User-generated content and short-form video are two essential elements of an effective social media marketing strategy. Videos engage viewers, while user-generated content builds your trust and credibility. But as always, you won’t get far without quality or sincerity.
Video generates 1200% more shares than image and text combined and lets web users retain 95% of a message (for text, that figure is around 10%). While long-form videos are great for driving deeper engagement, reports show that viewers still prefer and engage more with videos shorter than 15 seconds. On average, shorter videos receive 2.5 times more engagement than longer ones.
User-generated content has become so widely used in social media marketing that you might not even notice you’re scrolling past it several times a day. Known as UGC for short, this type of content is created by people rather than marketing teams and can take the form of Google reviews, blogs, podcasts, Instagram posts and more.
In this guide to these two dynamic and necessary forms of content marketing, Anchor explores user-generated content vs. short form video: their pros, their cons, which one is best suited to your business and how you can use both of them to see results.
What Is User-Generated Content?
Also called consumer-generated content, user-generated content (UGC) is content that’s brand-specific but created by other people rather than by the brand itself. Although it comes in many formats, there are two overarching types: organic and paid. Organic UGC arises from customers honestly sharing their own experiences with a product with no financial incentive, and it helps build strong brand credibility and social proof. Paid UGC is when a brand pays a creator or their fans to promote their products by making original content. This is often effective for start-ups and fledgling businesses that haven’t yet built up a large and loyal fan base.
Some common forms of UGC include:
Customer reviews and testimonials
Organic customer reviews and testimonials are a powerful form of social proof. They’re ringing endorsements from people who aren’t affiliated with your brand and have no incentive to be anything less than honest. They can take the form of Google reviews, Facebook reviews or posts on users’ personal social media accounts. Positive reviews and glowing social media posts have the power to influence potential buyers to see you in a positive light.
Videos
When video creators on YouTube or TikTok promote your product, it’s digital word of mouth on a major scale—especially if their videos go viral. 89% of consumers say that a video has inspired them to make a purchase. Plus, user-generated content is the most cost-effective way to produce video there is.
Photos
Customers often post photos on social media showing themselves using your product or showing off the great results they’ve had with it. Introducing a hashtag makes it easier to gather these images and reshare them on your own platforms.
Blogs
When customers write stories or reviews about your products on their own blogs, you can then share them on your own site.
Podcasts
Around one in five Internet users listens to podcasts. With podcasts out there for just about every topic, the opportunities to get your product mentioned or featured on one are always expanding.
So, how do you get your products and services featured in user-generated content? You can request feedback from users directly (e.g. send an email to a new customer with a thank you note and a link to leave a review), create a unique hashtag to spread around social media, launch a contest on social media or partner with some influencers. Just be sure to always ask permission before you share.
What Is Short Form Video?
People love it when you get to the point quickly. Short-form video is one of the most dynamic and interesting ways for marketers to do this.
How long is a short-form video? It’s between 5 and 90 seconds in length, the preferred duration on platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. This kind of video can increase your reach, sales, and brand awareness—you just have to post it on the platforms your target audiences will be on.
To succeed with the short-form video, it helps to have clear goals in mind, whether that’s increasing product sales or expanding your reputation as a thought leader. Make sure you have a strong opening to capture viewers in the first few seconds. Even though it’s a short video, don’t neglect the merits of good production values like strong lighting and editing.
What Is The Difference Between UGC And Short-Form Video?
UGC and short video are both essential for a strong social media marketing strategy and both are very popular forms of content. But there are definite differences between them. Short-form videos are usually created by brands or marketers, while user-generated content is made by people not affiliated with your product. User-generated videos can be any length, but they tend to skew on the shorter side still. However, both can tell a story and create a lasting and memorable impression of your product, and both are easy to share on social media.
Which Is Best To Use For Your Business?
A strong social media strategy should use both short videos created in-house and user-generated content. However, the one you should prioritise depends largely on the kind of products you want to sell. If you’re looking to create a genuine and trustworthy image, it might be worth focusing more on the user-generated option. But if you’re more focused on promoting products, in-house videos with high production values can help you achieve your goals faster.
Effective Marketing Strategies with Anchor
No matter how they were created, your brand assets should always communicate your unique identity to the world with consistency. Anchor’s creative services, including brand identity groundwork, direct and digital marketing campaigns and graphic design, can help you hit right on target.
Anchor is the leading social media marketing agency in Brisbane and can determine the strategies, both paid and organic, that will bring your brand attention, engagement, and sales. We’ll devise a social media marketing strategy to help you cut through the noise, manage your accounts, stay on top of social media trends, and turn followers into customers. We’ll do this in a transparent, no-nonsense way that makes you our creative partner every step of the process and gives you ultimate control of your image.
Anchor is eager to help you achieve the results you want, whatever the approach you take. Get in touch with our team, and we’ll get back to you within 24 hours.
