Let’s face it, it’s the ad industry. This happens often and it’s somewhat of a norm in our field. It was interesting to me, as I come from a production background in T.V., how similar the two industries are in this way. It’s extremely important to be able to shift and be flexible when working on creative projects. Projects are naturally dynamic. Although the chances are low, things may go wrong somewhere. It is the nature of the beast. So, how does one cope with this style of creative project management in advertising? Here are some things we’ve learned over the years.
Using Good Storytelling in Content Creation
The art of storytelling goes back far back into human history with petroglyphs almost 12 thousand years ago. It’s hard to believe that we’ve been telling stories for that long. Humans are drawn to a good story. We continue to be fascinated by books, movies, shows, and even hatting in our living rooms to catch up with friends. Compelling content is based on great storytelling. As content creators, you want to hook your audience in and make them want to hear what comes next. T
Get Your Content Licensed: A Guide for Content Creators
We deal with a lot of content creators and influencers on the daily. Some of them are very organized, and others, not-so-much. Their mistakes have led to good content that went to waste. If you are a content creator or influencer it’s important to understand a few things to remain successful when dealing with agencies like us. Here is our list of do’s and don’ts to get your content licensed so you can make money.
Difference Between UGC & CGC
There’s a new term out there and it’s called CGC. If you have been with us for a while, you know what UGC is. If not, it can be defined as any piece of organic content created by a user. Hence, the name is user-generated content. So then, what is CGC? It is similar to UGC except that the people creating the content are professionals and it is typically co-produced with the brand. Let’s be clear here. These are not influencers. These are creators and they add value to a brand’s particular niche. Usually, they hire the creators to create content for them but the creators themselves do not post that content on their pages. This allows for more control from the brand.
Using UGC for Social Proof
Building the credibility of your brand can be as simple as harnessing user-generated content in the way of reviews, shoppable content, galleries, etc. When your current audience already positively advocates for you on public social media spaces, it fuels growth. We’ve done great campaigns that utilize social proof user-generated content in their advertisements, such as IT Cosmetics and Marshalls. Most of these videos were videos of people either using the product, conducting real-time shopping, unboxing, product review, and/or generally flaunting their purchases. When the audience sees the average-day person vouch for a product or service, it’s more relatable to themselves. They’re more likely to trust the opinion of someone who seems genuine, invested, and honest.
How to Build Lasting Content Creator Relationships
“93% of marketing professionals use influencer marketing to increase brand awareness, build trust, reach their target audience, drive conversions, and connect to a wider market” (Influencer Marketing Hub). We know we work with content creators every day as well as influencers. Brands using real people to get their name out there to the right audience are really on to something. We may be biased since we know the power of UGC ad campaigns firsthand, but we want to chat a little about the importance of creating a relationship with creators that will last a long time.
Top Brands That Leverage UGC Advertising
“85% of the users are found to be more influenced by the UGC than the content made by the brands directly.” We’ve had the pleasure of working with some of these brands on more than one occasion. Here is a list of brands that have experienced the positives effects of UGC advertisements with great spots!
Supporting Content Creators
“44% of content creators say their creator business is their family’s primary source of income,” according to The Tilt, but only “12% of those full-time creators make more than $50K in annual income” (Linktree). If you do the math here that’s not a whole lot of rich and famous for these people. Well, maybe a little bit of famous, minus the rich. Depending on where you live, $50,000 isn’t a whole lot for one person to make annually, especially if they have families to support.
Expanding Creativity Through UGC
Advertising is creativity at its core. Those who think otherwise probably shouldn’t be in this business. Think about it, ads are a creation of creativity that extract an emotional response from the viewers. It’s that emotional response that makes UGC ads stand out from the rest. Their authenticity has the power to provoke stronger emotional connections to the content that real people made that is now being shown in the ad. We are here to argue that using UGC in your campaigns can actually increase your creative power.
