Brand messages are shared up to 24 times more when distributed by your employees instead of the brand.
Some brands don't even want their employees to be on social media during work hours. Yet this is the biggest source of reaching prospects and gaining new customers.
When you empower your employees to share content on behalf of the brand, you're creating an untapped marketing channel that doesn't cost any additional money.
Using customer feedback, reviews and recommendations in your marketing is more likely to be read, shared and acted upon when a prospect sees this type of message vs. a brand's message about the same topic.
If you aren't using UGC in your marketing strategy, invest some time in reviewing what you have and how you can use it.
Here are 8 places you can look for user generated content:
Product reviews
Social media comments
Webinar feedback
Free trial feedback
Direct from customer conversations
Podcast reviews (like the screen shot with this post)
Live video comments
Online course feedback
If you don't have any reviews or UGC to use in your marketing, create opportunities for customers to help you out. On your next invoices, ask Marketing for verbiage and location for you to include on the next bill. It could be something like:
"We love our customers and want to hear from you! Click this link <or insert URL> and let us know what you think of the service we provide. We'd love to use your comment in our next Instagram post - we'll tag you in it as well!"
Remember: 92% of consumers trust friends and family recommendations before they trust the brand. Your customers are also your marketers. So leverage the data, comments and information already available and include in your marketing efforts as well. Make sure you have permission first! Most are happy to let you use it but have a process in place for asking for permission before using.
Using UGC will not only help expand your reach, it will also help build trust in your brand faster.
If you need help getting started, send me a message and let's have that conversation.
Vicki O'Neill is a fractional CMO in Ohio with over 20 years of marketing leadership experience. She's the founder of KenKay Marketing, a marketing solutions company founded in 2011. Vicki hosts Connect the Dots a marketing and sales educational podcast for entrepreneurs and businesses of all sizes. She recently launched a new podcast with her Gen Z daughters, The Power of 3X, to help individuals who want to learn about the youngest generation. You will find Vicki on most social media platforms but you'll find her mostly on LinkedIn and Twitter.