Top User-Generated Content Statistics to Watch

One scroll through social media and it’s clear that user-generated content has taken over the feed.

Consumers love seeing brand communities and customers share their experiences. They’re asking brands to post UGC – and scrolling past brand-created content at a, seemingly, faster rate than ever.

Each year, we compile a list of user-generated content statistics (and a few supporting stats!) that help marketers plan their campaigns and overall strategies. These statistics come from our State of Social & User-Generated Content report, as well as past reports, and statistics from other sources.

Check out the need-to-know UGC statistics leading marketing trends, and make sure to read the last section to get advice on how to take action.

Key User-Generated Content Marketing Stats to Remember

Consumers rank authentic UGC as the most trustworthy content. (State of Social & User-Generated Content 2023)
69.08% of marketers feel ratings and reviews are important to their conversion rates. (State of Social & User-Generated Content 2023)
Only 23.03% of marketers always request rights to other people’s content – which means the remaining 76.97% could do a better job at doing this. (State of Social & User-Generated Content 2023)
78.51% of marketers are investing in video content in 2023 which isn’t surprising considering the 3 platforms marketers plan to increase activity on are TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. (State of Social & User-Generated Content 2023)
54.17% of marketers feel their team has the methodology to know what visual content will convert across marketing channels. (State of Social & User-Generated Content 2023)
Only 19.52% of marketers feel like they have the resources and team to create visual content. (State of Social & User-Generated Content 2023)

UGC and Social Media Marketing Stats

75.78% of consumers have used social media to search for or discover products, brands, and experiences. Get ready, social media is turning into a search engine! (State of Social & User-Generated Content 2023)
68.75% of consumers have purchased something they saw on social media. (State of Social & User-Generated Content 2023)
Overall, consumers mostly use Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube (in that order) to search for new products, brands, and experiences. However, Gen Z and younger millennials (18-34) prefer Instagram for search. (State of Social & User-Generated Content 2023)
68.2% of marketers agree social contests and campaigns boost engagement and conversions. (State of Social & User-Generated Content 2023)
Marketers are most active on Facebook, Instagram, and Linked In with Pinterest beating out TikTok for the fourth spot (TikTok is #5 most active platform). Marketers are the least active on YouTube. (State of Social & User-Generated Content 2023)
Marketers plan to increase activity on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube in 2023. (State of Social & User-Generated Content 2023)
The top 3 challenges marketers are facing when producing social and visual content are budget, time, and engagement (in that order). Compared to 2022, time has replaced content quality as the second biggest challenge for marketers.(State of Social & User-Generated Content 2023)

User-Generated Content for Email Marketing Stats

Email click-through rates can increase by about 73% and produce more conversions when they include user-generated content.
Email is the preference for buyers over 45 years old in comparison to social media and other marketing channels. (State of User-Generated Content)
Email or social media? 4 out of 5 marketers said they’d rather give up social media than email marketing.
A 760% increase in revenue has been seen when marketers use segmented email campaigns.
Marketers are mainly publishing UGC to social media, advertising, and email marketing channels right now. (State of User-Generated Content)

Digital Advertising Meets User-Generated Content

62% of consumers report that they are more likely to click on content like ads, websites, social posts, or emails, that feature customer photos rather than an image created by the brand. (State of User-Generated Content)
Buyers admit to being 4-6X more likely to buy from “purpose-driven” companies and advocate for them (through UGC and word-of-mouth referrals).
Cost-per-click has been seen to decrease by 50% with the addition of user-generated content in social media ads.
65.6% of consumers believe there is a difference between influencers and creators and 72.59% of marketers agree there is a difference between influencers and creators (here’s the difference).
53.73% of marketers agree influencer content converts higher than brand content. (State of Social & User-Generated Content 2023)
6 in 10 marketers report that their audience engages more with UGC in marketing and communications channels than branded content. (State of User-Generated Content)
Only 18.2% of marketers always measure the performance of their content across marketing channels – which means the remaining 81.8% could do a better job at doing this. (State of Social & User-Generated Content 2023)
59.87% of marketers rely on stock video and photography for visual content even though 80.47% of consumers prefer seeing photos of real customers. (State of Social & User-Generated Content 2023)

User-Generated Content and Web Content Stats

The #1 marketing channel used is social media with a brand’s website as the #2 most used marketing channel.
In 2021, marketers took SEO more seriously with 69% of marketers investing in their strategy.
When websites feature UGC, they can see an increase of 29% in web conversions, a 20% increase in return visitors, and a 90% increase in time spent on-site.
79.69% of consumers look at ratings and reviews before making a purchase. (State of Social & User-Generated Content 2023)
69.08% of marketers feel ratings and reviews are important to their conversion rates, but only 35.75% of marketers often or always use UGC in their strategies. (State of Social & User-Generated Content 2023)
57.03% of consumers feel stock photography should be replaced with the diversity of real customers and teams. (State of Social & User-Generated Content 2023)
Only 18.2% of marketers always measure the performance of their content across marketing channels – which means the remaining 81.8% could do a better job at doing this. (State of Social & User-Generated Content 2023)

