By: Vanessa Suarez | @VanessaSuarez__

As a social marketer, you probably spend your days creating communications strategies, content calendars and professionally crafted content to get your brand’s voice and message across. There’s one thing you might be overlooking -- user generated content. If you haven’t already figured out the overwhelming benefits of user generated content, we’re here to help.

User generated content (UGC) can be truly impactful to your audience, as it comes from members of your brand’s community that your audience already knows and trusts.

So how exactly can it help my brand, you ask? Look no further.

Increases Customer Engagement

UGC provides a platform for your audience to engage. In turn, it provides the greatest opportunity for your brand to interact. When your brand makes an effort to reach out to customers and engage with them, they take notice. Regram, retweet and reblog what they are saying and sharing to your entire community. Once fans see an artist or brand is actively listening to their social chatter, they will engage even more, growing brand awareness within their network.

Improves Brand Perception

As UGC provides an opportunity for engagement, it also allows for you use this engagement and content to shape the audience’s view of the brand. Incorporating UGC humanizes your audience’s perception of the brand, making them feel connected.

Gives Consumers a Voice

Consumers love to see their content published by brands online. This approach allows your audience to tell a story from their perspective. In short, letting your audience tell you some of the awesome ways they utilize your product or service.

Cost Effective Method

UGC allows brands to develop new content regularly by gathering it from their fans, rather than spending internal resources on content creation. It’s a win-win situation! Your brand gets a one-of-a-kind piece of content and the fan gets some real face time with your brand.

Reaching New Audiences

With UGC coming directly from the fans, the chances of reaching new audiences grows exponentially. It’s not only who is following you that will see your messages, it’s who’s following your “brand ambassadors” as well. With each piece of new content, the chance someone new will see your product grows.

Now that you’ve read all about the benefits waiting to be reaped by incorporating UGC, tell us how you plan to use UGC in your next social media campaign.

Want to see how some brands are already utilizing user generated content? Check out these great examples here.