"People trust people." User-generated content (UGC) as a best performer is here to stay. But what exactly is it?

What were the days when brightly polished bling-bling TV commercials were the be-all and end-all for the "right" implementation of brand messages, right? Everything glossy and shiny, with hair blowing in the wind - illuminated and filtered with everything that technology has to offer - and with a credible message at the end, in the style of: "Only hair gel from Firlefanz makes my hair so beautifully silky and smooth. I love hair gel from Firlefanz."

Fair enough. Let's not pretend that this kind of advertising doesn't exist anymore, but at least it can be said that in today's social media/online world, it's absolutely not performing the way it might have done ages ago.

Nowadays, it is more important than ever to communicate as authentically and credibly as possible. And user-generated content represents the spearhead of communication, so to speak, which currently represents the ultimate in performance on social media channels such as Instagram and TikTok.

79% of consumers say UGC influences their purchasing decisions.

Extremely authentic content produced in a minimalist way: That is UGC. And this type of communication works particularly well in the last part of the planned decision-making process - that is, where the potential customer has already gotten to know the brand a little and now wants to be finally convinced.

By way of comparison: If you choose Amazon when making a purchase decision because you already trust the brand again thanks to emotional advertising and good experiences in the past, then the reviews under the product descriptions are your final kick to convince yourself to actually buy the product. These reviews are the UGC in social media channels.

So what is the beauty of such a simple form of content?
The strategy behind it has to be very well thought out and can sometimes involve a lot of preparatory work, but in the end the production is very cheap and the mass of content that can be produced is extremely high. Your social media channels and the algorithms behind them will thank you! A video every 2nd day? No problem with UGC.

If you would like to learn more about the specific use of user-generated content tailored to your company, please contact us at: hello@fynal.com. We offer you solutions. We promise.