Myths About User-Generated Content

There are some myths surrounding UGC that have been circulating since it spawned. We want to take some time to debunk these for you. Let’s take a look at some of the most common myths about UGC.

1.     It’s easy to curate and license: Finding specific content to fit a creative brief can be more difficult than it seems. If your agency or brand has ever tried it then you know how time-consuming it can be to find the right content AND  track down the owner of a particular piece of content. There are also specific legal requirements for clearance that are necessary to have the rights to use the content.

2.     It’s free: Sometimes social media campaigns can get free content yes. However, creators will not want to license their photos and videos for free when curating and licensing content. A lot of times these people make money through their content and social media channels. This is their livelihood that’s at stake so be prepared to pay a little something if not a lot depending on their following, etc. If they are willing to license their content for free it must be stipulated beforehand. Everything must also be in writing in legal documents.

3.     It’s only for social media campaigns: UGC has become mainstream now. It’s used in all things from social media marketing campaigns, hashtags, and photo books, to video advertisements.

4.     It doesn’t generate revenue: The ROI of UGC advertisements can be up to 4.5% higher in terms of conversion rates. One of the reasons for the high return on investment of UGC advertising is that it costs so much less than traditional forms of ads. Yes, you will have to pay for licensing and labor costs but it will still cut your ad spend by about 60%.

5.     It’s only for certain brands: UGC is for ALL brands and agencies. In any category, people will connect with real people that UGC offers. It fuels connections with authenticity. It humanizes brands.

6.     UGC is low quality: This one is an age-old myth. We hope that most of you realize that it’s no longer true in the age of smart phones. While UGC was once a low-quality “VHS and Beta Rape” type of vibe, it has morphed into something special. Everyone is now a creator who can develop striking videos and images.

Debunked! We hope this helps you understand the ins and outs of UGC a bit better from the inside someone who understands and knows the industry. These are some typical myths that come along with the job but we want to set the record straight.

How to be a Learn-It-All

No one likes a know it all, especially in a business setting. A fixed mindset can even be dangerous to an organization. Those with this type of mindset struggle to admit their weakness/mistakes and cannot handle when they’re pointed out. They tend to have a “my way or the highway” attitude. They believe that abilities are innate and fixed. The opposite of this is a growth mindset, where one thinks that anything can be achieved through effort. It’s finding out what you don’t know and being open to new ideas as well as admitting your faults in order to better yourself. They believe that intelligence, abilities and talents are learnable and improvable. They welcome a good challenge because they understand that it can teach them something. A growth mindset is important in order to become a distinguished and influential leader.

We understand that some may want to adopt this way of thinking but may not be sure where to start. We comprised a list of ways to develop a growth mindset. Growth mindset values learning despite the risks more than others thinking that we know what we’re doing. Here are our tips.

1.     Determine if you have a fixed mindset. If you already have a growth mindset then you just may need to improve on the thoughts that you already have. Listen to your inner dialogue to help you understand. For example, if you get some negative feedback on your work what does your inner voice say? Does it say, “That’s ok! I must need to learn more about this topic,” or does it say, “I must not be good at this!” if the answer was the first one then you probably have a growth mindset already. If your answer was the second then you may need to work on your inner voice to adjust it to a growth mindset. Try to embrace yourself without judgement when your inner voice speaks. Think about what you would say to a friend if they came to you with your situation. What would you say to them?

2.     Embrace your imperfections. Our imperfections are what make us each unique. This is also an important act of self-love. Don’t seek approval from others and learn to trust yourself. An honestly, who cares what other people think! Comparison is the thief of joy!

3.     Take risks despite fear. Fear is natural when learning something new. The difference between someone who has a fixed mindset and one that doesn’t is despite being afraid they choose to do it anyway. Consider the challenge as an opportunity to learn something new: a skill, something about yourself, etc.

4.     Be realistic. You’re not going to get everything right the first time and chances are if you’re learning something new failure will happen. That’s ok. Failure is a great teacher. Instead of thinking as failures as a weakness, think of it as a lack of understanding that can be improved. How can you understand something deeper? Now, try again.

5.     Look at examples. Look at your past examples of successful learning. Look at other peoples. What is something that you’re better at now that you weren’t in the past? How did it go from being difficult to easier? What did you do? Use others as examples. When was there a situation where you’ve seen someone else succeed against all odds? What did they do?

This list is by no means exhaustive but should be a starting point for if you’re trying to get started on improving your growth mindset. Continuous learning will not only better develop the growth mindset, it can shift your thinking to a more positive one. I always say that if you’re not good at something that just means you should be doing it more it. Chances are it’s something that you need to better develop. Challenging yourself in this way will teach you many things about who you are as you improve your “learn-it-all” mentality.

Two Truths & A Lie: UGC Myths

Not all UGC is good for your brand. True! There have been plenty of UGC campaigns gone awry and it would be naive to think that all UGC is good UGC. Found content seriously affects your customers’ trust and opinion of your brand through emotional connects. Also, true! People trust real people so if this goes sideways you could be looking at some serious consequences and fires to be put out. This is what we are here for, to get your brand quality, legally cleared content that reflects positively on your company and its mission. However, that being said, we thought we would go through some myths on UGC and clear them up for you.

1.     UGC is too risky to employ into my marketing & advertising strategy. Not so, and actually it is the opposite. It’s not risky if you let the pros take the reigns to properly source and clear your content like we do. It is a crucial component of your marketing & advertising strategies in our digital world today.

2.     If UGC has a negative impact on my brand, I should just ignore it and it will fade away eventually. This is never a good idea and is bad PR mitigation. You should always address issues that have a negative impact on your brand’s image. The sooner you tackle an issue the sooner it will get resolved before the damage is irreversible.

3.     UGC is lower in quality. False! We should all know by now that not all sourced content is created equal. With the rising age of technology, there are a number of smart phones that can capture quality video and photo nowadays. Although not produced, they’re enough when it comes to quality. Billions of videos are uploaded every day to social platforms so the possibilities are literally endless! Did you know that 90% of the worlds population has a smart phone with a camera on it? That’s over 7 billion creators!

4.     UGC cannot be controlled. Although it may seem like it can be difficult to control, sourced content can be easily controlled with creative briefs before sourcing. Agencies have deciding power of the content they receive from us initially and will have the final say in which pieces they want to clear to use for their projects/clients.

5.     UGC doesn’t work for all brands. Not so! UGC has a place in every brands marketing and advertising strategy. It’s cost effective, creates trust and humanizes your brand’s voice. The facts speak for themselves. It works!

So, there you have it. Two truths and some lies. Now you can see that not all UGC is created equal. Sourced content can seem tough for those trying to produce it on their own without a professional. It won’t take you long to realize that curation and clearing should be left to the pros. Doing so will prevent any negative impacts from using found content in your campaigns. Contact us today if you haven’t used us for your campaign and want to give it a try!