Leveraging UGC Email Designs for your Marketing Strategy

Table of Contents

● Defining User Generated Content (UGC) Email Content

● Who Creates UGC Content?

● Why User-Generated Email Design Matters

● Effective Ways to Use UGC Email Designs

● 5 Examples of User-Generated Email Campaigns

● In Summary

● Key Takeaways

● FAQs

Did you recently notice how a fashion brand added consumer pictures in a marketing strategy that went viral? In a world where every brand is fighting to be seen, buyers are becoming more and more selective about products. They are now trusting family and friends more than photoshopped brand pictures. This is where UGC plays a key role.

User-generated content (or UGC) is original information shared by a brand’s user. It could be in the form of pictures, videos, reviews, testimonials, or podcasts. When you re-share or use this content to create UGC email designs, it automatically becomes your modern-day word-of-mouth.

In today’s digital age, people are consuming content more than ever. In an era where misinformation leads the way, UGC email campaigns are consistently rising to become an effective and trustworthy source of communication. You need to pursue customers with user-generated content that is:

● Timely and Engaging

● Insight-driven

● Socially-integrated values

● Data-driven

● Transparent

● Authentic

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Who Creates UGC Content?

1. Customers or Users

They are your brand users who often use your products or services. The reviews or praise-filled posts on TikTok, Instagram, or Twitter work wonders for your brand in the most organic way possible.

2. Brand worshippers

They are the people who are the most enthusiastic about your brand. Even if your brand is aspirational or inspirational, they want to talk about it.

3. Employees

EGC or employee-generated content is the information your employees share showing your brand in a positive light. It could be a retreat for a team or the fact that you bagged a new client or even a heartfelt goodbye message – all these are a few ways to establish brand identity.

Why User-Generated Email Design Matters

As a social media marketer, you have your goals set; you need to build awareness, increase brand reach and have conversion rates. Simply put, you need to create a marketing campaign that will help people know, like, and trust your brand. And the best way to do this? UGC marketing!

Here are some statistics about UGC marketing you must consider:

● According to Nosto, 90% of consumers think authenticity is extremely important when they choose brands

● As per TwineSocial, email click-through rates increase by over 73% when UGC is integrated

● Website visitors spend more than 90% time seeing UGC content

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As a social media marketer, you sometimes feel that UGC email campaigns are just another marketing trend. But you must remember that user-generated content campaigns are:

● Authentic for your brand

● Can help you strengthen relationships with your target audience

● Help instill trust and create brand engagement

● The most cost-effective way to connect with your audience

● Have a high ROI

● Influences purchases

Effective Ways to Use UGC Email Designs

It’s easy to hope that people will automatically like your brand and start posting about it. Yes, it might happen, but sometimes you may have to try harder to get people talking. But your effort doesn’t just end there. You need to channel this into a successful UGC campaign. We’ve rounded up some ways for you to utilize UGC email designs.

1. Customer Reviews

Over 70% of people consider product reviews before purchasing something from a brand. When you add reviews to your UGC campaigns, it immediately adds much-needed authenticity to your brand. Customers become the voice that your brand needs. Brand loyalists soon become brand advocates.

High ratings and reviews in a UGC email campaign help in the following ways:

● It increases traffic to the website

● This leads to higher conversion rates

● It builds dependability in the long run

One way of encouraging customers to write reviews is by giving out gift cards, loyalty points, or contests. As a social media marketer, remember to choose reviews that talk about your brand in a positive light and help resolve a particular problem the customer might have.

2. Targeted UGC

Indeed, UGC email campaigns are usually creative. But your UGC marketing plan also needs to have specific goals to be successful. Sending out a personalized email specific to the user sends out a certain message. It means that you’ve taken the time and effort to curate something for an individual.

As a brand manager, ask yourself the following questions:

● Which user-generated content campaigns have been successful for me?

● Where have I received maximum clicks?

● Do I know enough about my target audience to send them personalized emails?

● How can I use social media analytics to set targeted content?

Tailored content and visuals in a UGC campaign could give you exactly the results you are looking for.

3. Contests

You can even sell products or services by engaging your audience with social media contests. This will help you generate more content for your brand. It will also help you collect content for a UGC design campaign.

Social media contests are some of the simplest ways to participate in. And the best part? Consumers love contests that help them participate in a fun way!

Make sure you follow these steps:

● Think of an innovative pull and invite the public to share content about your brand

● Come up with an easy-to-remember hashtag that best suits your brand

● Write a segment to explain your contest

● Plug it in with a winning prize or gift card or even a discount coupon

● Promote your content on the right social media channel

With a well-thought-out UGC campaign, you can create brand awareness and boost sales.

4. Engage with Influencers

Some of the best UGC email designs use content created by champions of a brand. And who are these champions, you might ask? They are the Gen-Z influencers who thrive on content. They could also be your fans, followers, or customers. By identifying influencers in your niche market, you can create a brand community to create stunning visual content.

A report by Nosto states that over 65 percent of Gen Z are willing to join a brand advocacy group to create user-specific genuine content to promote a product or service. Having authentic people by your side could help you win brand loyalty with your target audience.

