Have you been hearing a lot about UGC?
Are you wondering what the heck UGC even IS?
. . . and how you can use it to boost your handmade sales?
The good news is that UGC has a HUGE amount of potential for your handmade shop — so let’s take a look at how you can use it to boost your sales!
So, ready? Let’s dive in.
So before we get started, let’s take a minute to talk about what UGC is.
User-generated content, or UGC for short, is any content that has been created, published, or submitted by users of a brand.
So basically anything that’s not created by you or your brand, but by other people that are actually using your product. It could be a customer that’s posting a picture of your product on their social media because they’ve bought it and they love it, it could be a review, anything like that.
In the past it was mostly reviews and posts that were coming from actual customers – they would post something about the product that they bought and say “hey, I purchased this and it’s so cute!” or perhaps they would post a picture of the unboxing in their review – so basically just reviews and social proof were what made up a company’s user generated content.
But now, UGC has risen to a whole new level. It’s not just free publicity that a brand gets from unpaid customer reviews and posts.
People are becoming “UGC Creators,” so they actually are paid to create content to share in the form of images, videos, social media posts, reviews, or testimonials.
I’ll be sharing some examples of UGC and show you where to find plenty to inspire you so if you’re still a bit unsure what a UGC post might look like — so keep reading!
This is something that has exploded in the e-commerce world, but I’m not seeing a lot of handmade sellers use it — and I want that to change because I think there’s a HUGE potential there for you guys to use UCG as well.
[free] handmade shop traffic guide
ARE YOU TIRED OF HEARING CRICKETS? TO MAKE SALES, YOU NEED PEOPLE TO VISIT YOUR SHOP, LET’S MAKE IT HAPPEN WITH THIS FREE TRAFFIC GUIDE.
If you’re thinking… but isn’t that what influencers do? Good question. No, it’s different.
See influencers have an audience and you as the brand want to work with them so they talk about your products to their audience and following.
UGC creators do not have an audience or following and don’t need to because they’re not the ones posting the content, they are just creating it – then sending it back to you, the brand, so YOU can post it on your accounts either as an organic post or as a paid ad.
This content will look very genuine because it’s not branded content, the brand isn’t creating it – the UGC creators are. And so it looks a bit more off-the-cuff.
I am sure you’ve seen those videos on social media where someone is saying : ”So I’ve just received this beautiful mascara and my eyelashes look absolutely GLORRRRRRIOUS! I have very thin eyelashes usually but I’ve been using this for a month now and WOW look at those lashes.”
We used to see UGC content like this used mostly for beauty and cosmetics, but now we’re seeing it for all types of products, and they’re proving to be amazingly effective!
So now that we’re clear on what paid UGC is, let’s talk about how you can find UGC creators, and how you can use UGC for your handmade products.
Next, let’s quickly run through how UGC can boost your brand and your sales.
My first point is huge, and that is that UGC builds authenticity and trust with potential customers. People trust real people more than they trust branded advertisements, so when your socials features UGC, it shows customers how real people are using your products in real-world settings.
UGC is hot at the moment (short format video is HUGE) – people like it and they engage with it – so it’s really helping ecommerce businesses sell online.
This is yet another reason that you will want to start creating it and using it to increase sales for your handmade shop.
According to Gartner Research, a huge 84% of millennials and 60% of baby boomers say UGC influences their purchasing decisions!
When you build trust and get better engagement — guess what? You will start to see higher conversion, more revenue per visitor, and the resulting higher sales for your shop!
So by now you may be thinking “This whole user generated content thing is GENIUS – but how can I find paid UGC creators to market my products?”
It’s much easier than you might think! Just literally go to Google and type in something like “UGC creators”, and you will find platforms that put you in touch with UGC creators that are ready to receive your products, your brief, and to create content for you.
When you use these platforms, your goal is to partner with creators and have them create authentic and organic content that aligns with your brand values and resonates with your target audience.
So let’s look at Billo, for example. Now just so you know I’m not recommending this website over any others, I haven’t used this website myself but this is just one example of all the many platforms that exist that can put you in touch with UGC creators.
The reason I want you to go and start browsing this website is to start getting an even better understanding of what UGC can be and look like and do for your business.
Have a look at different ways to use UGC; you can see that this is something that’s being used now in many, many different niches and industries. You can give a brief for something to be posted on your Tik Tok or Facebook or on YouTube or whatever your platform is — take a look at some examples and use cases to get an idea of how it can work for you.
So here I’m looking at videos.
On the right this is someone that’s received some dog accessories, but you could have a similar video with your handmade products.
UGC creators record videos just like this for your products then send them back to you so that you can use this type of content on your channel.
So I encourage you to go and start browsing these kinds of platforms just to really get an idea of all the different kinds of videos and things that you could request and then post on your social media accounts or even use as ads — because UGC is really, really good for ad content and to use as essentially sponsored posts on social media after that.
You can also see in this pet example that another option is video ads, you could pay for content that looks more like a testimonial:
Another use would be to give a brief for someone to do an unboxing video for you to showcase your products as they open and unpack a gift box.
Literally, there’s no limit to what you can ask EGC creators to do and send back to you.
So once you have an idea of the type of content that you want and that content comes back to you from the creator, you can use that content in SO many ways.
You can use it on social media, both organic and paid. You’ve got Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok — there’s a whole range of platforms you can use to showcase your UGC.
What’s really important here is to choose the platform where your customers hang out, and focus on that platform to use your UGC to build a stronger connection with your followers.
User-generated content can also give your advertising campaigns a major boost. By using real people and real experiences, you can create ads that feel more authentic and relatable to your potential customers.
Testimonial ads can be especially effective, whether they appear on social media, on your website, or your product page.
You can also use UGC to add shoppable lifestyle images from customers to your website. This not only makes your site more visually appealing, but it can also increase the time people spend on your site, the conversion rate, and the average order value – so a win-win here!
Taking this one step further, incorporating user-generated content onto your product pages is a very smart move – according to Digital Think Tank L2 it can improve conversions by up to 64%! Plus, customers can see real-life examples of how your products look or fit, which can help reduce return rates.
You can also use your UGC in your email marketing.
When you add user-generated content to your emails, you make them more engaging and trustworthy, which can increase click-through rates and drive more revenue per email.
By following each of these steps you’ll be on your way to creating and collecting UGC for your brand — don’t be afraid to get creative and have fun with it! Let your customers show off your brand, bring a new twist to your content, and new customers to your shop!
Now in addition to UGC you may be considering paid ads — and I have an article all about if you should use paid ads for your handmade business – so be sure to read that as well!
Thanks for reading, and until next time, aurevoir!
you might also like…
If you want to be found in search results on Etsy, you need to optimize your product listing for SEO. And if you want to
There has been a lot of talk in the Etsy community — and I mean A LOT of talk — about Etsy’s payment account reserve
Anyone who knows me knows that I am a HUGE advocate for using email marketing to grow and scale your handmade business. But you may
Sign up below and get instant access to a collection of FREE practical guides, workbooks, and checklists that will help you start, grow and profit from your handmade shop. (without pulling your hair out!).
4-step Maker’s Roadmap System
Library of In-Depth Courses and Training
Live Monthly Coaching Sessions
A Supportive Online Community
close
We hate spam too. Unsubscribe at any time.
close
We hate spam too. Unsubscribe at any time.
close
We hate spam too. Unsubscribe at any time.
[Free] handmade shop traffic guide
