User-generated content (UGC) has long been a powerful tool for B2C brands.
Firstly, what is UGC? It is content related to a brand, created and posted by users and customers rather than brands, celebrities, or influencers. It creates an authentic online buzz, and this type of social media content has made it a massive force in marketing and communication.
UGC has captured social media like wildfire. It is about eight times more powerful than influencer content. Most millennials do not engage in traditional brand ads anymore, opting for the trustworthy content they see from actual users.
When businesses collaborate effectively with users, they can generate valuable content. Nailing B2B UGC collaborations requires a thoughtful approach, one that balances authenticity with strategic execution.
Here are seven secrets to mastering UGC collaborations for your B2B business.
1. Identify the Right Collaborators
Unlike in B2C, where you might work with everyday customers or influencers, in B2B it’s essential to collaborate with professionals or businesses whose values align with your own.
The collaborator must have a credible voice within your niche. For instance, a router company looking to highlight the benefits of their product might collaborate with the IT head. This person can speak about the specific business challenges their product solves.
2. Setting Clear Goals
Before diving into a UGC collaboration, it’s a good idea to set clear objectives. What is the primary goal? Is it more engagement or simply brand awareness? It could be just to educate your audience on a new solution they can experiment with for free.
For example, a cybersecurity company could use a UGC platform to showcase how a client has implemented their IT solution. The focus could be on how it prevented data breaches, creating a real-world success story.
The impact is different as this is not done using actors and fake situations but with authenticity and facts.
3. Making Participation Easy and Enjoyable for Collaborators
Effective UGC collaborations happen when collaborators feel no friction. It is challenging to create compelling content, and providing the right guidelines and templates helps ease the work.
The collaborators can be offered incentives, and their contributions can be featured on your social media page, giving credit to their work.
For example, a software company can invite a client to speak at a virtual conference, showcasing a real-world success story. It offers value to the collaborator, and also enhances the credibility of the content that is produced.
4. Focus on Authenticity, not Perfection
User-generated content works because it is genuine. It doesn’t need to be polished and picture-perfect. It may not resonate with the audience if it is over-produced and flawless.
Perfectly staged photo-ops can be left to the celebrity influencers. Potential B2B clients want to see how your solution has been used in a real-life scenario.
5. Doing More with Less
One of the top B2B trends this year is content creation. The B2B marketing teams of over 56 percent of organizations report increased spending for content. While marketing budgets are typically spent on TV ads, billboards, and influencer content, they can be used smartly in UGC.
As brkfst.io advises, B2B marketers can collaborate with brands to roll out authentic and captivating video ads with real users. This can produce better results with the spending budget and make paid advertising feel genuine.
6. Make Use of Multiple Channels
Maximize the impact of UGC by distributing the content across various channels like website blogs, social media handles, and email marketing.
Case studies, testimonials, and other user-generated client content can be repurposed to fit the various platforms and help it gain organic traction. For example, you can turn a client testimonial from your website into a LinkedIn Carousel.
Another good example is creating a podcast episode with one of the clients, in which you are provided valuable feedback. This episode can then be uploaded to podcast platforms, along with YouTube, for maximum impact.
7. Track and Measure Success
Using engagement metrics, lead generation, and conversion rates, track the performance of the UGC collaboration. Keeping an eye on the numbers can provide real-time feedback on what is working and what needs improvement.
For B2B businesses, this means tracking how many new leads are getting generated from a specific UGC campaign or if there is a spike in the web traffic after a case study is published.
UGC incorporation into your B2B strategy can be a potent way to unlock trust and credibility for your business when done right. It also provides more value for the marketing budget and provides new ways to engage with your B2B customers.
