Thinking of getting your own video? Check out our animated videos page for more information and video examples.

Attract

How To: User Generated Content & Video Marketing

Last updated 30th July 2024

In this article we’re going to take a look at how you can implement user generated content (or UGC) into your video marketing strategy.

Content is king, but it’s also a challenging and never-ending task to create new and fresh content. So, you might be relieved to find out that customers don’t always want to see content directly from you.

Statistic
9 out of 10 people say they trust what a customer says about a business more than what that business says about itself.

User generated content is an invaluable tool for increasing credibility and creating social proof for your product, brand or service.

So, let’s take a look at some different types of UGC…

1. Unboxing

Unboxing is a great video marketing strategy for companies marketing desirable products that are not just an every day purchase. The perfect candidates for unboxing videos are hot new tech products, gadgets, toys and games.

Here is a great example of an unboxing video:

Although the presenter of this video is only a little boy, he is actually a YouTube influencer with over 3 million followers! This unboxing video about the Lego Kwik-e-Mart creates anticipation in viewers that will definitely lead to increased exposure, and hopefully lead to increased sales.

Our Insight
To make unboxing part of your video marketing strategy, reach out to key influencers in your industry, such as YouTubers with a moderate to large following. Offer them a freebie and/or payment in exchange for an unboxing video about the product.

2. Contests & promotions

Contests and promotions are a great way to encourage users to generate content about your brand.

One effective example of this was the “Best Jobs in the World” campaign by Tourism Queensland. In an effort to draw more tourists to the Queensland Islands, the brand created a promotion for a six month caretaker job that paid $150,000 AUD.

For a chance to “win”, applicants were required to submit one minute videos explaining why they would be right for the job. Here’s one of the applicants:

And the winner:

The result?

The YouTube page received more than 34,000 applications that were viewed by more than 8.6 million people. The winner gave several hundred media interviews which promoted Queensland as a top tourist destination.

Our Insight
This is a technique that could work for any brand. Contests are an amazing way to get people excited about your brand and talking to their friends about it.

3. Consumer involvement

If there’s one thing that consumers will never get bored of it’s being made to feel like they are special. Consumer involvement is always a great way to not only stand out as a brand that cares about its customers, but also to get some awesome user generated content out there.

You might remember the worldwide hit that was the Share a Coke campaign. Coca Cola created limited edition bottles that featured over 1,000 names. This personalisation got consumers super-excited and more than 150 million personalised bottles sold over the course of the campaign! Here is a video featuring YouTube influencer, IISuperWomanII (aka. Lily Singh) that has received almost 100,000 views:

After a decade of declining revenues, the Share a Coke campaign created a 2% increase for the brand in the United States.

The power of UGC

User generated content is a great technique to include in your video marketing because it brings the viewpoint of consumers into your strategy. Not only that, people like to watch user generated content!

When a real person is talking about your product, and getting excited about it, this can create excitement in consumers watching the video. Unboxing videos are a great example of this…

When we watch people unboxing products and we can see their genuine excitement, the feeling is contagious. It also instils trust in potential customers, because the person describing a product in an unboxing video is unaffiliated with the brand that sells the product. In other words, they’re not trying to sell to people, they are simply sharing their experience and giving viewers a clear view of what they could potentially be buying.

Final thoughts

If you’re a content marketer, then you’ll know all too well how difficult it is to come up with fresh ideas again, and again, and again. The amazing thing about UGC is:

You don’t have to!

User generated content is a great way to effectively build your brand – especially when you’re running out of ideas for branded content or are simply short on time.

Published by
Samantha Ferguson

Recent Posts

How to Use Background Music For Videos (Tips, Websites, Examples)

Dive into background music for videos - including tips, websites, and examples - to see…

4 weeks ago

9 of the Best Startup Videos Ever! (2024)

Your startup video is your brand's introduction to the world. So it has to be…

1 month ago

24 Best Tourism & Travel Industry Videos (2024)

Video marketing is crucial for the travel and tourism industry. So let's take a look…

1 month ago

Ultimate Christmas Ads List 2024

We've put together the ultimate list of Christmas ads for 2024! So if you need…

2 months ago

No-Nonsense Social Media Video Specs (2024)

This no-nonsense guide covers detailed video specs for Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, X, Pinterest,…

2 months ago

How to Add Chapters to YouTube Videos in 2024

With long-form videos increasing in popularity, viewers need an easy way to navigate your content.…

2 months ago