If you have decided to leverage user generated content (UGC) campaigns to take your marketing to the next level, you must be looking for a UGC tool now. The next decision you have to make is about investing in a particular tool. Although there are several user generated content software available on the market, not all of them are right for you.
According to Gartner, 60% of software buyers regret purchasing a tool within 12 to 18 months. If you do not want to be such a buyer, carefully assess all the available software options to find the right UGC for your small or mid-sized business.
In this article, we cover twelve factors that you should consider while purchasing a user generated content platform. Evaluating these factors will help ensure the tool you invest in helps meet your marketing goals, is user-friendly and falls within your budget. So, let’s begin!
Table of Content
12 Essential Factors to Consider to Find the Right UGC Platform
Features And Functionality: Which features will help achieve your goal?
Community Engagement And Moderation: Can you engage with your community?
Support And Training: How swiftly are the technical issues resolved?
Security And Compliance: Does the tool adhere to data protection rights?
Content Authenticity and Quality Control: Does the tool help maintain brand integrity?
Customization and Branding: Can you make the tool really yours?
Customer Reviews And Testimonials: What do the existing users of the tool have to say?
1. Business Needs: What are you trying to achieve?
Assessing your needs before purchasing UGC software ensures you select a platform that aligns with your specific marketing goals and operational requirements.
For example, if your primary objective is to boost engagement on Instagram, you'll need a tool that specializes in curating and managing visual content, offers robust hashtag analytics, and integrates seamlessly with Instagram.
By understanding your needs—be it increasing brand awareness, enhancing customer loyalty, or driving sales—you can choose a UGC platform that not only fits your budget but also maximizes your return on investment, avoiding unnecessary expenses on features you don't need.
2. Features And Functionality: Which features will help achieve your goal?
Once you have analyzed your needs, it will be easier for you to pinpoint the features and functionalities you need in a tool.
Say your strategy aims to leverage customer reviews to build trust. In this case, you'll want a platform that not only aggregates reviews from various sources but also allows you to display them on your website and social media channels easily. This functionality can significantly impact your ability to execute your strategy effectively.
Thoroughly evaluating the features and functionalities ensures that the software supports your marketing objectives, enhances user engagement, and ultimately contributes to your brand's growth and success.
Here are some feature suggestions that are good to have irrespective of your strategy:
Content curation and management: Look for tools that allow for efficient content discovery, curation, and organization. This includes the ability to tag, categorize, and archive content for easy retrieval.
Legal rights management: Ensure the platform provides mechanisms for obtaining and managing the legal rights to use user generated content in your marketing, to avoid copyright issues.
Integration capabilities: Check if the software can easily integrate with your existing marketing tools and platforms, such as social media networks, CRM systems, and e-commerce platforms.
3. Ease Of Use: Is the tool easy to navigate?
You would not want a tool that is complex and has a steep learning curve. Your team might struggle to utilize it effectively, wasting valuable time and resources on training instead of engaging with your audience.
A user-friendly platform, on the other hand, ensures that you and your team can quickly adapt and start leveraging user generated content to its full potential, enhancing your marketing efforts without unnecessary delays.
This approach not only streamlines your operations but also maximizes the return on your investment in the software.
[Also read: UGC: A Win-Win for Brands and Consumers]
4. Scalability: Can the tool grow with your business?
As your business grows, you will need more and more number of features to support the new traffic.
Let’s say you start with a platform that manages user generated content well for a small audience. But with time traffic increases and the tool is not able to handle that increased traffic and content. This will hinder your ability to engage with a larger community or launch broader marketing campaigns effectively.
Therefore, choosing a scalable platform from the start ensures that as your business expands, your UGC capabilities can grow accordingly, avoiding the need for costly and time-consuming platform switches down the line.
5. Analytics and Reporting: Can you analyze data?
You could be leveraging UGC in the best way possible. But unless you see the impact of your efforts on the business, you will never know if you need to optimize your marketing strategy. This is where analytics and reporting come in.
For example, if you launch a hashtag campaign to generate user content, analytics can show you not just the volume of contributions but also engagement rates, reach, and impact on your sales or website traffic.
This insight allows you to refine your approach, focusing on what works best for your audience and business goals.
6. Community Engagement And Moderation: Can you engage with your community?
It is crucial to maintain a positive and safe online environment for your brand and its followers.
Imagine launching a user generated content campaign that unexpectedly goes viral. Without the proper tools to moderate submissions and engage with your community, you could quickly become overwhelmed, potentially letting inappropriate content slip through or failing to capitalize on engagement opportunities.
Effective moderation tools help you filter and manage content efficiently, while engagement features allow you to interact meaningfully with your audience, fostering a loyal community and enhancing your brand's reputation.
[Also read: Impact Of UGC And Opportunities For Businesses]
7. Cost And Pricing Structure: Does the tool fit your budget?
If you opt for a platform with a high monthly subscription fee but only need basic features, you might be overspending.
