Content is king. Even more so where competition is intense. Brands and businesses invest time to make branded content that resonates with their target audience and their brand. They create paid ad campaigns that drive revenue and acquire new customers.
But the question lately has been: traditional content or UGC content: which one is best for your brand? The best thing about this is that you don’t necessarily have to choose between the two. You just have to figure out which one would work best for your brand or business.
Let’s have a look at both content types, their pros and cons, and how they compare.
What is Understanding User-Generated Content (UGC)?
UGC is any content that’s created by someone other than brands. It’s created on their behalf by UGC creator UK, customers or users, and influencers. UGC content has become an important part of many marketing and branding strategies because it has such a massive impact on purchasing decisions when done right.
UGC content can be many different things, but it’s mostly different video types and photos that brands use in their paid ad campaigns, and also as a part of their organic marketing strategy:
- Unboxing videos
- Testimonial and review videos
- How-to videos
- Social Media posts (Stories, reels, etc.)
Benefits
- Authentic and Relatable content that increases trust and engagement
- Builds trust and increases conversions by influencing purchasing decisions
- Cost-Effective
- Strengthens brand loyalty and community
Cons
- Less professional in appearance when compared to professional studio settings from branded content
To be fair, this con isn’t necessarily a drawback. It’s one of the main reasons this type of content works so well in paid advertising. It’s raw, user-made content that doesn’t come across as ads, which is why it pulls higher engagement and better conversions.
What is Traditional Content?
Traditional content is a type of content that’s created by a brand. It’s a type of content you’re already very familiar with. It’s based on research from an in-house marketing team, combining a mixture of text (blog posts and articles), photos and videos, infographics, e-books, reports, guides, and more.
Benefits
- Brands control the tone, style, and accuracy, to make sure it all aligns with marketing strategies; it looks more professional and polished
- Maintains a cohesive brand voice and image across all channels
Cons
- High-quality content is expensive and time-consuming, requiring professional resources
- Lacks genuity and authenticity, it’s less personal
- Requires a dedicated team or outsourcing, which can be challenging in terms of money
Which one should you choose?
The catch is that you shouldn’t have to choose between the two. These are two completely different types of content and your business can benefit from both.
That’s how you can get a solid content strategy that will not only strengthen your brand further but also build a strong community of loyal customers.
Here’s how you can combine the two:
Publish a blog post (written by your team) on your website about a new product. Then, run pad campaigns with videos from UGC creators, explaining how to use the product, unboxing, and video testimonials.
Post branded photos and videos of your products on your social media and user-generated content: customer reviews, photos, and unboxing videos.
Apart from using material from UGC creators, you can also run contests and giveaways on your social media channels, to expand your reach and interact with your customers.
Conclusion
As you can see from the list above, both content types come with pros and cons.
Traditional content is professional and controlled but resource-heavy and less relatable. But you need quality photos of your products to showcase your brand, as well as well-built branding. On the other hand, UGC is authentic and cost-effective and can help you elevate your brand to a different level when used correctly.
Combining both can leverage their strengths, boosting engagement, trust, and versatility. The choice should depend on business needs, goals, and audience preferences. Assessing these factors helps brands create an effective content strategy.
