User-generated content: a handy guide

Are you keen to build client trust & business authenticity? LILLY DELMAGE investigates how onine content can positively boost your profile

User-generated content (UGC), most commonly featured on social media, is the creation of images, videos, product reviews, testimonials, blogs or podcasts, typically by consumers. As businesses adapt content to reflect modern customer preferences, we are seeing people-focused media replacing traditional ‘faceless’ brand marketing.

UGC harnesses the perspective of the poster. For example, when your client posts a photo of their manicure on their Instagram story, and you repost it, their UGC has supported your business. Research reveals the huge potential of this content, with advertising and marketing publication, Adweek, reporting that 85% of people find UGC to be more influential than content made directly by brands.

Why is UGC so effective?

Customer scepticism of branded content has escalated, with consumers expecting brands to ‘sell’ their products by posting biased content. A study by publishing group, Reach, found that almost 70% of consumers don’t trust advertising, with 42% distrusting brands.

These low trust rates pose a challenge for businesses, as research by Salesforce reveals that 92% of consumers are more likely to purchase additional products and services from businesses they trust. This exhibits a considerable preference for authentic information.

TOP TIP

“When requesting UGC, the brief must be clear,” shares Saakshi Kaushik, head of social at The GelBottle Inc. “What a brand or business owner envisages is not always what is understood and produced. The process can take longer than anticipated, and it can be challenging to manoeuvre deadlines.”

Expert advice

Phorest salon software’s content strategist, Avril Kealy, content strategist for Phorest Salon Software, shares: “With so much competition, sometimes the best publicity comes in the form of social proof. The more real-life results your online audience sees, more likely it is that they will trust your brand.”

Avril Kealy

“UGC social content generally gets the most engagement on our profiles,” shares Ellie Greenland, brand & social manager at Buff Browz. “These posts encourage product sales by showing consumers the results they could achieve, without the bias of the business.”

Saakshi Kaushik, head of social at The GelBottle Inc, adds: “It can be true that others tell your brand story better than you. UGC can serve as the perfect extension to the story you, as the brand, have told – whether that’s solving a problem, educating or providing entertainment.”

Ellie Greenland

First steps

Avril Kealy shares advice for pros seeking to utilise user-generated content:

• Ask clients to create videos talking about their visits to your nail space or showing the results of their treatments. You could incentivise them with a discount or product sample if they create content and tag your business profile.

• Compile online reviews, testimonials and client selfies in video format and share them across your social media channels (with permission, of course!)

• Familiarise yourself with copyright and licensing laws. Only use content you have the right to use, or that falls under fair use criteria on the platform you are using.

EMPLOYER-GENERATED CONTENT (EGC)

EGC is a type of user-generated content that shifts the spotlight to your employees, rather than clients. This showcases the faces behind the brand, humanising businesses and facilitating trust.

Nail businesses share how they have utilised employer-generated content…

BRAND PROFILE: The GelBottle Inc

@the_gelbottle_inc

@the_gelbottle_inc

Saakshi Kaushik, head of social at The GelBottle Inc

What EGC do you create?

“We publish ‘a day in the life’ videos on our TikTok channel, which show what our employees do in a day. These are usually shot and edited within TikTok itself, making the videos more likely to work their way through the algorithm. They are specifically adapted for TikTok’s tongue-in-cheek nature, focusing on behind-the-scenes, authentic content.”

Go behind-the-scenes with the TGB team

Why do you think this content is so engaging?

“It’s appealing to be taken on a journey that’s visually appealing and interesting. Behind-the-scenes content has performed well in all the businesses I have been involved in, and I think there is a great responsibility now for brands to show a ‘human’ side.”

View the product picks of the TGB team on TikTok

What disadvantages have you found with EGC?

“Not everybody is comfortable with being on camera – even if they seem like extroverts!”

Try this!

Alli-Mae Griffiths

Alli-Mae Griffiths, social media assistant at Glitterbels, offers content ideas for key events...

“For International Women’s Day, (IWD), we interviewed employees and asked them what it means to them to be a woman working at Glitterbels. This gave our customers an insight into the culture of the brand.”

Scan to view the Glitterbels team’s IWD responses

BRAND PROFILE: Townhouse

@townhouse

@townhouse

Juanita Huber-Millet, founder & creative director at Townhouse

What EGC do you create?

“When opening a Townhouse salon, we create social media content that introduces its team members to followers. This personal approach helps our audience connect with our nail artists on a deeper level.

“Our talented nail artists frequently appear on camera, showcasing their skills and contributing to our engaging salon culture. We also encourage team members to create their own content but, to ensure we project a consistent message, we review it before it can be published.”

Scan to view an Instagram reel introducing followers to the Townhouse LA nail artists

Is this content style successful?

“We’ve noticed high engagement on Instagram and TikTok, where our audience is particularly responsive to behind-the-scenes and personal content. This also enhances our internal work culture, fostering a lively and motivated atmosphere where employees feel valued – eager to contribute ideas.”

Watch a comical video of the Townhouse team, created for TikTok

What disadvantages have you found with EGC?

“One challenge we’ve encountered is managing the schedules of our busy salon team members. Finding time to create content can be difficult when our staff members are full booked with treatments.”

“The more real-life results your online audience sees, the more likely it is that they will trust your brand.”