Although living in an always-connected, digitally savy world has its perks, marketers must face the harsh realisation that traditional marketing techniques aren’t working as well as they used to. In the age of social media, the power lies in the hands of consumers.
Recent research shows that consumers trust User-Generated Content (UGC) more than all forms of media. However that’s not necessarily bad news. Active influencers who share your marketing messages through customer referrals and reviews are not only building brand loyalty, but also increasing your conversion rates. So how do we leverage user generated content?
Make it mutually Beneficial
Incentivising customers with rewards encourages participation and builds engagement with core market segments. Rewards can take many forms, such as featuring customers who champion your brand – making them feel valued and recognised by your brand. Promoting the passions, interests and creative lives of customers generates content that is far less intrusive, while providing great exposure for your brand through product placement. Give a little to get a little – studies show that 86% of Millennials believe UGC is a good indicator of a product’s quality, and 84% say that seeing UGC on a brand’s website has a positive effect on their purchase decisions.
Dr. Marten’s shoes saw their consumer engagement skyrocket when they crowdsourced new product ideas in their “#Standforsomething” Campaign. Not only did their UGC result in 15 million hits on Vimeo and a whopping 114% increase on official website views, but customers also submitted 30,000 new boot designs...and counting!
Let The Games Begin!
Another great way to create and utilise UGC is by gamifying your content – applying game-like characteristics such as playfulness, transparency, challenge and fun to encourage participation and friendly competition. By the end of 2016, researchers estimate that the market for tools, services and applications related to the deployment of gamified strategies will reach US$2.8 billion. The goal of gamified UGC is to encourage customers to expend a little effort for a small reward, which embeds brand awareness and deepens engagement in the process.
There are many ways introduce gaming elements - like point schemes, leader boards, contests and promotional sweepstakes - to create a buzz around your brand. National Geographic hosted a competition for international travellers with their #wanderlust campaign, inviting travellers to submit their best photos on Instagram to win an all-inclusive photo expedition with one of National Geographic’s experienced professional photographers.
Personalise it
Personal comments, emails and shout-outs can strengthen B2C relationships by reminding customers that your relationship with them is special. Keep the connection alive by responding to social media in real-time, facilitating conversations instead of one-sided responses.
Integrating a personal touch into product design can also massively boost brand awareness and revenues. One of the most personalized campaigns in recent memory is Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” Campaign, which saw the beverage giant manufacturing millions of bottles emblazoned with names and nicknames that encouraged customers to “share a coke with someone.” The campaign resulted in users creating their own unique personal messages for special occasions like birthday wishes and wedding proposals. Customers shared more than 500,000 photos, earning Coca-Cola roughly 25 million extra Facebook followers and increasing consumption to 1.9 billion servings per day in USA alone. Talk about effective UGC!
UGC is the evolution of the traditional customer review. Harness your customers’ goodwill and positive energy by starting conversations and encouraging them to create approachable, authentic and effective content to support your brand.
[Picture from Adweek]