What is user generated content and how do you use creators and social proof?
How to collect customer content, work with creators, and turn proof into conversions.
User generated content is anything your customers make about you that you did not pay to produce. Creator content is content you did pay for. Social proof is either one placed where a buyer is deciding. All three are worth more on a landing page than in a feed.
Collecting it without a legal problem
A customer tagging you does not give you the right to use their photo in an ad. Get written permission, in writing, and be specific: which piece of content, where you will use it, for how long, and whether paid advertising is included. A reply in a direct message saying yes to a clearly worded request is usually enough for organic use. For paid ads or a website, use a short usage rights form. If the content shows a person's face, you need their permission, not just the poster's.
Working with creators
Brief creators on the outcome, not the script. Tell them the objection you want addressed, the one claim you need said accurately, anything legally off-limits, and the deliverable format. Then let them sound like themselves, because that is what you are buying. Ask for usage rights and whitelisting rights in the agreement up front. Retrofitting those later costs more.
Disclosure is required. The FTC's Endorsement Guides require a clear and conspicuous disclosure whenever there is a material connection between the endorser and the brand, including payment, free product, or an employment relationship. The FTC also states that the endorser is responsible for that disclosure being clear, so a platform's built-in label alone may not be enough. Put the disclosure in the content, near the start, not buried in a caption.
Where proof belongs
- On the landing page the ad points to, next to the form, not three scrolls down.
- On pricing pages, where hesitation peaks.
- In sales follow-up email, matched to the objection that came up on the call.
- As ad creative. Customer footage often outperforms polished brand video, because it looks like a recommendation instead of an ad.
Ask for it systematically. A short request sent a week after a good outcome, with an example of what you want, produces more usable content than any campaign. More on turning customers into advocates is in our post on long-term brand loyalty, and our social services are on the social media management page.
Related: What social media services does LevelUp Digital offer?. Do you create the social media content or do we?. Can social media actually drive leads for B2B companies?.