UGC creators: the new profession in digital marketing

It's becoming increasingly difficult for businesses to surface on the internet marketing sea. In this ad-saturated landscape, terms like UGC, UGC creators and influencer marketing are gaining more and more popularity. What do they mean and what are they fighting for? Read down.

What is UGC?

The abundance of advertising over the past decade has quite predictably led to the rise of user-generated content - generally speaking, reviews of customers using a product, published in video, photo or text format.

Platforms like Instagram, TikTok and even Facebook are teeming with photos and videos that fall under the UGC heading. This is a welcome development for brands. One of the easiest, quickest and most effective ads is a simple repost of the latest story your business is plugged into.

Most often in this type of content, someone tells and shows what benefits your products bring or how happy it makes them, and positive emotions always sell well.

People like content created by other users for the same reasons they trust influencers - word-of-mouth recommendations (be they digital) work, and we're more likely to trust our peers, people who look like us, than ads.

The difference is that even other users trust them more because, after all, influencers get paid, which almost certainly influences the content they create.

💡 According to Entribe's 2023 survey, 81% of consumers say influencers have no influence on their decisions, and 29% even think we shouldn't trust them at all.

As artificial intelligence enters influencer marketing, these numbers are likely to grow even more, because the question we need to ask ourselves is does an AI influencer's recommendation carry more weight than that of Amazon's algorithm, for example?

You understand and see for yourself why UGC is a valuable advertising tool in these times. These changes in the digital landscape in recent years have led to the demarcation of a new profession in digital marketing - UGC creators.

What are UGC creators?

Most often they start without an initial arrangement with the businesses and are not always compensated for their work, at least in the initial phases.

It is often the case that brands themselves choose to financially support a UGC creator whose content has brought them new customers.

This is a win-win strategy for both parties and has recently led to the emergence of a large number of UGCs who have come to recognise this activity as their profession.

👉 Most often they are representatives of the Gen Z generation, which is the audience that trusts them the most.

There is a difference, however, between traditional organically created UGC and that of professional UGC creators. The goal of the latter is to resemble the former as much as possible, to achieve the sense of value, authenticity and genuineness that a recommendation from a friend would have.

We know that now you're just thinking...

What is the difference between UGC creators and influencers?

There are several differences, but it is important to note that one does not exclude the other - the same person can be both an influencer and a UGC creator, only the working methods are slightly different in both cases.

👉 Audience

UGC creators don't necessarily have a large audience because the content they create is designed for the channels of the business. For influencers, however, follower numbers are often among the top factors for selection.

👉 Rights

In most cases, UGC creators grant the rights to use the brand's content and influencers publish the content on their channels and retain the rights to it accordingly. Of course, there are exceptions.

👉 The price

UGC content creators more often than not turn out to be more profitable for brands than influencer publications. That's because in addition to content, businesses pay for access to the influencer's audience.

👉 The content

UGC creators' posts often look and sound more authentic and realistic than those of influencers. It's like you picked up the phone and took a picture with your new dress. This of course doesn't preclude the need for professional photo and video skills, but as we know these days they are easily attainable.

What are the benefits of working with UGC creators for businesses?

Working with UGC creators brings businesses multiple benefits that experienced marketers can easily convert into sales. These include:

⭐️ Authenticity

Content created by UGC stands out among glossy ads because it is more genuine and consumers tend to trust it more. It's the equivalent of word-of-mouth recommendations and customer reviews - sort of the natural evolution of digital advertising.

⭐️ Advantage

This type of content costs brands less than traditional advertising campaigns, as well as working with influencers, who often charge between hundreds and even thousands of leva for publication.

⭐️ Performance

To create the same or similar content from scratch would cost businesses much more time. If your company isn't very large, you probably don't have a large marketing department, and while it may seem easy, planning and shooting a quality photo or video doesn't always actually happen quickly.

⭐️ Social Proof

As mentioned in the article on influencer marketing, one of the principles of persuasion is social proof - we trust those we belong to. This makes the work of UGC creators an effective method of sales and new customer acquisition for any business.

In the digital age, where artificial intelligence is rapidly gaining momentum, real human experiences are still valuable, and that's why businesses are happy to pay for the work of UGC creators. Their content builds trust, a sense of belonging, reinforces companies' reputations and helps consumers make informed decisions.

A truly effective marketing strategy combines buzz phenomena like UGC with established formats like Facebook advertising to build and promote an image of your business that will attract the right customers.