Without enough UGC, you'll never have an active, engaged community. And you won't have coverage for all the topics, features, and use cases that matter to your prospects.
If the content you do have isn't good, though, the amount of it won't make a difference.
In truth, you need both. A solid UGC strategy balances high-quality content with a steady stream of contributions.
In today's article, I'll walk you through how to strike that balance.
What is user-generated content?
User-generated content (UGC) is any type of content created by your customers for your brand. In the B2B space, it includes:
- Reviews
- Video/written testimonials
- Social media posts
- Podcasts
- Collaborative webinars
- Forums and discussion boards
- Videos and images shared on social media or other platforms
Anything a customer creates and shares that references your brand counts as user-generated content.
UGC is social proof. You'll use it in your web content, email campaigns, and social media collateral to show prospects the value your product or service delivers. You can even integrate it into your sales cycle by sharing reviews and testimonials with leads to help them make a buying decision.
What is "quality" UGC?
In a B2B context, high-quality customer-generated content meets three criteria:
- It's relevant to your specific ICP or stage in the buyer's journey.
- It highlights a specific benefit or aspect of your product/service you want to emphasize.
- It's authentic.
As an example, if you're trying to win over healthcare companies, reviews from retail businesses won't carry much weight. And if your sales rep wants to win over a technical buyer, a case study about your product's ROI (that says nothing about integration or security) won't be a good fit.
The content you do share with customers doesn't have to be polished marketing copy. But it should be coherent and easy to understand.
And it should explicitly showcase the value of your offering through feature mentions, statistics, and tangible benefits (e.g., "Since using Product X, we've seen a 25% increase in production efficiency").
Content volume matters, too.
92% of B2B buyers say they're more likely to make a purchase decision after reading a trusted review. But G2 found that almost two-thirds of them want to see 11-50 reviews before they feel confident.
This is just one simple example of how higher volumes of user-generated content do a better job of nurturing leads through the sales funnel.
But reviews are just one type of UGC. For every deal, you're working with...
- One of your multiple ICPs
- Dozens of sales and marketing touchpoints
- 5+ decision-makers (with different interests and concerns)
- Long sales cycles with multiple phases
You need different types of UGC to support these touchpoints (and personalize them).
One case study won't relate to 10 different prospects. So, without enough content, you simply won't have adequate coverage.
It's also worth mentioning that the bigger your existing UGC repository, the more confident new customers will be about adding to it. When they see lots of other people contributing, it'll feel more like a community than a one-off gesture.
So, what's the solution?
As is true with any kind of marketing, thinking only in terms of "quantity" is quite limiting. Instead of asking yourself, "Are we garnering enough user-generated content?" ask, "What are we getting out of the content we are creating?"
Think about:
- Who you're targeting (your ICPs)
- Your sales cycle and funnel
- Common pain points, objections, and FAQs that arise during the sales process
- What else you can get out of content (e.g., feedback that helps your product roadmap)
Then, get creative. You can maximize the amount and quality of UGC you have by:
- Creating customer-specific templates
- Asking for video testimonials in addition to written ones
- Building an incentive-based referral program
- Hosting webinars and Q&A sessions with customers
- Adding real value to your users in exchange for participation (a financial incentive system)
While you need quality, you can't afford to move slowly. Good news is, you don't have to — spending weeks on finding the “right” customer, interviewing, hiring copywriters and editors, etc., is a waste of time.
A platform like Deeto makes sourcing and managing UGC easy and cost-effective. Customers onboard themselves, choose their contribution preferences, and create content in minutes. Deeto's generative AI turns their feedback into usable case studies and dynamic web content. And smart-matching functionality connects your reps with relevant content for each sales conversation.
Request a demo to see how it can activate your customers, increase UGC volume and quality, and help you win more business.
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