Importance of User-Generated Content for eCommerce Brands

User-generated content (UGC) is content created by users of an online platform. It is in the form of pictures, videos, texts, brand reviews, etc.

Thanks to the increased presence of customers on social media platforms, UGC has become more popular and has proven to be a powerful tool for marketing eCommerce brands.

In this article, we will discuss why eCommerce brands need user-generated content on social media.

Below are some reasons why eCommerce brands need UGC on social media:
 

1. Influences trust

Marketing today is no longer an easy task. Not only are there many brands to choose from, but consumers are very well aware of the importance of trust in assessing quality.

You have to work hard to earn customers' trust so that they select your brand over others.

Below are ways UGC can enhance your brand's trustworthiness:
 

• Communicates to customers in their language

Speaking to your target audience with customers’ images and videos is essential because this makes them perceive that you are humanly talking to them. It helps build trust for your brand and spurs it on.
 

• Helps customers make sound purchasing decisions

Social media is becoming increasingly popular for selling products and services, and people are better able to make their purchase decisions this way.

With user-generated content, customers can get a glimpse into what other people think about a company before ordering from them, which allows them to feel more comfortable with the decision they've made.

Most customers want text reviews on a product so they can decide whether to buy the product. If it relates to ascertaining the superiority of one brand over another, they tend to go with videos about the brands.

Potential buyers believe the opinions of other customers are of higher value than those of brand owners.

This is because customers gain nothing from speaking excellent or ill about your brand's products. When they communicate well about your product, they do so because they enjoy it and want others to know about it.
 

2. Reduces marketing cost

Social media has helped companies excel in marketing and advertising efforts without too much material or financial costs. UGC provides the same opportunities as paid ads, only with little to no charges.

You don't need a lot of money to effectively leverage UGC. You focus on actively presenting value to your customers and letting them influence the types of content you share with them on social media.

This strategy allows you to quickly provide quality content, which can be done without much effort.
 

3. Reduces marketing time

Everyone says time is money, and no one wants to spend theirs needlessly. This includes your business.

Spending time on social media content is like spending a lot of time writing blog posts and involves a load of effort. But with UGC, you can save a ton of time and effort and get high-quality content quickly.

More and more brands are using UGC to promote a product on social platforms. This frees up more time for them to focus on other essential aspects of their business.
 

4. Influences conversations

In terms of brand marketing on social media, it's crucial that not just the brand owner is talking but also customers. It's all about being authentic, and your audience knows if you're being honest with them.

Businesses should build relationships with their customers through dialogues. UGC provides just that, which can ultimately help you improve your business's strategies and plans.
 

5. Improves SEO

With a lot of user-generated content, blogs, stores, and other sites can improve their SEO ratings because this creates a high volume of content to be indexed, which increases the likelihood that search engines will find your social or web pages when people search-relevant keywords.

Bloggers, marketers, and brand owners can use UGC to increase their website traffic because it proves they’re promoting something consumers can trust.
 

Here’s how UGC does this

When you share a branded blog post on social media, users who like the brand will share. They might also comment to discuss the product and ways it is beneficial for their friends and family and those who aren't into that brand yet.

With the increased likelihood of getting more visits to your blog, store, or website, the improved SEO score will help increase its positive impact on your business.

The following features on a blog or site will help to increase the likelihood it ranks high on search engines: keywords, titles, backlinks, and internal links.

Customers help improve SEO by mentioning keywords and links in their extensions of text reviews on social media. As others find and click on them, the website's traffic grows, and its SEO score improves.

They are also suggesting phrases related to your brand in their reviews. This is encouraging feedback for SEO growth.

When a blog post is shared on social media, you sometimes get comments in the comment section that can help you know which long-tail keywords to use. Long-tail keywords are usually the most popular with customers.

The competition may be lower with these keywords - you can increase your SEO ranking by focusing on less competitive keywords. For example, a business selling mouthwash could find that the keyword “mouthwash” is way too competitive to rank for.

“Mouthwash for smelly mouths” will definitely be less competitive with fewer people searching for it. Nonetheless, the customers who search for it intend to find and buy it or learn something that will lead them to buy.

If words like "mouthwash for smelly mouths" are mentioned more often in the comment section of your posts, it can be considered a long-tail keyword.

Search engines use algorithms to find brand reviews and testimonials to find out whether the website is reputable.

Google currently uses 'search quality raters' to assess the integrity of a website. Elements like user knowledge of the topic, author authority, and authenticity of content can be easily obtained from customer reviews on your site.

Reviews and feedback from your customers allow you to earn high SEO points in the different ranking systems.

It's essential to produce quality content regularly. You can do this by spending time brainstorming with your SEO team or finding fresh ideas with social media research. Your results will be worth it in the end.

Luckily, though, UGC is a fantastic source of fresh content, as earlier said. You can quickly get them from social media.

You can organize a contest on social media platforms; that's where you can give away a prize for the winner. (You'll probably want to do this periodically.)

Inviting your followers to collaborate is always a great way to boost interaction and create more captivating content for your store, blog, and social page.

All in all, UGC will increase your traffic and get your site off the ground. Your followers would be attracted to your site, improving the quality of your search engine optimization score.
 

Conclusion

Many e-commerce brands have been utilizing this technique to boost sales.

User-generated content is now the most cost-effective way for brands to gain exposure. Businesses and personalities have seen that it drives sales, publicity, and relationships with their customers.

Images and videos on social media are an inexpensive way to boost visibility for your brand, so it makes sense to use the cheapest and most authentic and customer-centric type ever - UGC.