Research, such as the study conducted in 2016 titled “Effects of Face Images and Face Pareidolia on Consumers’ Responses to Print Advertising,” revealed that ads featuring human faces outperform ads displaying only the product. Explaining these results is straightforward – people tend to trust the brand and product more when portrayed by other individuals. Whether in print or video format, such ads help consumers relate to the role and emotion of the person depicted in the advertisement. Therefore, buyers find it easier to make a purchasing decision. For these reasons, User-Generated Content (UGC) has become increasingly popular in recent years. What is UGC, and why is it worth replacing traditional static ads with UGC content?
* Research: https://www.journalofadvertisingresearch.com/content/59/2/219.
What is the UGC content?
UGC stands for User Generated Content, typically referring to content created by users, often in the form of videos. UGC videos are familiar to us from social platforms like Instagram and TikTok. These videos feature real customers, influencers, or hired UGC creators demonstrating product unboxing, showcasing product use, sharing their experiences, providing reviews, and more. These videos are not professionally filmed, often shot in a vertical format, resembling mobile phone footage. The goal of such UGC videos is to generate word-of-mouth recommendations.
Amazon UGC content: why is it worth it?
UGC is a relatively new content form, already widely used by brands on social media, company websites, newsletters, but not yet on the Amazon platform. Sellers on Amazon still emphasize their professionalism and the uniqueness of their products, often using professionally produced product videos. UGC videos on Amazon are still making a timid entrance, but the reason lies not in the content format itself but simply in the fact that innovations on Amazon tend to arrive more slowly compared to other platforms.
Even 80 percent of consumers come to Amazon already knowing what they’re looking for and ready to purchase that product*, so it’s worth considering what type of video will be most beneficial for you:
- Professional, enhancing brand awareness, or
- UGC video, which converts a visitor into a buyer?
Choosing UGC videos is also worthwhile for financial reasons: all Amazon sellers understand the importance of having product videos on both product pages and paid PPC campaigns. However, shooting and editing a professional video can be quite expensive. In contrast, creating Amazon UGC videos requires a significantly smaller budget.
* https://www.smartscout.com/blog/the-complete-guide-to-amazon-ugc.
Amazon Associates program
Amazon recognizes the importance of UGC content, and for content creators, they offer a way to turn product recommendations into earnings through the Amazon Associates program. All you need to do is register for the program, create special links that direct visitors to the recommended Amazon product page or the Amazon store, and place these links in your social media posts, blogs, or other created content. If followers click on the link and purchase the recommended product within 24 hours, content creators earn up to a 10% commission.
Content creators, aiming to maximize their earnings from Amazon UGC content, create UGC videos that can be found on Amazon listings, in your, and sometimes even competitors’ product pages. This is a significant win for sellers as it provides quality UGC content about the product without specifically investing in its creation.
Where to find UGC content creators?
However, relying solely on organically generated UGC content is a bit naive because the wait can be prolonged or often not yield results. Therefore, for many sellers opting to create UGC video content, the question arises about who will produce such User-Generated Videos. Typically, brands are compelled to seek creators specializing in this field.
To ensure effective UGC content, it’s crucial that creators not only feel comfortable in front of the camera, are familiar with the product but also align with the target audience. If your product is for children, the video should involve parents raising kids; if it’s targeted at computer game enthusiasts, the review or other UGC video should be filmed by a real computer game player, and so on.
So, the selection process is not straightforward and indeed requires significant involvement from sellers. Fortunately, with the growing popularity and increasing demand for UGC content, various platforms are available to sellers, such as Billo (Billo.app)
Billo is a platform that helps brands and UGC content creators find each other. The main advantages are:
- Simple and effective search system: provide as much information about the product, niche, specify the characteristics the creator should have, and get a list of the most suitable creators from around the world.
- Personal help: receive personal consultant assistance in crafting the vision for UGC video content or selecting the most suitable creator.
- Direct communication with the creator: ask additional questions that help select the most suitable UGC video creator, provide additional information during the project, directly to the chosen person, thus expediting and facilitating the process.
- Clear payment system: the entire ordering and payment process takes place within the Billo system, so you not only know exactly how much you are paying for what but also avoid fraud.
Amazon UGC content attracts attention, increases visibility, and encourages visitors to become buyers. Therefore, we highly recommend starting to create and use them in both product pages and PPC campaigns. It’s an excellent time to begin now, while their popularity on Amazon is just starting to grow, allowing you to establish a presence ahead of competitors. You can find a UGC video creator that best represents your product using various platforms, such as Billo. However, if you need assistance in selecting or have questions about UGC content, feel free to reach out to us, DIGITAL FREAKS, and we’ll share our experience and advice.