By Drew Giovannoli, Director of Product Marketing at Bazaarvoice.
You can’t think of Tito’s Vodka without also thinking of man’s best friend. Why? Because Tito’s is the “vodka for dog people.”
After the launch of its branded dog, bandanas, and chew toys, Tito’s invited customers to share pics of their dogs and puppies alongside homemade cocktails as part of its user-generated content (UGC) marketing campaign. It was a brilliant marketing psychology move.
The canine-centric campaign effectively tapped into people’s emotional connection with their pets and exploited psychological principles like shared identity. But the real component behind the brand’s success is its expert use of user-generated content.
If your brand is looking to transform its social media presence in 2021, creating a strategy centred around user-generated content will transform your audience’s engagement with your brand.
User-generated content (UGC) marketing increases customer loyalty, engagement, and sales. Eighty-five percent of people find user-generated content to be more influential than brand content, and nearly half of the top-performing marketing leaders rely on it.
Tito's vodka - vodka for dog people
But what’s less understood is the “why” behind it. Why is UGC so effective? And what motivates consumers to create it and share it?
Understanding the psychology behind UGC will not only help your brand employ this type of content more successfully, just like Tito’s. It’ll also provide key insights into your audience and help you inspire customers to create UGC and share it more often.
Authenticity and Trust
Firstly, user-generated content showcases how actual people use products in real-world settings. This creates authenticity for brands and allows them to promote products without being overly salesy. Authenticity means a lot to consumers. Eighty-four percent of millennials say user-generated content influences their purchasing decisions. And nearly half of Gen Zers cite social media as their chief source of inspiration — even above family and friends.
We support the brands that reflect who we are or who we want to be, and social media users create user-generated content about brands they identify with, support, or aspire to be like. When your brand creates content, consider whether it’s something that fits not only with your brand image but also your audience’s interests.
Encourages Sharing
Secondly, users share content to make and maintain connections. If you’ve texted a product page to a co-worker, shared a recipe with a family member, created a TikTok video, forwarded a newsletter, or tagged a friend in an Instagram post, you’ve made a connection. In fact, 78% of people say they share content to stay in touch.
Brands often invite their followers to connect with others by using calls to action in their posts. For example, “Share this recipe with the best cook you know” encourages people to do just that. Brands can tap into this by considering how their content can be used to foster connections among users.
Drew Giovannoli, Director of Product Marketing at Bazaarvoice
Builds Loyalty
And finally, user-generated content turns customers into advocates with user-generated content marketing. At the core of user-generated content marketing’s success is the fact that it utilizes elements of marketing psychology and enables brands to connect with customers instead of merely sell to them.
Just look at Tito’s. It’s now the “vodka for dog people” because the brand was able to successfully form a connection with its customers by tapping into their love for their canine companions and sharing their dog-centric content humanizing the brand creating an authentic connection. Studies show that user-created photos, videos, reviews, and other content are perceived as more trustworthy and relatable by consumers, which is why they drive sales.
This humanizes the brand, which is important, according to 48% of marketing professionals. And studies show that user-created photos, videos, reviews, and other content are perceived as more trustworthy and relatable by consumers, which is why they drive sales.
So instead of focusing your efforts on creating brand content, look to what your customers are posting and empower them to market your brand for you.
