UGC: These Friends Who Mean Well !

If you’ve ever wondered what a cinema brand could bring to your customer relationship, this article is for you! UGC, aside from being a place to watch the latest film by Toledano and Nakache, is one of the tools that will best serve your brand image. Behind these three letters, we find the words User Generated Content, which, for the most French-speaking among us, means content generated by your customers.

| Why integrate UGC into your communication strategy?

Comments, videos, or photos – for someone who doesn’t know you, nothing is more reliable than a testimonial from one of your customers. As you know, almost every potential customer’s first instinct is to scrutinize your brand and compare you to each of your competitors. In the midst of a jungle of advertisements, sponsored content, and other partnerships, positive customer reviews often stand out, allowing you to distinguish yourself. Since everyone can express themselves positively or negatively on social media, a positive review naturally appears more credible than any advertising content your teams may create. And a bonus point, UGC is (almost) free!

Many brands have already understood this well and punctuate their communication campaigns with Google reviews, Tweets, and various posts. Because UGC not only serves to reassure those who reach you, but it’s also an excellent way to make yourself known and engage! For a small business with a not-so-large marketing budget, showcasing customer feedback is now written in the book of foolproof methods to gain visibility.

A few figures to further convince you: according to a Nosto study, half of consumers do not believe what brands tell them. However, 80% of them indicate that UGC strongly influences their purchasing decisions, and 88% consult product reviews before making a purchase.

| How to use UGC?

For UGC to benefit you, you need to plan it in advance. Even if you offer excellent services, comments won’t flow unless you help them. It is necessary to provide spaces where they can happen. Consider, for example, contests where people register by posting a comment, and plan features that facilitate content creation, such as hashtags or filters. Value this content by sharing it, responding to it, and crediting the authors – it’s a good way to strengthen credibility and build trust.

Despite many positive aspects, UGC remains a tool to be handled with caution. Encouraging customer feedback also invites those who are dissatisfied to express themselves. Fortunately, UGC is based on a desire to be transparent, so be careful not to ignore them.

These feedback are valuable for improving your service quality, but not only that. Sixty-three percent of customers claim to have more confidence in a company when it has both positive and negative reviews. Moreover, 93% of respondents read the responses left by brands to negative comments – you have a right to reply, and it’s important to use it!

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