world’s top 20 brands linked to user-generated content more frequently than they do to their own work. This content includes Instagram photos and non-sponsored reviews. This kind of social proof not only boosts your reputation within your industry, but it also lets search engines such as Google and Bing know that your product is at the heart of a larger conversation.

This kind of material even offers you unprompted backlinks, meaning that search engine crawlers will be seeing your business’ name far more often than your marketing team may have anticipated.

If you’re not reaching out to your consumers to boost your content curation, you’re missing a valuable resource. People want to create – so why not give them an opportunity to shine? You’ll create a stronger bond with your audience and see your revenue start to climb when you do.

Conclusion

Is your company in need of web content help? MV3 Marketing Agency has numerous Marketing experts ready to assist you. Contact MV3 Marketing to jump-start your business.

Image attribution: Jérôme Rommé – stock.adobe.com