Brand Marketing Stats

66.41% of consumers believe that brands that use video and audio stand out more than those that don’t. (State of Social & User-Generated Content 2023)
Inconsistent brand messaging is a frustrating experience for buyers.
Only 35.75% of marketers often or always use UGC in their marketing strategies. (State of Social & User-Generated Content 2023)
44.3% of marketers are investing in audio in 2023. (State of Social & User-Generated Content 2023)
The top 3 reasons marketers use social listening are to understand their audience, analyze trends, and conceive new ideas. (State of Social & User-Generated Content 2023)
In 2022, the number one challenge marketing teams faced when creating social and visual content was budget related. Yet in 2023, it looks like that challenge continues with 35% of marketers saying their budget stayed the same over the past year. (State of Social & User-Generated Content 2023)
60.97% of marketers feel they don’t have enough resources for the amount of content they need. (State of Social & User-Generated Content 2023)

eCommerce and Social Commerce Stats

In 2023, online purchases are predicted to reach 20.8% of sales. This could be due to the 5-year acceleration in online shopping that experts predict the pandemic caused.
Currently, eCommerce websites contribute 22.3% of total retail sales.
Purchases made on smartphones were predicted to take up 6% of the total retail sales in 2022.
It’s predicted that online retail sales will reach $6.51 trillion by 2023.
In the US, 20% of online shoppers said they took part in live commerce.
Buyers have said that they’re about 4x more loyal to eco-friendly businesses in comparison to non-eco-friendly brands.
75% of consumers claim they know when they are being advertised to. (State of Social & User-Generated Content 2023)
77% of shoppers are more likely to buy from brands that personalize their shopping experience. (State of User-Generated Content)
The majority of buyers surveyed by PayPal, 57%, said that they shop from international brands (almost 2 in 5 survey respondents had made an international purchase in the last quarter).

Travel, Tourism, and Hospitality Stats

The majority of millennials, 66%, book their travel trips using their smartphone. A higher majority, 74%, said that they use their smartphone for research related to their travels.
With an $8.9 billion value, Booking.com is the #1 most valuable travel and tourism brand in the world.
In 2023, it’s predicted that 2,934 hotels will open in 2023.
2023 sees a rise in the return of meetings and events with 86.9% of meetings and events predicted to start back up this year.
89% of global business travelers have said they want to add personal holiday travel to their business trips in the next year.
42.98% of marketers experienced the most success with in-person events. (State of Social & User-Generated Content 2023)
42.98% of marketers plan to host or sponsor more in-person events in 2023 and 20.61% plan to host virtual or sponsor events. (State of Social & User-Generated Content 2023)

What Do These UGC Marketing Stats Mean For Your Strategy?

Statistics tell you which direction to look – but they don’t give you the map to find your destination. Looking at the macro landscape tells us that there are some major trends to tap into that will increase your engagement and conversions. Better yet, it can build a stronger bond between your brand and community.

Here are some actionable tips for adding these statistics to the micro parts of your marketing strategy.

Social Media Content

As social media grows into a better search engine, it’s up to marketers to create searchable content. Add in buyers requesting user-generated content along their buying journey and all signs post to creating UGC with clear value propositions (that can get picked up by the social media algorithms!).

Email Content

Personalization in email is winning. Subscribers want less of everything you do and more of what they care about. Use lead magnets, contests, and specific ad campaigns to segment subscribers as they come into your list to ensure you’re only talking to them about what they care about. For people already subscribed, send out a quick “What do you want to see from us?” email with links that automatically segment the subscriber when clicked.

Digital Advertising

The shift to video is here. It’s no longer on the horizon – something to worry about later. Marketers need to create video and audio content that meets the latest in consumer trends to meet their community where THEY are. To get a boost on video content, use TINT to find and get the legal rights to the videos your community has already posted.

Web Content

Your buyers want to read and see reviews from other customers just like them. By adding visual reviews to your website and product pages (alongside user-generated content), you’ll create the feedback loop that your audience is looking for. You’ll also warm up buyers to leaving their own reviews after purchase.

Brand Content

Consumers are asking for video and audio content, but that doesn’t magically make time appear for it on your to-do list. Avoid putting off this necessary shift in content and add UGC to your marketing channels to publish high-quality, highly converting content that your buyers are already asking for.

Let these statistics serve as a compass that can show you the way to create a high-performing marketing strategy. Start to build out your brand’s UGC strategy with TINT’s User generated content platform. We help brands like Canon, Nestle, and more connect with their audiences through the power of social media and UGC.

Schedule a demo to see what TINT’s all-in-one social content platform and UGC strategists can do for you.