Get started with UGC for social media
Maybe you think it's challenging to get started with getting UGC videos to your business, or it takes a lot of effort to make it work. It's actually easier than you think!
In this article we show you step by step how to get started with UGC to increase the marketing in the online store. Before we dive into the process, we'll explain what UGC is and why it's important for online shops.
What is UGC, and why is it important?
User generated content (UGC) is content created and shared by your customers. These may be images, videos, reviews or post-posts on social media. UGC has become an important way of branding products to build credibility and trust in their target audience.
What makes UGC so efficient is that it is considered authentic. At a time when consumers often control away polished advertisements, this is exactly what gives UGC an advantage.
90% of consumers say authenticity is important in choosing the brand from which they will trade. Furthermore, studies show that 84% trusts in content from customers other than traditional advertising.
In Norway, a growing trend is seen: around 70% of Norwegian consumers are investigating user-generated content before making purchase decisions. For online shops, this means a unique opportunity to strengthen the brand and increase the conversion rate. In fact, integration of UGC on the website can increase the conversion rate by up to 29%.
But UGC isn't just about statistics. It's also about building strong relationships and creating a culture where your customers feel seen and heard.
Here comes a step by step process to how you can get started.
Step 1: Map your top products
Start by finding out which of your products are most popular. These top products are perfect candidates for user generated content. Start in the small – choose, for example, 2–3 products to focus on. It is easier to succeed with UGC when you start with individual products rather than to present whole generic categories.
Let's take skin cream as an example:
It is harder to convince someone to buy skin cream by presenting a large selection of skin creams, rather than presenting a specific skin cream that solves a specific problem for the customer (for example, less dry skin or skin cream for sensitive skin).
If you are unsure where to look for top products, you can check the bestseller list for the last year in Google Analytics 4. If your shop is marked by seasons, then filter.
Step 2: Choose how to contact content creators
To get in touch with content creators, there are several methods. Here are three current alternatives we have tested in INEVO:
- Direct contacts on social media: Contact independent content creators on Instagram or TikTok for a collaboration. Remember to have clear contracts for rights of use.
- Use 3. Party tools such as Influenza: Influenza has more than 500 Norwegian content creators. Here you can post a brief, and content creators will come to you with their suggestions and prizes.
- Internal competence: Do you have employees with knowledge of UGC or any of their network who can contribute? This could be a cost-effective solution.
What should you choose? Contacting content creators directly often results in faster production, but in some cases it may cost something more than other methods, especially if you need to renew rights of use after 3-5 months. With 3. Party tools are granted lifetime use rights to their content, often at lower costs (1000–2000 SEK per video). The benefits and disadvantages vary, choose what suits your company best.
- If you are looking for high quality, it may be a good idea to look directly at Instagram or TickTok.
- If you want a lot of videos for good quality, we can recommend 3. Party tools, f. Ex Influenza.
With quality we mean everything from sound, creativity, message and experience in general.
Step 3: Create a clear brief
A good brief is essential for the content to be what you want. First, define the "hook" - the part of the video that captures attention in the first few seconds. Examples of hooks may include:
- “The cream that changed my skin completely”
- “I wish I knew about this before!”
- “Stop! Here is why you should consider buying your next shoes with us”
You can either write the Briefen and the script yourself or use AI tools to do it for you. Three. The Influee Party tool has an AI feature that helps you create scripts based on other videos and the breakpoints your product solves.
Then the AI tool will create a finished script for you, starting with both the inspiration video you selected and the problems your product solves. When this is in place, you can make adjustments where you want.
Here you see a screenshot where we have picked up an inspiration video from the Influee archive, and created a script for us based on some breakpoints we have entered:
A well-written script (or well-generated AI script) will make the job easier for you, and for the content creator.
A bad script will cause you to correct and request changes to the clips you have to send in return.
Tips: Ask the content creator to create both main recordings and “B-rolls”. The B-roll is the additional recording used to supplement the main clippings of a video. It can help to set mood, create smoother transitions or give more depth and meaning to content. A B-roll for the production of video for table games can be, for example:
- A clip of person reading the rules of the game
- A clip of more people having fun with the table game
- A cut of person who selects tiles
- A close-to-date video of the table game oak and other details of packaging.
Step 4: Edit the video
Once you have the recordings, the next step is to edit everything into a finished video. Tools like CapCut (free), Canvas or Premiere Pro are good alternatives for this. Remember to customize the contents of a “safesone” for the platforms you use, so that text and other elements do not fall outside the field of vision.
For subtitles we recommend Veed.io, which automatically translates what is said in the clip. This saves you too much time and works well in both Norwegian and Norwegian.
Here you see examples of Veed.io in action. You upload the video, and it will automatically generate subtitles for the whole video:
Step 5: Publish content
When the video is done, there is time for publishing. Select the platforms that best fit your target group and make sure the content is optimally adapted for each channel.
Following these five steps can easily get started with user generated videos for your online store. Not only will it strengthen your brand, but it will also help to create a stronger connection with your customers.