Conversely, choosing a more affordable option that scales with your needs can provide better financial efficiency. It's important to understand not just the upfront costs but also any additional charges for extra features, support, or upgrades.
This approach ensures you're not caught off guard by hidden fees and that the software you choose is a cost-effective solution for your business.
8. Support And Training: How swiftly are the technical issues resolved?
Whether it’s getting started after setting up the tool or getting technical issues resolved, having support and training options ensures you can maximize the UGC tool’s potential without unnecessary delays.
Imagine you encounter a technical issue or don't fully understand how to use a feature critical to your campaign. Without accessible support or comprehensive training materials, you could face significant downtime, affecting your marketing efforts.
Opting for software with a dedicated support team and extensive training resources means you'll have guidance available whenever you need it, ensuring smooth operation and enabling you to leverage all the software's capabilities effectively for your brand's benefit.
9. Security And Compliance: Does the tool adhere to data protection rights?
Security and compliance measures protect both your users' data and your brand's reputation.
For example, if you collect user generated content that includes personal information, you must ensure the software complies with privacy laws, such as GDPR or CCPA. Failure to do so can result in hefty fines and damage to your brand's trustworthiness.
A UGC platform with strong security protocols and compliance features safeguards against data breaches and ensures that your handling of user data meets legal standards.
10. Content Authenticity and Quality Control: Does the tool help maintain brand integrity?
It can be difficult to ensure the quality of the content your users produce in UGC campaigns.
Imagine if your UGC campaign accidentally promoted content that was misleading or of poor quality. This could harm your brand's reputation and erode trust among your audience.
UGC software with strong authenticity verification and quality control features helps ensure that only genuine, high-quality content is associated with your brand. This way, you can foster a credible and reliable brand image, encouraging more users to engage with and contribute content.
11. Customization and Branding: Can you make the tool really yours?
Customization and branding is essential to ensure the platform aligns with your brand's visual identity and messaging.
For instance, if you're running a campaign to showcase user generated photos, you'll want the interface where these photos are displayed to match your brand's colors, fonts, and overall aesthetic. This consistency strengthens your brand identity and enhances recognition among your audience.
A UGC platform that allows for extensive customization lets you seamlessly integrate user generated content into your brand's digital presence, creating a cohesive and engaging experience for your users.
12. Customer Reviews And Testimonials: What do the existing users of the tool have to say?
The UGC tool helps your potential customers see the reviews and testimonials of your products and services by your existing customers to make a decision.
So, why not check the reviews and testimonials of the UGC tool you are considering before making a purchase? Checking firsthand accounts can highlight potential problems or confirm the software's effectiveness, helping you make an informed decision.
Reviews often cover aspects that aren't immediately apparent, such as ease of use, scalability, and actual performance, providing a clearer picture of how the software aligns with your specific needs and expectations. This step ensures you invest in a tool that truly benefits your brand.
[Also read: Monetizing UGC: Key Strategies and Mistakes To Avoid]
Why is it important to carefully consider UGC software?
Evaluating all the above-listed elements in a UGC platform might seem daunting and time-consuming at first glance. However, investing this effort upfront is crucial for several reasons.
Ensures the tool aligns with your marketing goals: When you sit down to assess your business needs and then look for a UGC tool that provides features to support those needs, you increase the likelihood of finding the right tool for your SMB. Finding the right UGC tool further increases your chances of increasing engagement, boosting conversions, or enhancing brand loyalty.
Helps reduce cost: UGC platforms come with different pricing models. A thorough evaluation helps in finding a platform that not only fits your budget but also offers the best value in terms of features and support. This is essential for ensuring a good return on investment, especially for SMBs where budget constraints are often a significant consideration.
Provides ease of Integration: The chosen platform should seamlessly integrate with your existing marketing stack, including social media channels, analytics tools, and customer relationship management systems. Proper integration ensures efficient workflows and maximizes the utility of user generated content across your digital presence.
Keeps data safe and protected: With increasing concerns about data privacy, selecting a UGC platform that prioritizes security and complies with data protection regulations is vital. This protects not only your users' information but also your brand's reputation.
Ending the search for a UGC tool with Idukki
Idukki stands out as an AI-driven UGC platform designed to streamline the curation of user-generated content across various social media channels, including Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. Its capabilities extend beyond mere content collection; Idukki offers innovative solutions for showcasing user contributions in an authentic way, ensuring content quality through moderation, and providing insightful analytics to measure campaign effectiveness.
Additionally, Idukki enhances the value of UGC by enabling shoppable features, allowing audiences to easily purchase products featured in user content.
For those interested in exploring how Idukki can benefit their marketing strategy, the platform invites potential users to connect with their team for more information or to request a demo, ensuring informed decision-making.