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A Marketer's Guide to UGC Video

When it comes to content marketing, video is king. Video captivates more than any other format. Is there any other better way to tell a story? But not all video content is created equal. UGC video is a cut above the rest. User-generated video from real customers is authentic, unique and builds trust like no other type of video creative. 

If you are thinking of collecting UGC video for your marketing, then this guide is for you. Lets’ go!

UGC Videos

What is user-generated content?

User-generated content or UGC for short, refers to images, videos and text created and shared by consumers rather than brands. User-generated content marketing is a big deal, because it converts whilst saving brands precious marketing budget! What is not to love?

UGC is created organically by regular people and typically is found on all of your popular social media platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Tiktok.

For many years now, consumer brands have turned to their customers to help fuel their marketing efforts. Campaigns, contests, CRM emails, digital display, there isn’t an awful lot UGC can’t be used for when it comes to marketing. It really is that versatile! 

What is UGC Video?

UGC video, simply put, is video content created by consumers and fans alike. With recent advances in technology, it’s quicker, easier than ever to shoot and share the almost studio produced looking quality rich media. The result is thousands of highly engaging video assets being uploaded to social media a day, ready to be harnessed by marketers, providing they have the right technology.

Youtube gave birth to the “viral video”, when the popularity of an uploaded video spirals out of control, so much so that it is talked about everywhere and shared across the internet. Initially, Youtube was known for funny and cute videos of cats and dogs, today it is a different place. Whilst these classic videos still get the hits, Youtube’s content is now so wide ranging that you can open up the app to learn how to fix a leaking tap, watch an enterprise software demo or even watch a live stream of your favourite PC game.

Platforms like Youtube and Instagram, have attracted millions of dollars of advertising spend from an ever growing list of brands. YouTube generated $8.6 billion in ad revenue in Q4 2021 alone. Whilst paid social media campaigns will always rule for most, harnessing the power of UGC videos that have been uploaded to social media presents a different, much more cost effective marketing opportunity.

Consumers are now talking about their experiences with brands online, at an unprecedented rate. Some will feature brands and products as part of their “summer holiday hints and tips in Rome” vlog, whilst others might post a helpful make-up application tutorial. 

Video UGC is the digital form of word-of-mouth marketing and brand marketers cannot afford to sleep on this authentic, self-generating gold dust!

Types of UGC video

Consumers and influencers are making video content that features brands and their products everyday. Typically, these creators are motivated by the sheer love for the product. They have had such a great experience that they feel compelled to talk about your brand online. Is there anything more flattering for a marketing manager?

The type of UGC video and the degree to which a product or brand features in said video, can vary a great deal. For example, one social media user might have uploaded a video of them walking down a bustling city street. The focus might not be the product that is in that person’s hair, yet they have still used your hashtag because the video shows off the great results you can achieve with the product. 

Other UGC videos might be solely dedicated to that product, for example a 5 minute glowing review of your hair product.

Let’s take a look at some of the most popular types of UGC video you will find on social media.

Lifestyle

Brands and products are a huge part of our everyday lives. We rarely leave out front door not wearing something created by a brand. Because they go everywhere with us, they naturally feature as part of all of the mundane and exciting things we get up to.

Lifestyle UGC videos are videos where the product just happens to be a small part of the focus. Think of it like a candid way to capture the effectiveness of a product. For example, a social media user films a video of them running through the local park, in their brand new Nike running shoes. The shoes feature in the video so the user tags the brand.

Unboxing videos

The term unboxing, refers to when consumers and influencers record the whole process of receiving a product through their door, opening and demonstrating that product to their subscribers or followers.

Did you know that there are 20 million search results on YouTube for “unboxing.” According to a Google Consumer Survey, one in five consumers report that they’ve actually watched an unboxing video.

Before and after videos

Before and after videos are when consumers demonstrate the results of a product, by showing the affected area before and then after the product has been applied.

These types of videos make for satisfying viewing and help potential customers make their minds up about buying your product. It is for this reason that it is one of the most potent types of UGC video when it comes to leveraging UGC for ecommerce marketing.

Social media filters

Branded Instagram or Snapchat filters are a great way to get social media users engaged and creating content for your brand. Skittles did this expertly during Pride, making their branded filter available to use during the Pride celebrations in certain locations.

Taco Bell generated a hilarious Snapchat filter to Celebrate Cinco de Mayo, a holiday in Mexico and the US. In just one day, the filter achieved 224 million views.

