You're familiar with UGC, now get to grips with CGC (customer-generated content).

When was the last time you bought a product or service without reading numerous reviews, being referred by a friend, or delving deep into past user experiences via social media? We’re going to go out on a limb here and guess rarely, if ever.

?Without us realising it, the internet and the power of social media have sharpened our critical eye by default over the past decade; now, there’s no turning back.

Not too long ago, word-of-mouth reviews were just that, a kind of take-it-or-leave-it notion that may or may not be true, something that a friend of a friend may have said. Now, however? The impact of review platforms and social media is unparalleled, permanent and powerful, meaning that brands must contend with amplified voices, give their stage back to the consumer, and consider their reputation, products, and users at every touchpoint.

Nobody can deny it, this raised awareness of reviews has altered our standards and as a result, our content tastes and brand expectations.

Just a few years ago, the average high-performing brand’s social presence needed to look slick, and feel sharp, every post demanded perfection, on-point branding, and an element of sleek, sharp product-centred messaging that replicated everything the brand stood for.

In 2024, though? Well, this picture has evolved, the patterns have shifted, the focus has shifted, and the edge of perfection that brands once so strongly demanded has faded to reveal something more raw, honest, connected and altogether more authentic.

You may ask, what is the root cause of this shift in appetite for content that leans less toward escapism and more toward authenticity? Well, to truly understand this, we must cast our minds back over the past decade, the era of the influencer.

Throughout the 2010s, the stratospheric rise of the influencer changed the course of marketing and advertising, largely overriding the power of billboards, print advertising and celebrity endorsement, instead placing power into the hands of those who had carved out and built themselves a following and thus could create influence.

Once brands saw the effectiveness that someone with a loyal following truly held, they went all in and with huge success. Yet, over time, this mass consumption, gifting culture, expensive PR trips and 30-minute YouTube vlogs stuffed with numerous ad features left viewers feeling fatigued and lacking trust in the brands that cropped up in influencer content time and time again.

You see, the average millennial or Gen Z has become ad-weary, sharply attuned to sponsored features, and skip-happy over a gifted segment.

Call it post-pandemic realism, call it inflation fatigue, call it what you want, but the average consumer now wants to see themselves reflected back on a brand’s socials. If a consumer is to spend their hard-earned money on a product, then the key to conversion is authenticity.

If you take anything from reading this, it is to showcase your real customers and their experiences with your brand.

Show how your products are loved in the smallest, most creative of ways. Share the tales that, otherwise, wouldn’t have been told. Lift the curtain on your brand, and give the stage over to the people who are already telling their friends about your products and services, because they, truly, are the backbone of your brand and the key to engagement.

Incentivise your customers to talk about your brand, use this content to build your brand, harness new followers and customers, and let the cycle of customer-generated content continue to spin.

Thanks for reading!

Team Marker