How incorporating UGC in your Paid Socials strategy can get you closer to your KPIs – because content isn’t just about what’s pretty, but what converts.
If you’ve paid attention to what we harp on about here at Sticki, we’ve talked heavily about the value of User-Generated Content – particularly with regards to Paid Socials.
And at this point, we’re probably preaching to the choir as the entire digital marketing space has since hopped on the bandwagon with a consensus that UGC is king.
Hairhouse is one of our sister agency, DataSauce’s longest standing clients – which we mention often, because a 4-year professional relationship is genuinely worth flaunting.
And historically, creatives throughout the account were branded assets that mirrored in-store campaigns and posters you’d see all around your nearest Hairhouse.
But we wanted to help nurture an even more holistic marketing ecosystem for the leading Hair & Beauty services brand. It would effectively deliver “omnipresence” in the eyes of customers, and began via the diversification of collateral, meaning print vs. digital vs. in-store campaigns were each unique to themselves.
We – that’s DataSauce and Sticki – worked together with Hairhouse to give their creatives a little revamp of hair-raising allure.
Upon implementing Sticki produced UGC into DataSauce’s Meta ads strategy, performance metrics saw a dazzling uplift almost immediately – and it’s especially evident when we compare it against the branded assets also tested to run at the same time.
And these are incredible results – ones that exceeded expectations by far because in theory, we predicted benchmark improvements with UGC ads to hover around the following numbers:
So, believe it or not: Our estimates understated reality, since our work with Hairhouse generated results that substantially surpassed goals upon including Sticki UGC in our Meta rotation.
Perhaps the primary difference between intricately designed branded ads and UGC is that the latter has a story to tell – and tells it with authenticity from a third-party mouthpiece.
Sure, one could argue that the former looks prettier.
More professional and on-brand even.
But if you’re looking for what converts best and elicits an emotional response from viewers (who are then subconsciously incentivised to purchase from your brand), you’ll want content that hooks, impacts, relates to your audience and leaves them wanting more.
Our tried and tested framework covers problem-solving elements, social proofing solutions, edutainment angles, as well as a conversion optimised “soft sell” CTA delivery.
We also take into consideration unique needs of your target audience, to then produce creator briefs that communicate a bespoke messaging meant exclusively for who will be watching.
After all, emotional queues and the resolving of pain points are vital for hooking shoppers in.
Read more in this Sticki blog post about ‘Understanding Your Consumer to Curate Your Content’ – where we unpack specific (and universal) psychological drivers that can agitate your audience and remind them of problems they face without having your product in their lives.
With Hairhouse, for instance, the primal needs our UGC videos tapped into were factors of ‘Likeability’ and ‘Success’, alongside learned desires of ‘Beauty’, ‘Dependability’ and ‘Bargains’ – all frequently referenced in ads and very much in line with value propositions of products in the beauty space.
To say we’re stoked that Hairhouse’s UGC ads performed this well would be an understatement.
It’s always a dream to see data-backed ideas turn into data-backed wins, and if you want to find out more about the tricks we have up our sleeves for your industry, jump on a call with us today!
Already know that you need UGC? Even better.
Submit a brief or find a plan that’s right for you on here – we’ve got both local and global creators on speed dial who aren’t just randos, but real people who are fully representative of your ideal consumer.
How three creators, four types of berries, and zero faces made the most scalable, evergreen content that everyone could relate to.