Perhaps one of the most important aspects of digital marketing, specifically social media marketing, is the use and benefits of user-generated content (UGC).
User-generated content is pictures, text, video, basically, anything that has been created by a social media user and uploaded to a social media platform.
Consumers are going to create content regardless of if brands want them to or not, which is why social listening is important. However, if companies make the effort to harness the power of UGC, it can become a great marketing tool.
Benefits of User-Generated Content
・Boosts Social Media Reach and Growth (AKA More Traffic = More Conversions)
・Gain Audience Insights
・Get SEO Perks
・Find Unique Content
Users give a different perspective than a typical marketing team. It’s insight and perspective into how your brand’s consumers think and interact with products.
・Increase Credibility
Think about when you engage with social media. Which carries more weight, an ad from a company or a post from someone you actually know? Without a doubt it’s #2. That’s why USG is so powerful. Both good or bad, something a user posts will have more impact so it is best to encourage users to create positive content.
・Take Advantage of Content Curation
(Read more at ‘6 Key Benefits of User-Generated Content’)
When expanding in Asia, yes, it’s important to understand general social media marketing strategies. However, it’s even more important to understand how they play out in the APAC markets.
Examples in Asia
IKEA Japan ran a campaign in an attempt to gain more followers by giving gift cards to applicants who follow the company’s Instagram account and tagged them post a photo of their balcony with the tag #バルコニスト (#balconist). And IKEA considered the campaign as a success, considering the 11,320 posts using their hashtag.
Kagome, a food maker in Japan, is famous for its successful use of UGC as material for Facebook ads. They use native ads that are designed to display ads between regular posts. Since UGC is easy to adapt to feeds as content, the click rate tends to be higher than that of non-UGC content, and as a result the click rate cost tends to decrease. Aside from the technical side of things, UGC content is more relatable to consumers and has less of an “ad or salesy feeling” which means that social media users are more likely to actually spend a moment to process what they are seeing instead of scrolling past.
(Read more here.)
Moleculogy, a beauty brand in Thailand, has no physical shop or retailers, and doesn’t run any high level marketing campaigns. Despite this, they are thriving on social media and in sales. Why? Because they encourage and engage with UGC. They repost content created by their fans and strive to respond to the posts that use their hashtags. This creates a door to communication with buyers.
Want to add UGC to your Asia marketing strategy?
If you are creating a social media marketing strategy for Japan or the other Asian markets, let us help you find your key consumer audience on social media platforms, help you create a UGC campaign to drive results during your brand expansion. At Mondo Marketing, we have the experience, in-depth knowledge of the Asian Pacific and e-commerce in this region, and a team of native content writers on hand ready to assist your brand.