UGC, User Generated Content resonates better with the conversion rates for UGC being 5X higher. Brands have reportedly seen an increase of 10 percent in conversion rates when User generated content has been used in the buyer journey. While Sweepstakes is a commonly used tactic to expand reach for your campaigns, UGC with ratings, reviews, Q&A’s and user submitted images can improve your site’s search rankings. According to a Forrester’s research on UGC, User Generated content is helpful through all stages of buyer journey, making it a key tactic for new product launches.
Consumers research more and more products online and on the go. Consumers don’t just research big-ticket items like cars or computers, they research everyday purchases like toothpaste and cereal.
Marketers view user-generated content as a critical tool during the early stages of the customer life cycle.
Marketers employ UGC as a key component of new product launches. For leading consumer packaged goods (CPG) marketers, user-generated content has become a key tactic for new product launches — the lifeblood of CPG brands
UGC has significant SEO benefits
UGC and The SEO opportunity*
Use Consumer content to reveal the words that are more relevant to search queries.
Repurpose content such as reviews, questions, answers, opinions, photos, videos, and other types of consumer content in multiple places where it can provide a desirable user experience or help guide the consumer decision process.
Users expect reviews in search results without a click. Do A/B tests to understand search results and revenue when review content adheres to this principle.
Content written by consumers has a shelf-life, therefore it’s important to have a content generation strategy that provides a constant flow of quality content.
Properly structured UGC can help generate rich snippets that appear in search results and can increase click-through rates by 30 percent.
Awareness Campaigns For Storytelling
Campaigns that are designed to harness the power of UGC require an awareness campaign that positions the campaign to be unique enough for audiences to react, engage and share. Generating awareness with existing fans and followers can increase conversions from your Sweepstakes Contest.
In a User Generated Content Campaign, Under Armour has effectively used Video advertising to create awareness with a YouTube video to promote the contest with hashtags #RuleYourself and #IWill.
Customer Centricity
Consumers have a world of content to choose from. If you are too self-serving, you will turn customers away. Instead, focus on your customers’ needs to provide value-added content that puts customer first, product or brand second. Include ratings and reviews wherever possible.
At the same time harness the power of endorsement, turning referrals into a point that creates compelling messages for your audience.
According to Forrester’s report, “Harness the power of peer-to-peer endorsements by sharing them widely. Incorporate stellar ratings or innovative product uses into point-of-sale materials and online or mobile ads. One CPG manufacturer learned that display ads that incorporate ratings and reviews drove higher web traffic and conversion than ads without such information”.
Social Media Engagement On Preferred Channels
Under Armour generated engagement with an Instagram feed with the hashtag and a link that directs audiences to an interactive game, creating a more immersive experience. You may choose to promote your messaging across networks while keeping the engagement for UGC on preferred channels.
Warby Parker launched a campaign where, the consumers tried on different pairs of glasses and have the expert team comment on which pair of glasses are best suited for the user. The #WarbyHomeTryOn has been followed up by #FallSyallabus Campaign.
Encourage Users to Add Images
Sweepstakes are an effective way to target audiences and brands can get creative with different themes. Encouraging users to add images to contests and reviews will make your product pages more visible to users who start their shopping journey with an image search.**
Starbucks regrammed posts are an example of engaging audiences with user-generated content. The rewards that engage audiences may differ for different personas of your target audience.
According to a marketing form with activations acros consumer segments, Create variations of your UGC campaigns, each targeted at a different buyer persona.
Focused Brand Messaging and Recall
UGC offers access to a wealth of insights into what customers respond to and how they use your products. Insights, when turned into action, can be used to fuel new product innovation, improvements, or stronger and Focused messaging.Incorporate UGC in your brand messaging to promote the product features that make your service exceptional.
Source: Forrester and Bazaar Voice
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