Writer : Rashmi Singh
Every time users like or dislike a piece of content, they express their opinions about it. The platform for such expression could be social media, online forums, official apps, etc. The best part here is – digital publishers can benefit by adopting this user-generate content or UGC in their digital marketing strategy.
With increasing competition in the digital publication space, it has become more crucial than ever to experiment with digital marketing strategies. Getting more and more people to talk about you and leverage that UGC can be an effective digital strategy. But it comes with both pros and cons. Read on:
The list of pros of user-generated content is long. Down below are the three most important benefits of user-generated content for digital publishers:
Adds Credibility to Your Name
There was a time when endorsements by celebrities could bring credibility to a company’s name. But that has changed now. Today, people trust other people who come from the same social and economic backgrounds more than celebrities.
User-generated content that talks positively about your company’s work adds credibility to your name. Other users can sense that the comment or review is not paid so they are more likely to visit your website or app to see your work than in a case in which a celebrity endorses your content.
Brings Freshness to Your Marketing Strategy
In-house writers, graphic designers, social media managers, and marketers do their best to churn out fresh and creative ideas. But there is a limit to how much freshness they can bring to the table. But when thousands, even hundreds of thousands of people are talking about your company’s work, it is inevitable that they will bring freshness with them.
If the in-house team does not want to use the user-generated as it is, they can at least get inspired from it. In fact, the smartest publishing companies use user-generated content not just for marketing strategy but also to come up with new story ideas.
Brings New Traffic
The most immediate benefit of UGC is new traffic to your website or app. The internet is famous for sucking people down into its rabbit holes. When people on social media or other digital platforms hear a new name, they like to know more about it. This way, when your loyal readers or consumers talk about you on digital platforms, they are essentially bringing in new traffic to your website.
UGC can be quite effective if it is rightly incorporated into digital strategy. That being said, it is not a perfect tool and comes with a few potential disadvantages. Down below is a list of a few potential cons of user-generated content:
Not Everything Is In Your Hand
The credibility of your brand as a digital publisher gets boosted if a lot of people leave positive reviews. But the reverse might also happen. In fact, it is inevitable that a considerable amount of UGC will be negative. Your best hope is that the quantity of positive UGC is way more than negative UGC.
Though negative user-generated content lowers your credibility, it can become the right tool to learn what your readers and consumers like or dislike.
Needs Close Monitoring
As often seen on the internet, some bad elements can spoil the whole environment. That is exactly why forums, the comment section on the website, and the comment section of social media accounts needs moderation. This becomes even more important if you are creating content around topics like politics, religion, celebrities, etc.
Generally, it is seen that social media managers can moderate user-generated content. But if you have a large readership and the flywheel of UGC gets in motion, you might need to hire full-time content moderators to closely monitor the user-generated content.
User-generated content has more advantages than disadvantages. It can boost your credibility, improve SEO, and bring in new traffic. To incorporate it properly to your digital strategy, all you need is a plan and the right tools.
Quintype has built an audience engagement solution called Metype that will help you leverage user-generated content. Its AI helps you moderate comments effortlessly while the easy UX facilitates meaningful conversations. Click here to know more about Metype.