User Generated Content (UGC) To Boost Your Email Marketing

It isn’t easy coming up with content to make a great email. What if you don’t have to work so hard? 

Word of mouth has always been one of the most powerful forms of marketing. It builds trust, and that’s why user-generated content contributes to successful, scalable, and sustainable email marketing that can foster meaningful connections with your subscribers.

Studies show that User-Generated Content (UGC) ads are more memorable than those with traditional brand content – the same goes for emails where customers find UGC more authentic than branded content.

Examples of User-Generated Content:

• Photos
• Product reviews/testimonials
• Service feedback
• Social Media Posts
• #Hashtags
• Comments

Other than getting your community involved, using UGC just makes marketing so easy!

With access to high MP cameras, most people can take great photos at home. People are more likely to take the best photos of themselves and their products if they know their images will be used in brand marketing.

However, this does not cost the company anything as most customers are willing to upload their photos or share their experiences for free or a small incentive like a discount. 

The Most Successful Ways of Including UGC in Emails

• Include Product Reviews or Testimonials

  This helps boost abandoned cart email sales where users go through a sense of “FOMO” and see the social proof as a driver for them to purchase the product.

• Share User-Generated Photos

  A photo in a transactional email can be an effective way to encourage excitement for a purchase. As they wait for their order, they will keep opening the email, which will keep the engagement high. You will receive a great return at no cost to your brand.

  In the fashion or accessories industry, it lets people see real humans, real bodies, and real lives. As a service industry, having an emotional attachment to what you provide is a huge selling point. The opportunities are endless, granted you know how to do it well.

• Encourage People to Share Experiences Through Brand #Hashtags

  Every brand seeks to build a community of loyal customers. By encouraging your customers to post their experiences using your products or services, you can build a strong community of fans and customers. With Instagram, Twitter, and Tiktok so popular, hashtag communities are a great way for people to share experiences, challenges, and satisfaction with others. Take it a step further by adding a challenge, and you’ve got a giant community waiting to participate and win. Way to go viral!

Best Practices for Including UGC

• Give Credit to OP
  

  Always give credit to the customer/author of the post or testimonial – and specify beforehand that their content will be shared across your marketing materials.

• Be Clear with Instructions

  Make the rules, deadlines, and prize outcomes extremely clear to avoid any confusion or unhappy participants.

• Outline Review Requirements

  Be precise with the requirements (word, images, style) and clearly state where these will be displayed. If it helps, feel free to provide examples of past reviews so that your readers have some inspirational help.

• Give your Users Prompts
  

  This works best for stories, e.g. “tell us a time when you used ____ and it helped you ____” – this can help create valuable testimonials that can be useful for other readers.

• Say Thank You!

  Always thank your customers for providing the content. Thank you emails that are drafted by the brand go a long way in building and maintaining that customer relationship.

• Replace Product Descriptions in Emails with User Testimonials

  Potential customers respond better to these types of words since they feel more authentic. Users’ opinions are more trustworthy than that of advertisers – potential customers want to know what other users think.

Step Up your E-Mail Marketing Game

Here are on top some great examples of businesses who are using User Generated Content – how and why they are successful.

Start with the points above and boost your business with User Generated Content in your email marketing. 

Still help needed? Check out our Plans & Pricing about E-Mail Marketing to get started!