5. Amplify enthusiasm about your brand

Millennials and Gen Z harness the power of social media to make purchases. But to amplify the enthusiasm about your brand, you need to go way beyond just social media. UGC email marketing is a surefire way to celebrate your followers and amplify your brand awareness.

As per a Salesforce report, UGC results in a 73% increase in email click-through rates. The company also reported that conversion rates increase by over 10% when included in the online purchase path.

5 Examples of User-Generated Email Campaigns

1. Shot on iPhone: A Phenomenal Campaign by Apple

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In the year 2016, Apple commenced its “Shot on iPhone” UGC campaign. And it turned out to be every social media marketer’s dream. It had a widespread effect, automatic visibility, and consumer engagement. A worldwide community of professional and amateur photographers wanted to participate while using their iPhone as a camera. It started with a simple billboard that had a stunning photo that read “Shot on iPhone”.

To date, Apple continues to leverage the success of this campaign with the latest macro photography contest for the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max users.

2. Using UGC Emails in a Targeted Manner: Netflix

The biggest powerhouse in the OTT market, Netflix does everything in its stride to keep customers engaged. Netflix harnesses UGC campaigns to amass followers the world over. Besides using Instagram to create high levels of engagement, the brand sends out monthly and weekly targeted emails.

If you haven’t logged onto Netflix in the last few days, you’re bound to get an email from the company checking in with you. If there are a new host of shows and movies that match your views and likes – they’ll let you know too!

3. Seasonal Change: Starbucks does it right!

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With every change in season, brands have the opportunity to create something unique. And Starbucks hits it out of the park every single time! The ‘What will Spring Bring’ UGC campaign has worldwide appeal.

The brand invited its customers to share their stories about spring while holding their coffee cups. Right from customers in Japan to Seoul or Sacramento to India – it seemed like everyone was participating. Starbucks saw a unique pull strategy and leveraged it. To date, the coffee giant continues to see a huge mass appeal when it comes to its social media strategy.

4. Relating with a Luxury Brand: Calvin Klein

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In 2016, luxury brand Calvin Klein commenced their campaign #MyCalvins. This iconic brand freshened up with the help of Justin Bieber. They took it up another notch with Kendall Jenner, FKA Twigs, and other celebrities. The line that became most famous was “I _____ in #mycalvins.” People could fill it up with any verb – right from eat, play to even flash!

And the result? Calvin Klein had a collection of over 4,40,000 photos from celebrities and masses alike!

5. Inviting Contests with Big Basket

Another occasion wherein you can plug in more content from users is during festivals. Indians love holidays. Bigbasket does it right by adding a recipe contest for customers. They recognize and honor community content and increase the number of mentions. The brand actively curates content shared by customers, partners, and stakeholders while encouraging others to participate too!

In Summary

UGC email design campaigns are probably your best bet if you’re looking to solidify your brand image. A successful UGC campaign can help you:

● Attract new followers

● Create brand loyalists

● Boost sales

A genuine and honest recommendation is a surefire way to up your brand in the market.

Here are some tips for you to keep in mind while creating a UGC email campaign:

● Be strategic: Define your social media goals in advance for any campaign. Yes, it’s great to have many pictures or videos from your target audience, but if you have no specific goal, the process is futile. You need to have a target in mind before going live with a UGC campaign.

● Ask for Permission: Be sure you ask the fan or follower for permission before using their personal audio or video files. Additionally, when you ask for permission, it shows that you are respecting the creator’s original work. Send a friendly message or DM to the user. Resharing information without consent could get you in legal trouble.

● Give credit when credit is due: When you’re creating an email design with UGC, always mention the user’s handle. Not only will it add to the authenticity, but it will also help you gain trust. You can tag them directly in the email or mention their handle. Giving proper credit makes the user excited about the brand and helps other users verify its authenticity.

● Give clear instructions: If you’re creating a contest to generate user-generated content campaigns, provide clear guidelines for the masses to follow. Tell them exactly what you’re looking for so they know what kind of content to create or share. Add a disclaimer while running the contest since you filter out social media posts.

Once you have your UGC campaign idea in place, you need the right marketing strategy for people to know about it. Promote the UGC campaign in:

● All your social media channels (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn)

● In your physical stores (for higher visibility during purchases)

● On your website (to drive your traffic)

● In your social media posts (to build higher awareness)

● On your product packaging (to reach a wider audience)

When you get the initial steps right, you can go a long way in creating a successful UGC email design for your campaign. Getting started is easier than you think!

Once you’ve mastered the basics, you’re all set to go!

Key Takeaways

● A successful UGC campaign can help a brand drive growth and build authenticity.

● UGC marketing involves content in the form of photos, videos, testimonials, GIFs, live streams, or even blog posts,

● UGC email designs are a cost-effective way of connecting with customers periodically.

● User-generated content helps open up conversations between a brand and consumers or followers.

● You can increase conversion rates and influence buying decisions with a good UGC campaign.

● Encouraging audiences to share content is a great way to create a sense of community.

FAQs