Dances and challenges

TikTok owes much of its success to creative dances and social media challenges that have gone viral. The short-form video platform is purpose-built for quick and easy viral video creation, boasting a number of handy features such as licensed music, filters and editing tools.

Brands have cottoned on to the trend of TikTok challenges, by creating their own on the platform.

Though dance challenges have become synonymous with TikTok, it is not the only place brands can launch and host them. Instagram reels and Facebook Stories are both just as capable when it comes to executing the perfect social media challenge.


What are the benefits of UGC video?

Whilst brand created video can be highly effective, it is also extremely expensive and sucks up a lot of time. If you are committed to delivering a consistent content marketing strategy, then you are going to need to make a lot of great video content.

Not many brands have the capacity to roll out tens if not hundreds of engaging videos a month to keep up with their target audience’s tireless appetite for content.

UGC video can help multiple your video content output, but as you may have gathered by now, the benefits of UGC video are vast. Here are the key benefits of UCG video marketing:

1. People trust content from other regular consumers

92% of consumers trust organic UGC more than they trust traditional advertising according to a study by Nielsen.

2. It is unique.

Advertising that features consumer-generated content is 28% more unique than traditional advertsing according to the IAB.

3. It doesn’t cost the earth.

Brands can spend tens of thousands created video assets for their marketing. There is the cost of the camera hire, model hire, editing fees and other hidden amounts. With UGC video on the other hand, brands can collect it for free!

4. It inspires.

Featuring UGC video across your marketing channels helps inspire visitors to buy a product they might not have come to your site for. Highly engaging UGC video has the power to capture the attention of browsers and helps turn them into buyers.

5. It boosts conversions.

Websites that feature UGC achieve a 29% higher conversion rate than those without it according to Adweek.

UGC Video and influencers

Both Influencers and regular customers create UGC video. The key thing that separates the two, is the thing that motivates the UGC video being created and shared in the first place.

Influencers are paid a fee, to produce high quality content that features and advocates the product. Whist the content produced might look great and helps that brand reach a particular audience, the message is less believable.

Step in UGC video from regular customers. This content is created unprovoked, without these customers being incentivised. These customers are sharing amazing content that features your products and services, motivated only by the genuine love for your brand.

This makes UGC video from regular customers much more effective than UGC from influencers.

This does not mean however, that brands should drop influencer marketing altogether. Instead brands should combine influencer marketing with UGC marketing, to yield the best results. 

How to get UGC video

Brands can collect video user-generated content using a UGC platform. This software as a service enables marketers to curate videos posted to Instagram and other social media channels, into one aggregated feed in the platform dashboard.

Collect UGC video from social media

A UGC platform enables marketers to curate social media videos using just hashtags or brand mentions. Such platforms leverage the power of social media APIs to do so.

If you are faced with the very nice problem of having hundreds or even thousands or videos in your dashboard, you can leverage AI and text rules to find the best bits.

Then comes the crucial part, getting consent from social media users to use their content. If you are planning to republish, repurpose or integrate UGC video into your marketing campaigns, you must seek the relevant permissions.

Collect first-party UGC video from direct upload

You can collect UGC directly from users, by providing customers a way to directly upload content to your brand. This is typically done using a landing page with a bespoke form that facilitates the upload of rich media.

UGC platforms such as Miappi, specialise in building this mechanic. With Miappi’s direct upload feature, customers can upload video UGC directly to a Miappi profile, so that the submissions can be viewed and moderated from within the Miappi dashboard. 

What is a UGC Video campaign?

A user-generated video campaign is when a brand will encourage the general public to create their own videos and either share them to social media, marked with a specific hashtag, or upload them directly to the brand themselves. Typically, brands will use a combination of organic and paid channels to promote the campaign destination. The landing page. 

Adding UGC video to a website

You can add UGC video to a website, using a UGC platform. The UGC platform will provide you with a simple line of code, that when added to your website, will embed a customisable UGC gallery.

The beauty of UGC platforms is that they allow you embed multiple galleries to multiple pages across a website. This is particularly useful, if you would like to display a specific collection of UGC  on a specific page, but display a different collection on another.

Contact us: Why not get in touch to discuss how Miappi could help you increase the reach of your social media? Miappi Ltd. Level 5 22 Upper Ground London SE1 9PD Tel. +44 (0) 203 6374360

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