User-Generated Content on TikTok: Leveraging Your Community for Marketing Success

In today’s fast-paced social media landscape, authenticity and user-centric content take center stage. TikTok, the rapidly growing social media platform, has completely changed the way we use social media by shifting it from a social-based model to a discovery-based model.  With an emphasis on catering to users’ interests rather than just serving as a platform for interaction, TikTok has given rise to an interest-based algorithm. This change reflects what’s happening in the consumer world right now, especially among Gen Z. They’re really into brands that are authentic and have a clear mission they can believe in.

Brands can establish this trust and authenticity through User-Generated Content (UGC). While the concept of brands leveraging UGC is not a new phenomenon, TikTok has taken it to a whole new level. In here, we’ll explain the process of how you can plan an effective UGC on TikTok marketing strategy that not only enhances your connections with your audience but also boosts your brand’s presence and builds trust with your consumers.

Understanding User-Generated Content (UGC)

User-generated content, or UGC, refers to any form of original, brand-related social media content created by users for other users. This type of content combines photos, videos, testimonials, reviews, and other visual elements, which act as a powerful tool to provide social proof and help build trust with consumers on your marketing journey.

Why Harness UGC, Particularly on TikTok?

According to 93% of marketers, consumers usually trust content created by customers over content created by brands. Failing to use UGC means missing out on the significant chance to build a trusting relationship with your audience and unlock the vast potential for authentic content that your customers can create.

TikTok, with its exclusive content framework, is the perfect platform for sourcing and sharing UGC. When a brand posts UGC on TikTok, it performs 22% better than branded content. TikTok’s short duration, full-screen format, engaging execution, and overall genuineness make it the ideal space to display UGC.

Advantages of UGC on TikTok

• Experimentation Channel:

TikTok is a tremendous platform for experimentation, providing instant feedback and insights. Brands can test different aspects such as brand positioning, messaging, video formats, and delivery within a short period, providing prolific learnings that can inform your strategy across various channels.

• Platform Agnosticism:

If an ad performs well on TikTok, it is likely to be successful on other platforms as well.  TikTok UGC can serve as the origin of genuinely organic content that can be repurposed across platforms like Meta, YouTube, Pinterest, and others.

• Fast-Turnaround Format:

UGC on TikTok has an unpolished, organic feel that requires minimal equipment – often just a smartphone and good lighting. This leads to shorter turnaround times and significantly lower production costs.

• Instant Social Validation:

UGC inherently has a built-in social proof mechanism, instantly establishing consumer trust as soon as the ad begins.

Constructing Your TikTok UGC Growth Machine

01. Build Your Social Ads Audience:

The first step to effectively harness TikTok UGC is to strategically build your social ads audience. Use historical data from your consumer data platform and first-party data, which will become increasingly valuable in a world without cookies. Platforms like Google Analytics and CRM systems like Shopify can provide insights into audience demographics, interests, and behaviors.

02. Understand Your TikTok Consumer:

Once you’ve built your ideal customer profile, step into your consumer’s shoes. Try to know about their lifestyle, hobbies, shopping preferences, engagement in media, values, and pain points. It will help you understand your audience closely and create content on their interest that will convert.

03. Source UGC Creators:

UGC can come from brand enthusiasts, employees, influencers, or any content creators. You can source UGC from social listening or users who interact with your branded tags or hashtags. While organic UGC is excellent for brand awareness, consider hiring content creators to produce UGC for paid ads.

04. Contact UGC Creators & Build Relationships:

Building relationships with UGC creators is essential. Reach out to creators directly to establish personal connections. Trust plays a key role in successful UGC campaigns because 62% of users trust content creators more than A-list celebrities.

05. Build a Content Brief for TikTok UGC Creators:

Develop a creative brief and guidelines to ensure the UGC aligns with your brand’s messaging and objectives. Clearly define your campaign’s objective, target audience, content format, and messaging.

06. Launch, Track, Measure & Analyze Organic Content:

Once you collect UGC, launch your assets and track their performance. Study which content resonates with your audience on different platforms and tailor your content accordingly.

07. Ignite Your Organic TikTok UGC:

Before running Spark Ads or dark ads, test your TikTok content organically. Top-performing organic videos often excel in paid campaigns as they resonate with your audience.

08. Analyze Paid Assets:

Create a separate tab for paid analytics, including cost per action (CPA), click-through rate (CTR), and more. Evaluate the performance and ROI of different UGC assets.

Leveraging TikTok UGC Campaigns – Best Practices:

• Define the Type of UGC:

Start by choosing the type of user-generated content that aligns with your campaign’s goals. Include challenges, contests, reviews, and instructional videos depending on your objectives.

• Craft a Unique Branded Hashtag:

Create a branded hashtag that is exclusive to your brand. The hashtag should contain your brand name or product and be easy to remember.

• Collaborate with Influencers:

Collaborating with TikTok influencers can help you maximize your campaign reach. They have a huge number of fans and have the ability to engage large audiences quickly, which will be an invaluable asset for your campaigns.

• Use Duet and Stitch Features:

Leverage TikTok’s Duet and Stitch features to induce collaboration and engagement. Encourage your followers to Duet or Stitch with your content, nurturing creativity and generating more user-generated content.

• Incorporate UGC into TikTok Ads:

To get more mileage out of your user-generated content, include it in your TikTok ads. Repurposing UGC into your brand’s adverts breathes new life into the content and maximizes its reach.

Finally, user-generated content (UGC) on TikTok can make a significant difference in your brand marketing efforts. By leveraging the UGC on TikTok strategies outlined in this guide, brands can quickly increase their reach, strengthen brand loyalty and trust, and build an active and engaged community. So, it’s the perfect time to jump on the TikTok bandwagon and start promoting your brand using UGC’s power to take it to the next level.

However, if you do not want to engage yourself and are looking for someone to do it on your behalf, it’s best to hire a highly skilled and experienced TikTok marketing agency to build a solid marketing strategy using UGC for your TikTok marketing campaigns.