User-generated content (UGC) is a massive factor in building credibility and trust with your audience. A 2021 Stackla report reveals that 59% of consumers say user-generated content is the most authentic type.
When we talk about UGC, we usually refer to customer reviews and testimonial videos. This type of video content can be especially powerful. When your real customers talk about their genuine experiences with your brand, you’ve got video gold.
But, producing UGC can come with risks, like misrepresenting your brand.
Remember, your brand represents your identity, values and the stories you share with the world—consistency across all these areas matters, especially to your customers. According to G2 Crowd, 50% of companies say their customers expect great design and cross-channel consistency from their brand.
So, when you have your customers or employees creating video content, consistency is crucial. Without it, you’re at risk of breaking brand compliance.
What is Brand Compliance?
Brand compliance is a set of strategies and processes that ensure brand elements, like logos, colours, tone and messaging, are consistent across all channels.
But, beyond brand consistency, compliance is about protecting the brand by staying in control of its identity. When done right, brand compliance will align seamlessly with your brand guidelines and help build recognition.
Why is it Important to Maintain Brand Compliance?
Without compliance, there’s a risk of spreading misinformation or the wrong impression about your brand, product or service. If this happens, it can be costly and time-consuming to repair the damage done to your brand image.
Consider this – You’re selling a hair removal service that’s advertised as a pain-free solution. One of your customers records a video review about your product and mentions the word ‘painful.’
When it comes to compliance, this is a video you wouldn’t want to share online. Publishing this video can jeopardize your brand promise and create inconsistency in your messaging.
Brand compliance sets out easy-to-understand guidelines that make sure any type of content released is consistent with your values, messaging and look. Not to mention help your bottom line. According to G2 Crowd, consistent brand presentation across all platforms increases revenue by up to 23%.
It’s important to note that brand compliance is not about shutting down authenticity or out-of-the-box thinking. It simply means working around a set of standards to be consistent.
So, as a brand that wants to harness the power of UGC but remain in compliance, how do you capture authentic video that aligns with your brand?
1. Establish Clear Brand Guidelines
Before any type of recording begins, communicate your brand guidelines to your customers (or other video creators). This will define the look, feel and voice of your brand. Be direct and clear with what they can do or should avoid.
Setting expectations from the start will eliminate the chance of uncertainty or misrepresentation. Plus, it will reduce quality issues and give you more to work with once production is over.
Establishing your brand guidelines will help point your customers in the right direction. The goal is to produce authentic video marketing content that is user-created but brand-generated.
2. Use Pre-Approved Prompts
To script or not to script? At StoryTap, we say ditch the script if you want to capture genuine video content. Scripts can take away the video’s authenticity, so start with brand-led prompts instead.
The idea is to craft appropriate, brand-compliant talking points your customers can use as a guide. You want them to speak from their heart but stay within your brand guidelines. Pre-approved prompts will keep your customers on track and give them the freedom to share their personal experiences candidly.
3. Go Through an Approval Process Post-Production
You’ve set expectations and provided brand-compliant talking points. So, there’s a good chance your customers are creating video content that aligns with your brand. But, conducting a thorough approval process before publishing online is a step that should never be missed.
Go through each video to ensure your customers properly represent your brand. What are they saying about your products? Do they recommend your services to others? Does their story align with your campaign objectives? All these things must be reviewed and approved post-production to ensure the videos are brand compliant before sharing online.
4. Secure Video Usage Rights and Consent
Excellent UGC is something you’ll want to reuse and repurpose over time. Save yourself the headache of expiring consent and managing usage rights by securing content ownership. This way, you can use it to promote your brand across all channels whenever and however you see fit. Whether you want to repurpose content for a new campaign or post a throwback, you’ll have complete control over the videos.
StoryTap Makes it Easy to Create Authentic UGC Without Compromising Compliance
There are a lot of factors to consider when it comes to UGC that aligns with your brand. StoryTap’s patented video technology makes it easy to record authentic user-generated videos at scale without compromising compliance.
Our platform offers built-in controls and approvals before publishing content online. So, you can create authentic video content stress-free, knowing you have full control over your video marketing process.
Are you interested in learning more? Let’s talk and see if StoryTap is the right choice for your brand!
