By Peter Veash

We cannot underestimate the potential marketing power of user-generated curation (UGC). Yes, content marketing is the latest buzzword but there is genuine credibility behind its usefulness in marketing to consumers. The rationale is in the development of a content value exchange, which helps to build brand affinity. It’s also symbiotic from the perspective of consumers because they love to feel like they’ve got a sense of control too. 

We have all heard of Pinterest but other sites are steadfastly making their way into people’s consciousness. The likes of Wanderfly for travel enthusiasts and The Fancy, a photo-sharing shopping site, are both growing in popularity because of their highly social nature. Brands need to make sure that they’re not lagging behind and start finding ways to work with UGC websites. What we’re seeing from UGC is a chance for brands to gain higher visitor engagement levels, a stronger connection to Facebook, and of course there’s a strong monetary attraction.

Both creatively and socially our digital culture is now a filter culture. Sites like Pinterest are transforming digital spectators into participants by making curation easy to use and fun. It is the new way for consumers and brands alike to generate social capital with their friends and followers.

A major attraction of UGC is that it allows the consumer to be autonomous. Consumers have the power to filter data and curate personalised information platforms. They are effectively co-authors of a brand’s story so it’s important for the brand to engage consumers in a meaningful way. People are given the opportunity to cultivate feeds that suit their interests and brands are given the chance to expose them to products they might never come across in a shop. If a brand wants to delve into the wonders of UGC it is essential that they actively participate in these communities by keeping content on their pages fresh and relevant. Equally the activity will need to be maintained long-term as a dipping of the toes will not help to create an authentic digital presence. It’s important to listen to consumers in terms of both the content they create, so the creative can be tweaked to improve engagement, and also to be mindful of the audience’s reaction to the content others create.

User-generated curation helps brands stay authentic in earned media channels because it shares content from third parties that is important to the target audience. Put simply, it’s keeping brands’ media working hard for them all year. A study was conducted on Pinterest, which highlighted that 80% of the content shared is “repinned” content already on the site that is then shared continuously between users. And that’s not even to mention the people from outside Pinterest that are discovering and posting content. This means that the scale of a brand’s audience can be stretched even further as long they stay proactive in seeding content on UCG sites to increase the chances that the content will be found and shared.

In front of brands lies a new dimension in our digital world and a new marketing platform to land on, feet first. User-generated curation is here to stay. I am excited to find out who is going to be the first to make it work the hardest for them.

Peter Veash is managing director of The BIO Agency