User-Generated Content Vs. Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing is a well-known tactic for most brands, even if it’s come under scrutiny as of late. Unfortunately, all its success stories led to the rise of fake followers, unethical endorsements, and just plain uninspired content marketing. 

Influencer marketing is still a viable marketing tactic, but instead of celebrities and macro-influencers, brands are partnering with lesser-known types of influencers. Micro, niche, and local influencers are taking center stage, thanks to their curated, engaged audiences and genuine, relatable content.

Here, we look at why user-generated content aligns more with changing customer mindsets, why it doesn’t negate influencer marketing, and how to find the best balance to resonate with your audience.

The rise of user-generated content 

User-generated content (UGC) refers to brand mentions made by your audience, as opposed to brand-generated content created in-house or by a marketing team. When marketers discuss the strategy, it’s usually in relation to social media posts linked by a common hashtag. 

However, UGC can be anything from podcasts to testimonials. For example, a local foodie blogger might visit an ice cream shop and write about their experience. 

UGC creators may receive small incentives from brands, such as a gift card or free product. But many simply do it because they want to help their followers or show off their creativity. If you see a post without an official tracking link or promo code, it’s likely because the user has no official connection with the brand. 

If this sounds a little like influencer marketing, it’s no surprise. The lines between UGC and influencer marketing have blurred lately. The main distinction is that influencer content is more likely to be a paid endorsement whereas UGC is not. 

There are a few key benefits you can expect from a well-crafted UGC campaign:

• Authenticity: UGC campaigns highlight real posts from brand users. One recommendation from the right user can lead to better conversion rates than traditional marketing efforts. 

• Cost-effective: UGC creators often post for fun, so the cost of working with them is much, much cheaper than full-time influencers. Plus, by definition, once you start spending too much, you run the risk of inauthentic content. 

• Build trust: Obviously we trust our friends and families more than brand marketers. A good UGC campaign highlights what you’re doing right and why people connect with the brand. 

• Brand loyalty: UGC shows off your brand in a good light, but it also infuses more personality into every marketing claim. When you harness your customers’ creativity in branded content, you build long-term loyalty with even the most casual followers. 

UGC marketing faces a few limitations, including limited reach and copyright uncertainties. But smaller follower audiences aren’t necessarily a downside, especially if the user has carefully cultivated their reach. 

Why influencer marketing isn’t dead 

Influencer marketing is somewhat similar to email or print ads in that its power has significantly diminished. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use this marketing strategy — it just means that you need to tread lightly. 

Customers are savvier than ever before, and they’re well aware that influencers receive significant compensation to praise a brand or product. As a result, customers are more likely than ever to call out false advertising from influencers — something beauty influencer Mikayla Nogueira and L'Oréal learned the hard way.

In 2023, L’Oréal partnered with Nogueira to produce content for the brand’s Telescopic Lift Mascara. While Nogueira did disclose herself as an official partner, the video’s caption covered the brief disclosure on mobile devices. 

In the comments, followers accused the influencer of wearing false eyelashes, which she expressly denied before deleting the comments. While the controversy was never truly resolved, it points to the precariousness of influencer content. 

This is why we’re starting to see a shift away from macro or mid-tier influencers (between 50,000 and 1,000,000+ followers) to micro and nano users (between 1,000 – 50,000 followers). 

Smaller influencers typically build their audiences organically, posting authentic content that’s both fun and verifiable. So even if the influencer promotes a brand that individual followers dislike, those followers are unlikely to accuse the influencer of falsifying the information. 

The most successful influencers have a sincere stake in their content game. For example, professional gamer Richard Tyler Blevins, known as Ninja, amassed 13 million followers for his video game content. Fitness influencer and entrepreneur Kayla Itsines gained nearly 15 million followers for her workout and nutrition tips. 

Marketing teams that correctly leverage influencer marketing can expect:

• Greater reach: Influencers give brands access to new audiences that are already primed to receive valuable insights and recommendations. 

• High-quality content: It takes time and effort to make quality photos, videos, and captions that stand out. You can expect influencers to make branded posts as picture-perfect as their non-branded posts  — otherwise they risk alienating their audiences. 

• Cohesive campaigns: If your target audience spans generations, income levels, or interest, it’s easy for your marketing to come off as disconnected. With influencer marketing, you can tie different campaigns together without confusing your audience. For example, you might have influencers talk about different aspects of a unifying theme, like green living. 

With the marketing funnel shifting like never before, you can still use influencer marketing to modernize your strategies and keep up with your competitors. 

How to generate excitement for your brand with UGC and influencer marketing 

The most effective marketing campaigns blend UGC and influencer marketing. Below, we’ll look at how to get the best of both worlds. 

Tune into what matters most to your audience 

When brand values and audience values misalign, marketers can quickly lose the thread of their promotions. Whether your potential customers care about saving money, their sanity, or the planet, you need to know before marketing to them.

If you want more insight into your customer’s motivations, we recommend leveraging marketing surveys and social listening to define an ideal customer profile (ICP). In your ICP, you’ll specify the customer persona alongside the marketing tactics that appeal to them. 

When you use both influencers and UGC, you can speak to different audiences without compromising authenticity. For example, you might run a large-scale influencer campaign to capture the interest of the trendsetters and increase brand awareness. 

From there, you implement UGC as social proof to convince customers to take action. The right influencers and users speak to their followers’ concerns and reassure them that your brand is every bit as valuable as they say it is. 

Determine what goals you hope to achieve

Before you partner with anyone, you need clear-cut goals and metrics. For example, if you’re launching a new product, you’ll need to decide how the influencer-generated content should frame the initiative to maximize conversion rates. Ideally, you’ll give the user or influencer the guidelines and then let them infuse their own creativity into each post. 

For example, Disney launched a #DisneyMagicMoments campaign during the pandemic so their fans could experience the brand even when they couldn’t visit the parks.

In addition to sharing behind-the-scenes content, they asked users to tag their own Disney-related content during lockdowns. By tapping into the devotion of their followers, Disney marketers kept global audiences engaged even when they couldn’t visit locations in person. 

Choose your partners carefully

UGC creators and influencers both make for excellent collaborations. And while you may need to adjust your approach depending on the individual, it’s not that important to distinguish between the two. 

Instead, focus on their industry, niche, and audience and ask if their content would resonate with your ICP or affect their purchasing decisions. One of the best ways to vet your partners is to work with a platform that can match you to the right people for more efficient campaigns. 

Local influencers: The perfect hybrid of UGC and influencer marketing

Celebrity and macro-influencers are still relevant to global brands that can’t afford to think local. But small and local brands stand to benefit far more from niche local influencers with devoted, curated audiences.

At Hummingbirds, we match brands with local content creators and influencers who connect with their audiences on a deeper level, weaving helpful posts into their profiles to add value for their followers. This makes them more trustworthy and authentic than mega-influencers who depend on partnerships to make a living. 

Ready to integrate UGC and local influencer marketing into your strategy? Book a call with the Hummingbirds team today!