Viktoria Kammeyer
Staying ahead thanks to authenticity: why UGC outshines many big influencers
Let's be honest: who is more likely to trust a glossy advertisement or an honest recommendation from a friend? Exactly. And this is exactly where UGC's strength lies. While influencers are valued for their reach and expertise, your customers bring an unbeatable ingredient to the table: Authenticity.
If you really want to reach and convince your target group, you can no longer ignore user-generated content. An impressive 79% of consumers are guided in their purchasing decisions by the opinions and experiences of other users. The reason for this is clear: at 92%, UGC enjoys significantly more trust than traditional advertising. This trust is directly reflected in success, as e-commerce companies record a 144% higher conversion rate through the use of UGC. And engagement also benefits: Campaigns that rely on user-generated content achieve 28% higher interaction rates, as the authentic voices of real customers activate the community.
So where is the magic happening here?
- Honesty that convinces: UGC is unembellished, genuine and reflects the actual experience with your product or brand. This creates trust and credibility that paid influencer posts often fail to achieve.
- Closeness that connects: UGC comes from people like next door - like-minded people who have similar interests and needs to your potential customers. This proximity creates a stronger connection and identification.
- Diversity that inspires: Your customers are diverse and creative. UGC can come in many different forms - from simple photos and videos to detailed test reports and humorous anecdotes. This variety makes your brand more lively and accessible.
- Costs that are worth it: Compared to expensive influencer deals with huge content creators, UGC is often a more cost-effective way to generate high-quality, credible content.
The dream team: How UGC and influencer campaigns merge to form an unbeatable duo
The good news: you don't have to choose between UGC and influencers. The real magic happens when you cleverly combine both worlds. Here are some strategies on how to integrate UGC into your influencer campaigns:
- The UGC appeal as a campaign kickstarter: Use the reach of your influencers to incentivize your community to create UGC. Launch challenges, competitions or simple calls for followers to share their experiences with your product.
- Influencers as curators and amplifiers: Ask your influencers to share and comment on their followers' best UGC posts. This rewards your community, creates additional visibility and underlines the authenticity of your brand.
- UGC as campaign content: Integrate outstanding UGC posts directly into your influencer campaigns. Show how real customers use and love your product. This is more credible than any pure product placement.
- Influencers as UGC creators: Let your influencers create authentic content that fits seamlessly into the style of UGC. This could be an uncut "first impressions" video or an honest experience report, for example.
- The follower takeover campaign: Give selected followers the opportunity to take over your brand's or influencer's social media channel for a day and share their personal experiences. This creates pure closeness and authenticity.
- Co-creation of content: Work with particularly committed customers to develop content together with influencers. This could be a joint tutorial, a live event or a product development idea.
- UGC as social proof on the home straight: Use positive UGC reviews and testimonials to convince potential customers just before they make a purchase decision - for example on landing pages or in product descriptions.
Benefits that speak for themselves: Why UGC revolutionizes your influencer strategy
Integrating UGC into your influencer campaigns is not a nice extra, but a real game changer with tangible benefits.
We're talking about a strategic move that goes far beyond short-term marketing success. Increased credibility and a deep relationship of trust with the target group are the cornerstones established by real customer opinions - an invaluable advantage in an increasingly advertising-critical world. In parallel, UGC unleashes higher engagement and significantly greater organic reach. When your community shares its own experiences, it not only becomes more active, but also acts as a multiplier of your message. This authentic sharing often translates directly into more conversions and sustainable sales growth, as the recommendations of like-minded people are more persuasive than any sophisticated ad. In addition, UGC provides you with valuable insights and direct, unfiltered feedback on your products, services and brand as a whole - information that is invaluable for future decisions. The active appreciation and integration of UGC strengthens the community bond and the loyalty of your customers on an emotional level. Another aspect that should not be underestimated is cost efficiency: UGC can be a smart and often more budget-friendly alternative or a valuable addition to traditional, more expensive influencer campaigns. And finally, with UGC you generate a long-term pool of fresh, diverse and authentic content that continuously fills your marketing channels with life.
With our IROIN® by Stellar Tech software, we not only enable you to efficiently discover micro-influencers, who often have a particularly engaged and authentic community and are ideal for generating UGC. Our advanced search and analysis functions allow you to find influencers whose values and target group perfectly match your brand and who are already actively interacting with their followers - ideal conditions for successful UGC campaigns. You will also be provided with tools to initiate and manage UGC campaigns and to curate and utilize the valuable contributions of your community. In this way, you can easily turn your satisfied customers into your strongest brand ambassadors and benefit from the unbeatable credibility of real voices.
Our conclusion? Use the power of voices!
In a world flooded with sponsored content, the authenticity of user-generated content stands out like a beacon. By integrating the real voices of your customers into your influencer campaigns, you create an unbeatable combination of reach and credibility. Use the power of your community to bring your brand to life, build trust and cultivate long-term relationships with your customers. Because at the end of the day, it's the real fans who can be your best influencers.