User Generated Content in a B2B space

As social media becomes a bigger place for brands to advertise and gain exposure, User Generated Content, also known as UGC, is becoming increasingly more popular and essential for marketing and brand success. Many UGC campaigns feature a competition or challenge to gain participation quickly and to increase the exposure of a brand.

What comes to mind when you hear the phrase user-generated content? It could be a number of things. One of the most widely known campaigns that were completely driven by user-generated content was Coca-Cola’s Share a Coke campaign in 2012.

In this campaign, Coca-Cola rolled out Coke bottles all over the US with different names printed on them, essentially creating a call to action for consumers to go find a bottle with their name on it. People then spent hours searching for their names, and most people who found one posted a picture with it using the hashtag #ShareACoke.

We know this campaign was a huge success because over 150 million bottles of Coke were sold, over 650,000 pictures were posted, and there were over 1 billion impressions for posts with the #ShareACoke hashtag. However, you do not need to be one of the biggest companies in the world to see success using user-generated content.

There are a lot of different ways to receive and utilize user-generated content to your advantage that most people do not think about, especially in a B2B space. Using this content in a B2B market is extremely beneficial for your business because it allows other businesses to know they can trust you.

Some of the most common forms of user-generated content in a B2B space are testimonials from clients and people you have worked with. This can be written, in video form, pictures, or documents on your website and in your marketing campaigns. A recent study found that 92% of consumers trust recommendations from peers above all other forms of advertising, and are more likely to go with a business or product that comes with high praise.

It is also wise to use your employees and the culture in your office to your advantage. Let employees post real ideas and stories they have when it comes to your business and how they feel when working at your company! The more authentic you seem; the more people will want to work with you.

User-generated content is not a new idea, but it is trending for a reason. B2B spaces can really benefit from using this type of marketing, and retrieving the information is not as difficult as one may think.