When capturing consumers' attention, you're probably wondering which is better: user-generated or branded content. The truth is that while you can use both, there are pros and cons to each option, so it's important to know what will work best for your e-commerce shop.
User-generated content has quickly taken the world by storm. As a result, many brands are using it to gain attention and strengthen their online presence. So, what are the advantages of user-generated content?
‍Like Unbottled your order tracking emails to ask your clients to create UGC
Using branded delivery tracking e-mails has many advantages:
While there are many advantages of having user-generated content for your brand, there are a few cons that you need to know about, such as:
Despite the cons, user-generated content is incredibly advantageous. It can save you money, help you increase visibility online, and ultimately make it possible for you to increase sales while strengthening your brand.
Branded content is content you can make yourself as the owner of your brand. The benefits of using this type of content include:
So, what about the cons of branded content? While you can create as much branded content as you'd like, the primary con is that consumers see it as being more salesy and less authentic. As a result, they will prefer user-generated content over branded content every time!
So, which is best for your brand? It depends on a few factors, such as the size of your e-commerce.
If you're just starting, you need to rely on branded content to build a name for your business and ultimately get people to buy from you. Once they buy from you, they may begin creating content and posting it on social media for everyone to see. But, if you're a mid size or larger e-commerce shop, your best bet is to take a user-generated content approach to advertising. It will make your larger brand appear more authentic and relatable, boosting sales. Companies of ALL sizes are using user-generated content to make waves online.
Good user-generated content is relatable, consumer-friendly, and engaging. People want to watch videos from people who remind them of themselves. It keeps them interested and willing to watch for extended periods, but it can also impact their buying decisions and get them interested enough to want to purchase what your brand can offer.
How to create relatable UGC?
Before you can benefit from user-generated content, it helps to know how to create relatable content. While you don't necessarily want to provide consumers with a step-by-step tutorial on creating the kind of content you'd like to share with consumers and make it easily accessible, these are the things to look for in any user-generated content curated about your brand and its products.
There are a few additional steps you can take to create the most relatable user-generated content, such as:
It can take time to create and collect user-generated content. However, once you manage to do so, you can benefit tremendously from it by gaining thousands of new followers, receiving plenty of views, and gaining many additional sales.
As previously mentioned, there are pros and cons to brand-generated content. The good thing about this type of content is having the opportunity to make it yourself and have total control over the message you will display to your audience. However, some consumers don’t view this content as authentic as they would user-generated content, so keep that in mind. The good news in all of this? You can still create relatable brand-generated content.
How to create relatable branded generated content
You may wonder how to create relatable branded content that keeps the audience watching. These are a few of the simple things you can do to make branded content that your targeted audience can relate to and enjoy:
You can make branded content that gets views and helps you gain more exposure for your e-commerce shop. It simply requires a bit of creativity.
When it comes to user-generated content vs. branded content, check out these results for various brands of different sizes.
1. Chanel, the luxury fashion, fragrance, and beauty brand, crafted a branded post for the Les Beiges foundation on Instagram, generating 147K views and 33K likes. BUT Les Beiges’ user-generated content was the clear winner. Danielle's honest review on social media led to 4M views and a massive 1.1M likes from consumers, garnering way more attention.
2. Despite regularly posting branded content to social media, Dunkin' saw a 57% increase in downloads of its mobile app and a 20% boost in sales for cold brews when partnering with social media influencer Charli D'Amelio, showing that user-generated content once again takes the lead.
3. Well-known backpack brand CabaĂŻa generates 30K likes within 30 days while having its user-generated content shared thousands of times, proving that this brand benefits from UGC more than its branded posts.
‍
Because brands of all sizes truly benefit from user-generated content, you have the perfect opportunity to do the same. While you can still create branded content, try to emphasize user-generated content more to resonate with your audience and gain their trust.