Good morning to 7733 e-commerce executives. This week, we’re diving into one of the most powerful yet often overlooked tools for e-commerce brands: User-Generated Content (UGC). If you’re not tapping into your customers as content creators, you’re missing out on a goldmine of brand-boosting material.
Experts and Brands Featured in This Edition:
- Brett Henrichsen: Founder of Poster Print Shop, a custom print business.
- Justin MacDonald: Owner of Wholesale Patches, specializing in high-quality wholesale embroidery patches.
- Forrest Webber: Owner of The Trade Table, a home products e-commerce brand.
- Eva Miller: VP of Marketing at Pretty Moment, a high-end designer dress e-commerce store.
What Is User-Generated Content (UGC)?
UGC refers to any brand-centered content—photos, videos, reviews, or social media posts—created by customers, instead of the brand. It’s organic, authentic, and incredibly persuasive because it comes from real people who have already purchased and used your product. Whether it’s an Instagram photo of a customer wearing your latest outfit or a glowing review on your site, UGC is a direct endorsement of your brand. Best of all, it doesn’t cost you much (if anything!) to produce.
As Eva Miller, VP of Marketing at Pretty Moment, puts it, “UGC can be a powerful strategy to generate compelling content while strengthening relationships with customers.” And Pretty Moment knows what they’re talking about: their campaign, #PrettyInMyMoment, boosted website traffic by 30% and conversion rates by 25% within three months.
So how can your brand harness the power of UGC? Let’s break it down.
Step 1: Create Opportunities for UGC
First, you need to make it easy for your customers to share their experiences. Offer incentives like discounts, contests, or features on your website or social media. Justin MacDonald of Wholesale Patches suggests offering a discount on future orders if customers tag your brand on social media. “This win-win strategy led to a 35% increase in returning customers,” he says.
- Tip: Encourage customers to use a unique hashtag so you can easily track UGC. Brett Henrichsen of Poster Print Shop made a custom hashtag that his customers used when sharing their purchases online. This system also allowed them to boost returning customer rates by 35%.
Step 2: Monitor & Capture UGC
Don’t let valuable content slip through the cracks. It’s essential to have a process in place for monitoring and capturing UGC as it happens. Whether through social listening tools or manual monitoring, you need to ensure that every time someone posts about your brand, you’re there to see it.
“We missed out on a lot of opportunities early on because we didn’t have a system in place,” admits Brett Henrichsen. Now, his team monitors social media daily for posts containing their custom hashtag, reaching out quickly for permission to re-share these posts on their in-house channels.
Step 3: Incentivize UGC
If you want to see a consistent stream of UGC, you need to give customers a reason to contribute. Whether it’s offering discounts, like Justin MacDonald does, or featuring customers on your official channels, incentives drive participation.
At Pretty Moment, the #PrettyInMyMoment campaign offered customers discounts on their next purchase for sharing their ‘Pretty Moment’ wearing the brand’s dresses. The result? A 30% increase in traffic and a 25% boost in conversion rates. That’s the kind of ROI any marketer dreams about.
Step 4: Leverage UGC for Social Proof
Once you’ve collected UGC, the next step is to amplify it. Sharing your customers’ photos and reviews on your own social channels, website, or email campaigns builds trust and credibility. Forrest Webber of The Trade Table suggests creating a community around UGC. “Our ‘Home Enhancement’ series, where customers showcase our products in their real-world settings, has not only increased visibility but also fostered community and trust.”
The Benefits of UGC: Why It Works
UGC isn’t just good for showing off happy customers—it actually boosts your bottom line. Here’s why:
- Builds Trust: People trust people. UGC is seen as more authentic and credible than traditional marketing.
- Improves SEO: user-generated-content can provide fresh content for your website, boosting your SEO rankings. When people link to or share your UGC, it can generate backlinks and improve your site’s domain authority.
- Increases Engagement: Customers are more likely to engage with and share posts that feature real people.
- Boosts Sales: According to Nielsen, 92% of consumers trust recommendations from people they know, making UGC a powerful driver of sales.
Real-World Success: How Brands Are Winning with UGC
Poster Print Shop, Wholesale Patches, The Trade Table, and Pretty Moment all have one thing in common: they’ve successfully integrated UGC into their marketing strategies, and the results speak for themselves.
Brett Henrichsen from Poster Print Shop advises, “Make it easy for customers to share on social media and offer incentives.” This simple strategy led to a significant boost in returning customers and brand visibility.
Meanwhile, Forrest Webber of The Trade Table emphasizes the importance of clear guidelines for UGC. “Initially, we didn’t establish what kind of content was suitable, which led to some misaligned submissions. Setting clear guidelines has drastically improved the quality of the UGC we receive.”
And at Pretty Moment, UGC isn’t just about customer engagement—it’s about results. Their #PrettyInMyMoment campaign has been a game-changer for the brand, driving tangible increases in both traffic and conversions.
Wrap Up
That’s it for this week’s edition of The Bulletin. If you have any questions about how you can start using UGC at your brand, don’t hesitate to reach out.
