Prior to the internet, most of marketing was a one-way conversation. Companies broadcast their advertisements and branded messages via newspapers, magazines, radio, and television.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Consumers listened and bought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the digital world, though, consumers are given a platform of their own. Through forum comments, Google reviews, video clips, podcasts, social media posts, and such, they can get their own messages about your company and industry seen and heard by millions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Depending on how you look at it, this brave new age is either a marketer\u2019s worst nightmare or a marketer\u2019s biggest opportunity. One slip and you\u2019re toast. One viral breakthrough, and you\u2019re on top of the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019ve not given user-generated content<\/a> much thought yet, now\u2019s a good day to begin. UGC may be the most pivotal marketing concept you\u2019ll come across all year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s begin with an everyday example of how peer-to-peer feedback can affect buyer decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s say you want to buy a car for your newly-licensed teenager. You\u2019re footing the bill, so you get to decide the make and model. Ignoring pleas for a sports car that looks like a tin can on toy wheels, you start considering the options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You stop by a car dealership on the way home from work. A video screen in the showroom tells you Chevy cars are \u201csurrounded by safety,\u201d and there\u2019s a reasonably priced used Chevy Volt on the lot. The salesperson assures you that model is one of the safest cars you can find anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bingo! You\u2019re convinced, but you really should talk the purchase over with your family a little more first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Checking in on Facebook that evening, you mention your plan to your peers. Almost immediately, someone pipes up that Volvo is the way to go. Someone else cites an instance where a friend of a friend\u2019s child (Volvo driver) came out unscratched in a crash, but the driver of the other car (Chevy) was seriously injured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They point you to a car forum where star ratings and reviews confirm Volvo is the safest vehicle on the planet. Then you check Google reviews for the dealership you visited earlier and find several irate remarks from customers who felt cheated by the sales system there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The deal is off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You cancel the Chevrolet appointment and stop by the Volvo lot the next day. The 2011 S40 you choose is $1,000 more than the same-year Chevy Volt would\u2019ve been, but your main concern is the safety of your child, not the cost of the car.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s not until the following month that you happen to run across a CBS report<\/a> citing Volt as one of the safest small cars of the year. The S40 isn\u2019t even on the list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Note: The purchasing decision has two primary components: rationality and emotion. UGC can ramp up the evidence quickly on both sides of the equation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For the sake of best practice reporting, we\u2019ve sprinkled statistics throughout this article. Chances are high, though, you can easily envision a scenario like the one just described unfolding in real life. You may even have experienced something similar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n UGC value isn\u2019t a theory. It\u2019s something you can observe easily in your daily life. Where\u2019s the best coffee shop nearby? Which restaurant would you recommend for lunch? We rely on the opinions of others to help us cut through the billboards and get to the truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n User-generated content gets its power from the fundamentals of human behavior: we trust people we know more than we trust strangers. And we trust what customers say about a brand more than what a brand says about itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Given abundant channels of access to UGC, companies should assume they\u2019ll be talked about online. You can\u2019t prevent that conversation, but you can join it, you can influence it, and you can leverage it as an influential conversion<\/a> tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are three of the most influential places you\u2019ll find UGC and mini-tips on best practice for each:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Internet properties are all controlled by someone. Each website manager gets to decide what to allow and not allow there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But, on all platforms where UGC is prevalent, your job is never to push your message in front of the masses or to convince anyone of anything. Your job is to join the conversation and be helpful. Period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you\u2019ve gained credibility on the platform, you\u2019ll get questions about your products and services. That opens the door to your benefit statements and unique selling points. Seek a natural, organic conversation\u2026 not a bullhorn for blasting sales pitches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Note: Conversions go up in direct proportion to your likeability. If you alienate prospects with over-the-top, full steam ahead sales tactics, you\u2019ll generate negative UGC and lose conversions.<\/p>\n\n\n\nYour conversion rate varies directly with your likeability factor. <\/a><\/span>Share on X<\/a><\/span>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/thegood.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/User-Generated-Content-3.png\")
Buyers used to rely on what the brands and dealers say about themselves<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Buyers now depend on input from user-generated content to inform their decisions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Smart businesses leverage user-generated content in their marketing strategy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/thegood.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/User-Generated-Content-1.png\")
Where does user-generated content get posted?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n