When I was working at Denon & Marantz I introduced Bazaarvoice, which allowed us to source reviews on our products, which was easy since we had a very satisfied client base, it just needed a bit of a trigger. So we connected this with an automated email flow in Eloqua.

At Heineken we used this to showcase people draughting their own beers at home. Nothing sells beer, like seeing other people enjoy it.

And then at GrandVision (EssilorLuxottica) we started to experiment by using UGC content in the galleries on our PDP’s to see if that did more magic than the simple product shots.

Benefits of UGC

• Increased Trust: UGC can help build trust with potential customers as it comes from real people who have used the product or service.

• Improved SEO: UGC can help improve your website's search engine rankings as it creates fresh, unique content.

• Enhanced Brand Awareness: UGC can help increase brand visibility and reach a wider audience.

• Improved Customer Engagement: UGC can encourage customer engagement and create a sense of community around your brand.

• Lower Marketing Costs: UGC can be a cost-effective way to generate content and promote your brand.

Tools for Managing UGC

• Roster: A platform that helps businesses collect, manage, and showcase UGC.

• Tagshop: A tool that allows you to easily find and leverage UGC related to your brand.

• Bazaarvoice: A platform that nowadays does more than just reviews, but reviews themselves of course are great UGC material. I introduced this back in the day on Denon websites across the globe.

• Buffer: Not typically a UGC tool, but does have some collaboration options.

• Social Native: Here you can match with or sign up yourself as creator to collaborate with brands / creators.

Strategies for Encouraging UGC

• Run Contests and Giveaways: Encourage users to create content by offering incentives.

• Use Hashtags: Create branded hashtags to make it easy for users to find and share your content.

• Engage with Users: Respond to comments, messages, and mentions to show your appreciation for UGC.

• Showcase UGC on Your Website: Feature UGC prominently on your website to highlight positive customer experiences.

• Partner with Influencers: Collaborate with influencers to generate high-quality UGC.

By effectively leveraging UGC, businesses can create a more authentic and engaging brand and ecommerce experience.