Modern Designers Count on User Generated Content For Brand Success

The wind of change is blowing over the digital sphere as more people find a way to become members of the online creators' community. This means new and exciting content is created every minute, opening the doors to a world never seen before. 

Modern Designers Count on User Generated Content For Brand Success
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But any changes happening in the online world have a ripple effect in the real world. This time, brands and online marketing companies found themselves in the middle of a storm. 

As people had more time to think about their online behavior (due to lockdowns and whatnot), they also realized they don’t care much about traditional ads anymore.

In all fairness, this is not a new trend. The lockdowns were just the catalyst that caused the basis of the advertising world to crumble into dust. The shift was fast, and anyone who doesn’t understand the power of user-generated content and influencer marketing will most likely be left behind.

User-Generated Content vs. Traditional Ads 

A large majority of today’s online content consumers don’t like seeing ads on their social media feeds. In fact, most users between 16 and 24 years old admit to using an ad blocker to avoid seeing ads whenever and wherever possible. And, worldwide, 42.7% of internet users use ad blockers.

Instead, today’s internet users like to hear from their favorite creators and are more likely to consider products or services promoted by them. That’s because they relate to the creators they follow and regularly engage with the community. 

This is easy to observe when you look at the analytics behind ads. The number of impressions stays high, but fewer users feel inspired to click on them. That’s because users would rather look for a creator who has the knowledge and experience to make recommendations. 

In a nutshell, word of mouth is a powerful tool nowadays, as people talk about brands online and share experiences and opinions. 

Celebrities Also Create Content

Another way to assess the power of user-generated content is that we see more classic celebrities joining the guild of online creators. Famous actors, actresses, musicians, and talk show hosts (to name a few) make use of their celebrity and put out content and recommendations for their millions of fans and followers.

Of course, the content around celebrities is just as popular, and many creators use it to make a name for themselves. For instance, online users can see what their favorite celebrities are doing online (and offline) on SoJones.com and other similar platforms.

Influencer Marketing is Growing

Things change in the influencer marketing niche as well. A few years back, only the big names of the influencer world were able to monetize their fame. However, nowadays, the focus is on micro and nano influencers (less than 10,000 followers).

More brands (even big ones) discover that big influencers don’t have the same influence on their audience as small ones. The communities built around a nano influencer are tighter and more connected, even reaching cult-like loyalty. So, when a nano or micro-influencer makes a recommendation, their followers listen. 

Of course, this doesn’t mean big influencers and celebrities don’t get brand collaborations anymore. Far from it! It just goes to show that the advertisement market is changing, and online marketing specialists have started to understand the power of social media influencers. 

Even though many branding and awareness campaigns are already using user-generated content, we’ll see a more accelerated shift in the following years. 

As people learn more about online and social media, they start to understand how marketing and ads, in general, impact their lives. As a result, they will be more cautious when it comes to purchasing, and this is especially true for the newer generations.