Creator and influencer content partnerships evolve as brands make cost-effective bids for relevancy. User-generated content (UGC) is still a winner for meeting both e-commerce and brand strategy KPIs. How to use it is shifting.
These days, influencers and creators often make the most successful advertisements on social media — driving awareness, engagement, and sales. That means it’s important to secure the content rights of UGC and creator content so that brands can leverage that content across their marketing channels.
Content is king
The value of an influencer partnership is evolving. Most experts state that the brand and influencer partnerships will see enormous diversification going forward. Until recently, partnerships were purely performance-based. Now, there are lots of different types of success. One option is for them to evolve into content creation partnerships.
Sidestepping the traditional success metrics of clicks, likes, and reach of actual posts emphasizes the importance of gaining usage rights for assets, “Content is king."
“Brands are partnering with creators just for UGC and not for paid posting — purely because they want to gather fresh content,” says one expert. “You may find someone whose aesthetic you love, but maybe their following doesn’t align with you or maybe they’re not doing paid posts. This way, they’re essentially an extension of your marketing team.”
The advantage of influencer and creator content is that it feels fresh and of the moment. You can’t shoot imagery or content six months ahead of time.
Everyday moments power content engagement
Gina Hardy, chief marketing officer of at-home fitness brand Tonal, says brands should “allow a creator to tell a story in their own way”. At Tonal, influencers are given “loose guidance — rather than telling them what to say, we ask them to tell us what they love about the product. Brands must be willing to give up some control.”
Tonal has the likes of tennis superstar Serena Williams as a brand ambassador (and founding investor). Influencers without a celebrity following are also driving awareness, as well as engagement and sales for the brand. “UGC is many times more effective than our in-house content,” says Hardy.
Hardy believes non-celebrity influencer content is trusted because of the intimate relationships these kinds of influencers have with their audiences.
“I mean, their followers know what an influencer eats for breakfast.”
This honest, behind-the-scenes authenticity also impresses Orangetheory’s senior director of global marketing Tammie DeGrasse-Cabrera. “In the case of our influencers, audiences love to see them crush their workouts and achieve their personal bests. They also love to hear about their struggles. They know these are real people sharing real experiences.”
Benefits of UGC
Aside from the obvious benefits of saving time and money on content creation, there are deeper, more meaningful reasons that user-generated content should be important to you and your brand.
1) It builds trust
The most significant purpose and benefit to UGC is that it builds trust between your brand and your audience, both with your current customers and potential ones. Today's savvy consumer sees right through the shiny marketing tactics.
They want (and prefer) authentic stories from real people, and that connection is crucial. We're spending more time in front of our computers than ever before, and it's becoming increasingly normal to look to online communities for advice and even inspiration.
2) It creates community
You create a community by inviting buyers to be involved in your brand, resulting in trust. There's nothing better than a brand responding to your Instagram story that mentions their product, right? You become part of the family, making you feel a genuine connection to the brand itself and other customers.
3) Encourages engagement
When others see that sense of community shaped by UGC, it will encourage them to engage further with your brand. And we all know that more engagement means more eyeballs means more sales. It’s by far the best metric to gauge the effectiveness of UGC campaigns.
4) Gathers insight
With great engagement comes a wealth of knowledge from your customers. Even when feedback is seemingly bad, you're better off for knowing it. User-generated content presents an invaluable source of real, honest opinions.
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