The rise of mobile technology has allowed users to actively gather, evaluate, and share information online.
Social media platforms constantly provide space for consumers to communicate and discuss purchasing experiences more freely and openly than ever before. User-generated content [UGC] comes in all shapes and sizes. For example:
- Reviews
- Blogs
- Videos
- Facebook posts
- Tweets
- And more
Now more than ever, user-generated content should be an integral part of a brand’s marketing strategy. UGC empowers audiences and can build a customer base from social campaigns and provide businesses with critical insights to improve brand reputation. With all this potential data on multiple networks, how can companies leverage these conversations and get the maximum benefit from UGC? Keep reading for six ways to make the most of user-generated content.
Understanding the value of the conversation.
According to a survey by Dimensional Research, 90% of customers say online reviews influence their buying decisions. Customers are constantly looking online for recommendations, reviews, and feedback.
With consumers more likely to trust the opinions of real people over brands, understanding the value of these conversations and the insight they provide is crucial to the success of your business.
Focused listening.
Once you understand what kinds of conversations surround your brand, identifying key advocates and influencers will help you determine where your fans live online. Is your business Facebook page performing well in terms of engagement? Kudos! Build on that momentum and determine what other groups and forums to join.
You’ll find even more members of your audience – both detractors and potential customers – and garner a more thorough understanding of your brand’s reputation. What are your current customers saying? Conversely, what are they not saying? From there, you’ll be able to strategize areas of improvement and anticipate potential gaps or blind spots in your existing marketing strategy.
If you haven’t yet implemented a social media strategy for your business, look at some specific social media goals our team has used to produce successful results for our clients.
Engage … then engage some more.
Every point of contact is an opportunity to engage with your market. Receive three stars out of five? Find out why, and then find out how to make it right. 95% of unhappy customers will return to a company if an issue is resolved quickly and efficiently, so you must capitalize on this feedback.
Stimulate the conversation through social contests.
Campaigns are a fun, creative way to engage with fans, learn a little bit more about your customer base, and attract new business. Photo and photo caption contents, polls, sweepstakes, and video submissions are examples of social campaigns developed with your users at the heart of the concept.
Think about the last social campaign you participated in. What did you like about it? What deterred you from participating in others? Chances are you appreciated quick and simple versus lengthy and multi-faceted. Simplicity will increase participation and engage your existing fans and pique the interest of new ones.
[Need some tips to create a solid social media strategy? Click here!]
Choose the right campaign management software.
Does the idea of starting a campaign seem daunting? There are plenty of user-friendly tools that will help manage your campaign, but here are some of our favorites:
- Woobox
- TweetDeck
- Buffer
- Hootsuite
- MediaVantage
Say thank you.
The Ben & Jerry’s #captureeuphoria campaign from 2012 is an excellent example of a stimulating UGC contest. Ben & Jerry’s asked fans to click a picture of them capturing euphoria – eating their ice cream! – and post to Instagram. Many photos were displayed on national “thank you” billboards as a thank you. The program was designed to be a show of gratitude and a public celebration and continues to be one of the most successful and recognized campaigns to date. Thanking fans is easy, and your rewards don’t have to blow your marketing budget.
Whatever the specifics may be, the ultimate goal of user-generated content campaigns is to get your audience talking about your brand and serve as ambassadors to other potential users. If you’re interested in developing your company’s social media services, don’t hesitate to contact us.