Common Mistakes to Avoid in the UGC Space
UGC found content is a very effective way to market your brand. It helps create an emotional connection, reduce marketing spend, engage your audience and make your brand stand out from the rest. However, it’s important to know what good practices are when creating a UGC found content campaign. Here are some common pitfalls to avoid and why you should steer clear of them in order to have a successful campaign launch.
UGC for News
Imagine that you are having your morning coffee and you flip on the local news channel. You see a story about a local fire and it cuts to a phone shot video of an eye witness account. This is a user-generated content video of a first-hand account of the event taking place in real time. When we typically think of found content, we think of advertising since that’s the space we work in. However, there are many benefits to UGC usage in the newscasting world. There is value to being able to source and clear eyewitness content.
Disconnection Crisis: How to Solve with UGC
In an ever-connected world, how is it that brands are more disconnected than ever with their audience? According to Forbes, “only 13% of consumers said that content from a brand is impactful and a mere 8% said influencer-created content would highly impact their purchasing decisions.” So, what’s going on that despite all these digital spaces to meet customers where they are at, brands still can’t connect with their audiences? Well, let’s start with the obvious. The pandemic changed everything. The way we work is no longer a 9-5 in an office and probably won't ever be again. According to HubSpot, “40% o
Found Content is the New Word of Mouth
Word of mouth marketing is the oldest advertising strategy out there. Although times may have changed greatly to that of a digital age, one thing is for sure, WOM is still the most common way that people find a brand. 92% of consumers trust recommendations from friends and WOM marketing influences 99% of B2B purchases. Those numbers are truly staggering. In our digital world, WOM is no longer restricted its literal meaning. It now extends into the online space and is just as important, if not more, on social media. This is the new word of mouth. Instead of telling one or a few people, you can tell thousands if not millions. It will spread through the grape vine quickly.
Types of UGC
While our company deals a lot with still and video content, there are many types of user generated content out there. UGC or UCC can be defined as any form of content created by a user that is organic, original and published somewhere online. It comes in many forms and it can come from anyone: customers, loyalists, employees, creators and/or just regular people with a social media account. Here are the types of UGC out there:
Case Study
We love our business and we’d like to think that we are the absolute best in our field. But don’t take our word for it. Here is a client questionnaire review from a previous content creator that we worked with, Jennifer.
1. How did you hear of the brand?
I was contacted by someone with an opportunity to work with Locomotive.
Two Truths & A Lie: UGC Myths
Not all UGC is good for your brand. True! There have been plenty of UGC campaign 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.
Increasing Creative Control Through Found Content
Creative Control: the power to exercise the final authority over the planning and execution of an artistic medium, such as a film, commercial, a song, etc. We often think of produced shoots as having complete, immense creative control from the production and directing teams from start to finish of a campaign or project. However, here at Locomotive, we believe that when using found content in marketing and advertising campaigns, it in fact gives the team more creative control than that of a produced shoot. Not to mention it saves time, money and the environment.
History of User Generated Content
Did you know that the first massive user generated content composition was the Oxford English Dictionary? Yep, that’s right! It was composed solely of contributions aggregate by the public in 1857. To look back throughout the history of UGC in the media however, one would have to go all the way back to 1840 with the first U.S. patent for photography. Because if you think about it, this was when the rise of photography and film began. You can’t have user generated content without users having access to cameras and although, it won’t become publicly available until much later this was the when the birth of UGC would be.
Found Content: Recession Proofing Costs
Americans feel terribly about the state of the economy right now. We can’t say we disagree. Just this week we wrote an article on holiday consumer spending trends during times of financial distress this season. Advertising agencies and brands are not immune to the economic hardships that we are all currently facing. Everyone is navigating budget cuts for advertising spend. This is yet another reason how found content in your marketing and advertising strategies can help recession proof your brand’s budget this year. The cost effectiveness of UGC makes for a good plan to combat these budget cuts and rising cost of production.
Explanation of Terms in the UGC Space
UGC. User generated content. Sourced content. Found content. What do all these terms mean? People get confused by what it is and how they are different. We thought we’d clarify a few things for you. They’re not different. All of these terms are literally synonymous with one another! They all mean the exact same thing. It’s anything on the internet.
