How User-Generated Content Can Boost Sales

Nowadays, consumers are uncompromisingly flooded with different ads, promotions, and in simple terms, “noise”. When it comes to branding, telling stories is the best way to sustain your target audiences’ attention. However, the story has to be authentic.  At Marketing 4 Real Results, we advise our clients not to just throw together a bunch of nonsense and pass it on to prospects/customers. Your target customers must be at the focal point of the conversation to make this exchange impactful and potentially result in a trending conversation.

According to a recent study by Demand Metric, content marketing costs 62% less than traditional marketing and generates approximately three times the volume of leads. Using content is not merely statistic, but actually an active and effective approach to engage target audiences. UGC, which stands for User-Generated Content, is material that a customer creates or posts, which a company can then use to display its services or products. If we take into consideration one of the most effective forms of generating new business, getting a referral or word of mouth marketing, this proves the point of relevance to UGC.

If you are still wondering if this concept is effective, I’m sure you have seen this very process in play many times. A great example of this is “a person gets the perfect masterfully crafted haircut and they are super excited about it. One of the first things they will do is post a picture or selfie on their social media channels with a comment expressing their enthusiasm. Their Instagram page will begin to flood with favorable comments from followers, friends and family about their opinion of the new haircut. The Hair Salon can repost this photo, (with permission from the original poster) to their Instagram business Page and the story can begin to take on a new life. Social media has allowed brands to sustain conversations with influencers of all types to share authentic, love for brands.

Today, we see more and more companies using this process to their advantage, as they should, to capitalize on a testimonial that has the potential to drive new business. A happy customer experience is what drives continued business growth, regardless of your product or service. Many brands have evaluated this and determined there is no better way to tell its story other than from the eyes of real consumers.

According to TINT, marketing research company in a recent study titled The 2018 User Generated Content Marketing Report, there are three key benefits to UGC: humanizing marketing, boosting social media metrics, and supporting marketing campaigns.

In addition to the high capacity of engagement and the overall boost that UGC can bring to brands, the ROI is fantastic. The most substantial benefit associated with user-generated content is the cost, which is FREE. There are many ways to continue to capitalize on this genuine content and build loyalty by extending this engagement to a contest. A contest can provide a longer lasting impression on your primary customer for starting this trend and encourage followers to share in the fun.  Turning as many customers into brand advocates is a great recipe for growth.  Aligning your strategy of UGC with an integrated marketing plan can spearhead a lifetime of very successful marketing campaigns. Having this paramount of success can take your brand to the next level and that is what you are in business to accomplish. Correct?

Learn more about how your brand can have user-generated content to grow your business by contacting us today.

Eric Biglari – Contributor

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