User-generated content can often be overlooked by marketers who are looking to get their brands out there. However, this type of content has become more important especially with the growth in popularity of various social media platforms. It therefore may be a good time to look at the campaigns that your business has in the pipeline, along with their proposed schedules, specific aims and objectives, to question whether they are being planned in the most effective manner.
Take note that there is a perfect balance that needs to be found between user-generated content and professional marketing content. With brand engagement increasing by 28% when customers are exposed to a mixture of both, this is an opportunity that can’t be missed. In fact, big organisations are already seeing positive results from the strategies they’ve put in place.
Once you have capitalised on the relationship that you have with one of your customers, you’ll be able to carry on building on it throughout the year ahead and beyond. It will also allow you to establish an engaging online presence that will heighten your brand’s status in the online world.
Shining a spotlight on the current social media scene
By the time 2018 comes to a close, it’s been estimated that 2.62 billion people will be present on social networking sites. With no sign of registrations slowing down, your brand has no excuse not to be at the forefront of this digital revolution.
Many people are now using social platforms to conduct brand searches, find food recommendations and much more. So, it’s crucial that you make sure your business is occupying some sort of space in the digital world in order to come up in any relevant search engine results, as well as searches within the chosen platform.
Did you also know that 86% of millennials see user-generated content as an indication to the quality of a brand? This is something that your business should be jumping on then — and organisations like Coca Cola and Starbucks have already been doing it.
Reflecting on some successful user-generated content campaigns
User-generated content is especially prominent on Instagram. 95 million photographs are being uploaded each day, which is up from 70 million on the number of daily uploads last year. Not only that, it has been suggested that 200 million users view business profiles every day — so it’s definitely a lucrative platform to be active on.
There’s 500 million daily active users on Instagram too. Since almost half are visiting business profiles, this is exposure that you shouldn’t miss out on. But how can businesses take advantage? Companies like Coca Cola and Starbucks are just two firms that have successfully marketed themselves and encouraged consumers to generate their own content to share on behalf of the business.
Can you remember the ‘Share a Coke’ campaign? It took place during the summer of 2013 and 2014 and saw Coca Cola sell over 150 million personalised bottles featuring the UK’s most popular names to encourage people to use the ‘#ShareACoke’ hashtag.
If you ever head to Starbucks, you’ll also know that the barista writes your name on a cup if you opt to take the drink out of the coffeehouse in a manner that personalises the purchasing experience. Although Starbucks does not encourage its audience to share directly, the trend of doing so stands alone and people continue to do it anyway. Not only that, but #StarbucksNameFail is another recent trend. Within this movement, users post pictures of their incorrectly-spelt name — a light-hearted strategy that keeps the brand fresh, interactive and talked about.
This article was researched and written by Mediaworks, which can provide assistance for establishing the perfect balance between user-generated content and your marketing campaign when it comes to design and SEO.
