Content created by customers, followers, or community members rather than by the brand itself.
Authentic audience-created material that can strengthen trust, engagement, and social proof.
Short and sweet:
Content created by customers, followers, or community members rather than by the brand itself.
Authentic audience-created material that can strengthen trust, engagement, and social proof.
See also: Social Proof, Influencer Marketing, Engagement
User-generated content is any material, like a photo, review, or video, created by customers or fans rather than the brand itself, often shared voluntarily because someone genuinely liked a product rather than being paid to promote it. Brands repurpose it in their own marketing because it tends to feel more authentic and trustworthy to other potential customers than polished, brand-produced material. Encouraging it usually involves making it easy and rewarding to participate, such as running a branded hashtag campaign, rather than expecting it to happen entirely on its own.
GoPro built much of its marketing around user-generated content, repurposing thrilling customer footage of skydives and surf sessions instead of producing expensive campaigns in-house.
Starbucks turned a simple invitation into a flood of customer-made material when it asked people to doodle on plain white cups for its White Cup Contest, generating thousands of free designs and social posts.
Airbnb regularly features guest photos of stunning properties across its marketing channels, leaning on this kind of authentic material because travelers trust real photos more than polished stock imagery.
