User-generated content (UGC) is the key to customer engagement, brand loyalty, and brand awareness. How can you make the most of it to maximize your app’s performance? Here’s all you need to know on the subject.
Have you ever heard of User-generated content? Also known as UGC, it refers to any form of content that users generate on online platforms. According to Nosto, 79% of people say UGC profoundly impacts their purchasing decisions. Keeping that in mind, it becomes a powerful element to include in your strategy to improve your app's performance.
Why should you include UGC in your marketing strategy, and what benefits will it bring to your brand? Here are our best practices to promote UGC, boost your in-app engagement, and drive customer retention.
UGC is at the heart of customer engagement
Nosto found that 60% of consumers believe UGC is the most authentic marketing content, and they find UGC 9.8x more impactful than influencer content.
Indeed, today’s users are more likely to trust and consume content created by their peers than by brands or companies themselves. People are looking for authentic content, reliable products, and engaging stories. If UGC is seen as the most trustworthy type of content, it's naturally because your users created it. And remember, your users are your best ambassadors. If you manage to drive your users through a unique and satisfying journey and create an emotional bond with them, they will be more eager to talk about you and promote your brand.
It is also important to customer retention
If you succeed in encouraging your users to generate in-app content, you also give them a reason to spend more time on your platform. It comes again with the type of connection you build with your users. Give them a purpose to check-in now and then: foster community, allow interactions between members, boost content creation with a feed feature, for example. From this team spirit, your brand will benefit from customer retention and brand loyalty. Your users will feel closer to you and your app and will be most likely to share it and spread the information.
In brick-and-mortar settings, you can curate user-generated content into a dynamic social media wall, showcasing it on screens within stores, at events, and other venues aimed at delighting customers by spotlighting their contributions and fostering a sense of belonging within the community.
How to leverage UGC to skyrocket your app's metrics?
- Incentives: A great way to encourage user-generated content is by challenging your user's creativity. For example, you can launch a campaign asking your user to take a screenshot of your app, post it on social media with a specific hashtag. The best gets elected and rewarded with a prize. Doing so will not only spread the word about your brand but also strengthen your image.
- Add a social dimension to your app: Allow your users to connect with people driven by the same interests. This opportunity will encourage interaction and content-sharing between in-app members and will level up your platform with a social dimension. Your customers will perceive and use your app differently, and it will give a real competitive advantage to your platform. Indeed, it is a common belief that UGC only happens on social networks. However, any app can benefit from User-generated content, as long as this social angle is enabled.
- Gamification: Gamification is the fact of encouraging user-generated content in a fun and entertaining way. Suppose you create a system of in-app rewards with badges, stickers, or special status according to your user's engagement. It will surely motivate them to take a bit of time to generate any content (reviews, articles, pictures, etc.) in a fun and rewarding way! You can even boost purchases this way. By challenging your users, you are also contributing to creating a deeper relationship with your in-app members and giving them a reason to stay on your app.
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Always remember that your customers are the essence of your app and business. If they are satisfied with your platform and have a unique experience, they will spread the word about your brand and attract more people. If you encourage them through the different means we listed, you can boost purchases and maximize user retention and engagement, leading to your app's growth. With such knowledge of UGC, you are now all set to take your app to the next level!
Don’t know where to start?
Amity has designed multiple social modules to support UGC inside apps. The modules include social features such as feeds, groups, chats, and profiles and can be used individually or as a stack.