The strategy: Financial institutions (FIs) are still working to rebuild the consumer trust they lost during the 2023 banking collapses. And user-generated content (UGC) can be a cost-effective way to bridge that trust gap, per marketing solutions provider Growsurf.

What is UGC? It’s content that’s created by anyone who isn’t employed by or affiliated with a brand—so no partner finfluencers either. It works, because customers are inherently skeptical of overt attempts to market to them, and they’re more likely to trust other customers’ opinions.

For example, whether it’s a pickle wrapped in a Fruit Roll-Up or a burger with a bun made of grilled onions, TikTok users influence each other to try certain foods, pushing them to go viral. The same can work in other industries, including banking.