UGC Vs. Influencer Marketing: Which One You Need to Choose

Connecting with an influencer’s large audience has become a smart move for many businesses to reach their target market. Over 78% of marketers in the US plan to use influencers in future marketing. 

But wait!

There’s something new on the rise. Similar to influencer marketing but different enough to capture attention with uniquely User Generated Content (UGC). UGC creators are not exactly influencers but make high-quality, converting content for your brand. Unlike influencer marketing, where you incentivize people to talk and post about your products, UGC is content created by customers or fans. 

Do you want to understand all the differences? We know you are confused about the differences between both, so in this blog, we will discuss the key differences between UGC and influencer marketing. 

Without further ado, let’s begin!

Key Differences Between UGC Vs. Influencer Marketing

Both influencers and UGC creators shape brand narratives and engage audiences, but here is the difference between both UGC vs. influencer marketing approaches: 

1. Creator Origin:

UGC creators create natural and authentic content, like what everyday users might post. They do not create branded content; brands use authentic content to market and reach larger audiences. Brands pay these UGC creators and get all the rights to use their content. While UGC has not yet surpassed influencer marketing, it is quickly catching up with the market and creating a more significant impact. 

Influencers have a deeper connection with their audiences and share their content, including branded posts, on social media. Influencers are valuable to brands because of their engagement, and the more followers they have, the higher their costs are. However, an influencer’s marketing campaign also has a higher chance of the product or service being seen by a new audience. 

2. Level of Control

While UGC and influencer marketing are prominent to brands, they have significantly more control over influencer marketing. Brands can negotiate with influencers about the number of posts, specific messaging, and other posting schedules, while customers create UGC videos and more with less branding; thus, they have less control over it. 

Brands provide detailed guidelines, specify product features, and align themselves with influencers, whereas they cannot fully dictate what customers think about their products and services. 

3. Audience Reach:

With influencer marketing, you can team up with influencers to target specific customers around your niche with a well-defined set of followers. This makes it easier for you to reach the right people. Meanwhile, UGC doesn’t offer such precise targeting, but it still has a broader reach due to its authenticity. Users search for reviews and accurate content, and UGC content has potential reach when shared as a review on social media. You can make it more targeted using UGC ad campaigns. 

4. Cost:

UGC marketing is free and often has low pricing compared to influencer marketing. High-profile influencers demand big bucks because they create and promote content on their channel and to an audience that trusts them. UGC is typically more affordable as it leverages the organic content created by UGC creators with little or no direct cost. If you are looking for affordable solutions for setting up your UGC campaigns, you can opt for tools like Tagshop. It familiarizes you with UGC creators in your niche and is excellent with collaboration features. 

5. Role in Marketing 

UGC creators often work as freelancers and might work as influencers, too. They are paid to produce content for brands, which is used throughout their marketing channels.

Influencers are central to marketing strategies. They aim to tap into new audiences, thus increasing their reach and driving sales. Their influence is based on solid trust and relationship-building with their followers.

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Similarities Between UGC Vs. Influencer Marketing

• Authenticity: Both UGC and influencers are asked to share more authentic content than traditional ads because it helps increase the effectiveness of their products. 
• Engagement and Reach: Both help enhance brand engagement and reach and tap into extensive follower networks, and the algorithm favors their authenticity. 
• Purchase Decisions: UGC and influencer marketing leverage social proof, which fosters trust and influences purchase decisions through content that resonates with targeted users. 
• Content Creation: At the core of both strategies is content creation, which leads to engagement. Be it influencer or UGC marketing, crafting sponsored content is the heart of both marketing. 

When to Use Which:

Whether to focus on UGC or influencer marketing depends mainly on your brand goals and resources. Here are some of the tips regarding when to use which content creation strategy: 

1. UGC Marketing: 

Here’s when you should partner with UGC creators:

• UGC marketing is more beneficial when you want to build a brand reputation and showcase authentic customer experiences and opinions. Unfiltered UGC ads convey a level of authenticity that branded ads can’t match. 
• Organic UGC can help you engage your community and encourage participation. It makes your audience feel heard and valued, thus increasing trust. When users trust your brand, they are inspired to join the conversation and connect with it. 
• UGC creators help generate social proof, enhance brand connection, and inspire others to purchase. This drives sales and contributes to brand growth. 

2. Influencer Marketing:

For specific objectives, partnering with influencers is excellent, such as: 

• To reach a specific target audience, you must opt for influencer marketing. They give you targeted access to their following and help you reach new audiences. They post content on their page, and 69% of consumers trust the product recommendations they get from influencers. 
• Influencer marketing is great for promoting your new products or services because it will reach higher visibility. They will expose your new products or services to the niche markets and build awareness. 
• Influencers excel at creating buzz around your brand and helping you reach your target goals and conversions. They can also share trackable affiliate links and discount codes to drive conversions. 

Combining UGC and Influencer Marketing

Nowadays, bands are giving more importance to influencer-generated content to leverage UGC and influencer marketing. What is it? Influencer Generate Content is the content influencers create to promote a brand and collaborate with them authentically. This hybrid approach will create a more impactful marketing campaign, boosting brand credibility and engagement by showcasing accurate content alongside influencer promotions. 

Here’s a simple strategy to leverage both marketing at the same time. 

1. Launch a campaign: Partner with influencers to launch a UGC campaign and ask them to promote a contest where their followers participate. 
2. Feature the best content: Now select the best UGC from the content and feature it on your brand page, giving credit to creators. 

The above strategy lets you quickly gain exposure and implement user and influencer content within your brand strategy. 

Tips for combining UGC and Influencer Marketing

Here are some tips to help you combine UGC vs. influencer marketing for maximum impact: 

• Identify influencers who embrace UGC and who incorporate UGC into their content. 
• Encourage influencers to create UGC by featuring your products and services on their social media. This can create a sense of authenticity and credibility and encourage influencer followers to create UGC. 

Conclusion

In today’s marketing world, influencer marketing isn’t the only way brands use for promotion. While it’s still a massive part of marketing, most brands highlight UGC creators for authenticity. Authenticity, budget, and versatility play a crucial role in making the right decision between UGC and influencer marketing. Your brand’s goals and needs determine which option to opt for or to choose a hybrid approach. Testing both strategies and measuring their effectiveness through engagement and conversion rates is also advisable. But with a balanced approach, you can create a more dynamic, practical, and comprehensive marketing campaign incorporating UGC creators and influencers.