Influencers are everywhere. Brands are utilizing 3rd-party content everyday. We are sure you have seen it – UGC or IGC. What does this mean? UGC is user generated content. IGC is influencer generated content; it sounds the same but it is so different.
UGC does not have any specific audience and has no guidance from you as a brand. Those Instagram reels you see of people highlighting a restaurant with no kind of “paid partnership” or “sponsored” tag to go along with it is what marketers call user generated content. This is something a social media user has put together all on their own. Brands can ask for permission to use this content after it has been posted, but that is not why the content was originally created. If creators of UGC are compensated, it is after the fact and usually only happens as part of an agreement. Brands do not usually offer compensation for the rights to content that has already been put on the internet. Not only is this content not associated with your brand, but the poster and their audience may have no familiarity with your brand. This means that the whole post could be inaccurate or completely unrelated to your current campaigns.
UGC can still be very useful; these creators often have a community with their following, which is great for helping build your brand awareness. This community also makes it extremely easy to generate a buzz around your brand. UGC is very authentic and unbiased, giving the audience a real idea of what your product or brand is about.
IGC is content that brands have much more control over. Influencers are paid by the brand to produce professional content that has been directed and approved by the brand. These content creators have much more familiarity with your brand and likely have a better reach over your target audience. Overall, IGC is great for anyone.
There are a few downsides to IGC; some influencers will take brand deals without believing in the brand, which gives you an inauthentic voice when trying to reach your audience. Additionally, these types of posts have to be accompanied by “sponsored,” “paid partnership,” or something similar or social platforms will take them down. These two in combination can jeopardize the trust your audience has with you.
Now that we have broken down the difference, it is time to evaluate which is most valuable for your brand; both IGC and UGC are great to help grow your audience. It is up to you to determine which aspects are most important to you; maybe you do not value free content if you cannot have control over it. If you are still unsure which is the best route for you to take, fill out our contact form to schedule your FREE strategy call! We’ll help walk you through it all.
