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We often reprimand ourselves for spending too much time on social media and also blame it for our disappointing results and social life. What if I tell you that when used pragmatically these very platforms can help you carve a niche for yourself. The social media industry has seen a huge shift from the craze of expert written columns to the current fad of user generated content. The easily accessible and widespread social network can help you reach out to millions of people at the same time and showcase your talent. There are deeper implications of this change. Currently, It is not just the companies generating content and marketing campaigns for the audience and prospective buyers but the social media influencers and users in general are creating and circulating more personalized as well as inclusive recorded and live videos, articles and vlogs. This has resulted in more spectator participation and have also placed them on a higher position of a stakeholder. The consumers want to be involved in the discussion and not mindlessly accept the opinions of marketers. This trend is just a take off from citizen journalism which has hampered the unabashedness of ruly citizens and corrupt politicians.

This sweep has democratized social media as the content is generated by the people and for the people. This user generated material is usually unique and mirrors their demands, desires, aspirations and also help motivate others. We often see a lot of users sharing their workout routines, diet plans, gym hacks, beauty regimes, favourite beauty products and shopping destinations. Most of this content is posted volitionally and not under a contract or because of a tie up with a brand

this increases the trustworthiness of the products that are being vouched for. It also helps build a virtual community in which people help each other without any ulterior motives.

When a particular influences gains popularity and builds a big social media family then he/she is paid to promote goods and is also sent free samples to organize giveaway contests and create a buzz for the brand. Then again, the users can post comments and appreciate the product or let other followers know their experience. These comments build the influencers reputation so they are usually cautious about endorsing products and places. This builds trust amongst the audience and the companies get a direct consumer base. As Bill Quiseng, the award-winning speaker, writer and blogger rightly says - “If you (the brand) tells the story, that’s advertising. If a consumer tells the story, it’s the truth to everyone who hears it.”

Real time content and real life material is very diverse and makes social media platforms more interesting. This sort of audience engagement lends more credibility and value to the shared material. Constant availability of data has also made the audience impatient to wait till the next day for information and they keep on looking out for new content. This trend of user generated content is also giving people a change to follow their passion and earn money in the process. YouTube bloggers, Facebook pages, Instagram Influences, Twitter personalities are paid handsomely. Memechat is the newest application to join the bandwagon and pays users to post new and humorous memes.

We have come a long way from ‘banner blindness’ to ‘traditional advertising blindness’. The new generation doesn’t connect well with these old methods. Audience associate the ‘cool’ factor with ads seen via UGC than TVC. Abundance of social media influencers and low cost of running these campaigns helps corporate giants to reduce their marketing budget and use this in quality of production to increase consumption and profit.

This age has also given customers tools like filter and aggregation which they use to follow topics of their interest. With a substantial change in the marketing landscape, using social media influencers is a safer bet as they target a smaller group of audience with similar interests. This change has further redefined the market and made the consumer transition from offline to online shopping more smooth especially in developing economies such as India. Some brands like Huda beauty and Shein have built their reputation and developed its entire consumer base through user generated content and they do not usually rely on traditional methods. Conventionally, the companies using the UGC medium provide better deals and discounts. This is another factor which works in their favour wherein they save money in advertising on social media and provide the benefits to consumers.

This phenomenon across the digital space has affected all facets from production to marketing to sales as it enables a two way communication between brands (via influencers) and its customers. This peer-to-peer advocacy trend is here to stay!