In the world of B2B marketing, it’s more important than ever for businesses to engage with their audience authentically. And one way to achieve this is through user-generated content (UGC). UGC can be incredibly powerful, as it allows businesses to connect with their audience in a more personal and relatable way. By tapping into the creativity of your customers and followers, you can create content that is more authentic, trustworthy, and engaging.
Pairing UGC with video can produce even greater results. A Comscore study found that engagement increases by 28% when consumers can view a mixture of user-generated product videos and official brand-authored content.
What Does This Mean?
Marketers must go beyond traditional tactics and focus their attention on what speaks to their customers. The answer? Video UGC.
The average buyer looks up reviews, testimonials, and demos before making a purchase, which makes UGC a significant factor in your business’s conversions. An estimated 90% of consumers say UGC has more influence over their buying decisions than promotional emails and even search engine results.
User-generated videos are compelling because they feel authentic and genuine, unlike traditional marketing content directly from a brand that can feel salesy. And because it provides social proof, UGC is more compelling to prospective buyers as it feels like “real” feedback coming from a relatable peer.
Why UGC Is a Must-Have To Boost Your Marketing Strategy
One of the biggest challenges facing marketers is consumer boredom.
Everyone loves being heard. Audiences are becoming fatigued from the constant barrage of marketing messages, leaving them disoriented or disengaged by the generic digital experiences provided by most brands. As time goes by, brands may notice a decline in their performance as consumers become disinterested or unresponsive to advertising campaigns that rely on traditional sales-driven designs. Research suggests that 66% of consumers perceive ads and social media messaging from brands as repetitive, making it more important than ever for brands to explore fresh and innovative ways to engage with their audience through a more personalized approach.
UGC offers B2B marketers a vast pool of authentic and diverse content that can be repurposed to create engaging videos. Inviting customers to participate in video campaigns, testimonials, or product reviews is a great way to leverage UGC. Social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube can be a treasure trove of user-created content showcasing your brand in action. By harnessing UGC, B2B marketers can produce high-quality videos that build brand trust, boost engagement, and drive conversions.
With Forbes announcing TikTok as the most downloaded mobile app worldwide in 2022, its success shows consumers prefer short, snackable video content. Businesses can capitalize on this trend by creating high-quality, visually appealing videos that resonate with their audience. By investing in social commerce, businesses can experience significant growth: with access to data, businesses can leverage UGC to create personalized experiences by tailoring content, ads, and messaging to individual consumers, building stronger relationships with audiences, and driving engagement.
Business leaders consume social media just like anyone else, but B2B marketers are hesitant to use user-generated content under the assumption that it’s risky and not branded. However, there are effective ways to use UGC to help businesses break through the crowd and engage their target audience. For example, Payoneer— a NASDAQ-listed payments platform company—worked with my company, Bambassadors, to create engaging and authentic social media videos using UGC.
As a TikTok Creative Marketing partner and with our experience working with Meta’s team and top advertisers, we were able to provide valuable insights to Payoneer and deliver engaging, entertaining social media content for their platforms. Together, we demonstrated how UGC helps B2B marketers successfully and authentically break through the crowd.
Getting Started: Harness the Power of Social Conversation
User-generated content doesn’t only lead to increased engagement but consumer loyalty, as well. Research shows that buyers find UGC helpful when making purchasing decisions, which shows that consumers are more likely to trust the reviews of other users over brand messaging alone. When customers trust your marketing, they can relate to the story you are telling, which will help them picture how your product or service can fit into their life.
And don’t underestimate the power of your employees! Sharing content created by your employees can be a powerful tool to showcase your company culture and create a unique online presence that sets you apart from your competitors. By encouraging employee-generated content, such as an inside look at a day in their life through social media or blog posts, you can drive high engagement rates and establish a strong online identity. Additionally, letting your employees take over your brand’s social channels can result in unique content that can serve as the foundation of your brand’s online image.
The Ultimate Solution? Revamp Your Marketing with UGC
Don’t be afraid to embrace UGC and take your marketing efforts to the next level.
By leveraging user-generated content, marketers can not only strengthen their relationship with their audience but also make content creation easier while maintaining the creativity and effectiveness of their campaigns. By incorporating real people into your campaigns, you can differentiate your brand from the competition and connect with your audience in a more authentic and meaningful way.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dan Kleinman, Chief Creative Officer, Bambassadors
Dan Kleinman is the co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of Bambassadors, the user-generated content leader for performance advertising and organic social media. Dan is a successful eCommerce entrepreneur who leverages customer reviews and user-generated content to scale fast. As CCO of Bambassadors, he enables other brands to grow their business by connecting with their current and future customers through fresh, authentic video content.