What is Consumer-Generated Content?
Consumer-generated content is a big part of online marketing. It's useful, it's free and it can be incredibly effective. But what is consumer-generated content? Where does it come from? And what are the benefits and challenges? In this post, we'll look at all these questions, in addition to exploring why CGC is so important for brands today.
Consumer-Generated Content definition
The term consumer-generated content, also known as user-generated content, or UGC, refers to any original content created by individuals, rather than a brand, and posted to social networks. CGC comes in many forms, including posts, text, images, videos, reviews, etc.
While consumer-generated content has existed for as long as social networks, brands and companies have recently realised the potential and benefits of CGC.
Where does consumer-generated content come from?
The best CGC comes from people who use the product and know it best, they can share the product or service with other potential customers.
- Customers: these are people who have purchased your products or services at some point in time and have decided to share their opinion and create organic content about your brand. This is especially effective if there are any issues with the product, where users will share them openly so that others aren't stuck without answers when they need help solving problems too. Think about a traveller, sharing their experience about a hotel they booked and showing videos and pictures on their social media.
- Advocates: loyal people to a brand will buy your products or services and since they are already fans of your brand, they can be reached and probably ask for specific CGC.
- Employees: people who work at companies and can be excellent sources of quality content; they can show the value and behind-the-scenes of your brand.
Types of Consumer-Generated Content
Consumer-generated content can take many forms and is available in a wide range of formats:
- Images
- Videos
- Tweets
- Testimonials
- Blogs
Benefits of Consumer-Generated Content
- Authenticity: While marketers invest a lot of time and money creating the perfect content they think customers will enjoy, customers want something more natural, relatable and not staged. CGC brings that authenticity touch to the table.
- Builds Loyalty and Trust: marketers and brands, in general, are seeking to build trust and loyalty from their audience. CGC can help create trust with consumers because the content is more authentic than if it was created in a staged way. As CGC is becoming more trusted by consumers, it has become a very influential form of content for brands and businesses.
- Cost-effective: Instead of spending a lot of money and time hiring a creative team to develop creative content, individuals can cost-effectively do this themselves. This can save the company money and time, as well as allow for more creativity and freedom when it comes to the content.
- Community building: CGC not only helps build a sense of community that consumers seek, but it also encourages customers to get excited about your product. By allowing customers to share their stories and experiences with your product, you create a stronger connection between them and your brand.
- Scalable: new content can be created in days or weeks, rather than months. CGC can help brands quickly and easily scale up their content initiatives, especially when they have a tool, like SnapSea, to help them curate and publish all their content. With CGC, brands can easily expand their reach and engage with new audiences.
Challenges of Consumer-Generated Content
- Getting the rights: As businesses increasingly turn to CGC to promote their products and services, the topic of CGC rights management has become a more critical talking point. Be sure to always ask permission from the creator before using any content.
- Content Quality: There are a lot of choices when it comes to CGC, but not all of it is the best quality. It's important for businesses and brands to be clear about what they want and what they're getting.
Your marketing strategy and brand image will improve if you use CGC
The key to keeping users engaged is high-quality, relevant content, but creating it on your own can be challenging. When you curate CGC from users, you reduce costs and get better quality content than you could create yourself. With the right tools and a consistent CGC strategy, you will improve your marketing strategy and brand image.
