User-Generated Content (UGC)
What is it?
User-generated content (UGC) refers to any form of content, such as images, videos, text, and audio, that has been created and posted by users or consumers on online platforms, rather than by brands themselves. In influencer marketing, this often involves content created by followers inspired by or in response to an influencer's posts or campaigns.
Example:
A fan posting a photo of themselves wearing the same brand of sneakers as their favorite athlete, using the athlete's hashtag or tagging the athlete and brand in the post.
How can you use it?
User-generated content plays a significant role in athlete influencer marketing:
Authenticity: UGC provides authentic, real-world endorsements of products or brands associated with the athlete, enhancing credibility.
Engagement boost: Encouraging fans to create and share their own content related to the athlete or brand increases overall engagement and reach.
Community building: UGC fosters a sense of community among the athlete's followers, strengthening the connection between fans, the athlete, and the brand.
Content amplification: Athletes can reshare high-quality UGC, providing fresh content for their own feeds and recognizing their fans.
Cost-effective marketing: Brands get additional promotional content without the cost of producing it themselves.
Social proof: A high volume of UGC serves as social proof of an athlete's influence and a product's popularity.
Insights and feedback: UGC provides valuable insights into how consumers are using and perceiving products in real-life situations.
Contest and campaign fuel: UGC can be the basis for contests or campaigns, encouraging more fan participation and content creation.
In practice, an athlete might use UGC in their influencer marketing strategy like this:
A professional basketball player partners with a sports drink brand. They challenge their followers to post videos of their best basketball tricks while drinking the sports drink, using a specific hashtag. The athlete then shares the best submissions on their own social media, giving credit to the creators. This generates excitement, increases brand visibility, and provides the brand with a wealth of authentic content showing their product being used by real people.
For college athletes navigating NIL opportunities, encouraging and leveraging UGC can be an effective way to demonstrate their influence to potential brand partners, especially if they have a highly engaged fanbase.