Exploring the Power of User-Generated Content on TikTok

User-Generated Content (UGC) has become an increasingly powerful tool for brands to leverage the reach of social media. TikTok, the wildly popular video-sharing app, is no exception. With TikTok’s UGC capabilities, brands have a unique opportunity to engage with their target audience in a way that’s more creative, authentic, and interactive than ever before. In this blog post, we’ll explore the various ways brands can make use of real-life content on TikTok and the potential benefits it can bring.

What is User-Generated Content (UGC) on TikTok?

Known as UGC TikTok, User Generated Content TikTok refers to video content created by your current customers and creators showcasing your brand. While user-generated content (UGC) is present on various social media platforms, there are notable differences between UGC on TikTok and other platforms.Here are a few key distinctions:

Creative Format:

Short-form videos and carousels on TikTok encourage users to tell engaging stories using music, effects, filters, and transitions. A broader variety of content formats will be seen on other platforms, such as Instagram and Facebook, such as photos, text posts, and longer videos.

Virality and Discoverability:

Using the "For You" page, TikTok shows users content based on their interests and engagement patterns, even from creators they don't follow. The UGC reaches a broader audience as it is more likely to gain exposure by using followers, hashtags, or specific community interactions.

Trend Culture:

Often, UGC TikTok revolves around TikTok Trends like branded hashtag challenges, trending sounds, and hashtags added by users, and this enables a sense of community and collaboration. The TikTok trend culture stands apart from other platforms in its fast-paced and highly participatory nature.

Authenticity and Relatability:

Users feel comfortable sharing unfiltered, real-life moments, personal experiences, and genuine emotions on TikTok because it emphasizes authenticity and relatability. There are many platforms that offer user-generated content, but TikTok has a more casual aesthetic and less polished image than other platforms.

The Importance of UGC for Premium Brands

Build trust with the audience

Making an impact in communities like TikTok begins with building trust. It is imperative to provide potential audiences a compelling reason to engage with your brand. It is here where UGC becomes highly influential. It showcases individuals in your target audience's area on TikTok, capturing their attention right away. By incorporating user-generated content into your marketing campaigns, you can foster trust, enhance brand credibility, and engage your audience more deeply.

Raise brand awareness more authentically

Utilising user-generated content on TikTok offers brands a great chance to raise their visibility. One key advantage is being able to reach a wider audience, such as those who don't want to be receptive to traditional advertisements.This is due to the uniqueness of TikTok users and its platform that enables users to tailor the content they upload to their own unique interests, be they personal or professional.For example, the Ordinary, one of the best cosmetic brands on TikTok. As the brand builds a base of devoted fans on the platform through its own profile, it reaches out to some of TikTok's best and most popular users and recruits them to advertise their products.

Promote customers to make a purchase

When UGC TikTok videos originate from regular customers and not brands, there's a higher probability that it will result in sales. 70% of first time shoppers make an account of the other customers who have submitted reviews when making their purchase. What this all boils down to is that an overwhelming 93% of customers find user-generated content to be incredibly valuable when it comes to buying products.

Benefits of Using UGC on TikTok

When considering whether user generated content will work for you, you need to look at a few different factors. These are some reasons that it could be good for monetization

A small yet highly engaged audience

If you have a smaller following, you can still benefit from UGC. Brands often amplify your content through their own platforms, so it doesn't matter how many followers you have.

Content types you prefer to create

You can showcase your day-to-day experiences with UGC content, such as unboxing videos, product tutorials, or reviews. It is up to you to write your own script and not be under pressure to edit it extensively so as to meet the brand's requirements.

Genuine product enthusiasm

The love for the product and habit of incorporating it in creators day-to-day life, as well as authenticity, can make UGC content incredibly effective.

Tips for Brands to Encourage UGC on TikTok

To assist you in selecting the most appropriate creative for your upcoming campaign, we've listed four types of UGC methods on TikTok, each offering distinct advantages.

Branded Hashtag Challenges

Sponsored hashtag challenges are the most popular form of User Generated Content on TikTok, with brands funding the creation and sustaining of hashtags to incentivize certain types of activity. A branded hashtag challenge can be used for a variety of purposes, like campaigning at a specific event, the promotion of slogans or new product releases.Brands initiate trendy social media campaigns to engage with their users. The companies incentivize customers to generate content related to the company and then share this content on their accounts to deepen connections and advertise their products.

Giveaways

Because of TikTok's inherent virality, user-generated content giveaways are more effective in reaching larger audiences than other forms of advertising. It is important, to establish clear goals for a successful giveaway. It is important to start by coming up with a good hashtag to attract TikTok users, to then lay out a few desirable prizes to gain the most participants, and to give everyone guidelines for transparency.

Duets

The TikTok duets feature is an innovative UGC method for 303, which allows users to add their own creative twist to an original video. A brand can collaborate with influencers in their niche to design a duet involving the brand and invite their audience to participate and share their duets. As a result, duet chains can create impressive viral trends and provide a powerful platform for brand exposure and engagement, especially when subtly done.

Tutorials

For brands, quick, on-the-fly, how-to videos, often referred to as tutorials, are advantageous. Because videos are short, on a social media platform with a shorter video format like TikTok, these are a viable way for them to both convey product details to followers and demonstrate value and benefit. This approach helps potential customers believe in the quality of the product.

Examples of Successful UGC Campaigns on TikTok

TikTok is quickly becoming a top platform for premium brands to engage with their audience and showcase their products. Many brands have launched successful user-generated content campaigns on TikTok, encouraging their customers to share their experiences with their products and services.Here are a few examples of successful UGC campaigns on TikTok by premium brands:1. Chipotle: The fast-food giant launched a hashtag challenge on TikTok called #ChipotleLidFlip, encouraging users to show off their lid-flipping skills while holding their Chipotle bowl. The challenge received over 100,000 user-generated videos and 230 million views, making it one of the most successful campaigns on TikTok.2. Gymshark: The fitness apparel brand launched a UGC campaign on TikTok called #gymshark66, encouraging users to commit to a fitness challenge for 66 days. Users were asked to share their progress on TikTok using the hashtag, resulting in over 14,000 videos and a total of 165 million views.3. ELF Cosmetics: The beauty brand launched a campaign called #eyeslipsface, asking users to create short, music-driven videos showcasing their makeup skills using the brand's products. The campaign resulted in over 4 billion views and a 5,000% increase in sales for the brand.These examples showcase the power of UGC on TikTok for premium brands. By creating fun and engaging challenges and campaigns, brands can create a buzz around their products and reach a wider audience on the platform.Stay tuned for our next section on the challenges of UGC on TikTok and how brands can overcome them.