If your job has anything to do with communications, you probably face the challenge of increasing awareness of your brand in the information-overwhelmed minds of your audience. Marketers today are competing with each other and outdoing each other in ever more innovative ways to reach customers.
So how do you approach the subject? According to a worldwide Nielsen study, 70% of respondents trust posted online reviews from other customers, and as many as 90% trust whisper marketing provided by people they know. This is why social media plays such an important role in today's communications environment. Although social media is not new, more and more brands are using its full potential to expand awareness of their own existence.
One of the fastest growing strategies for increasing brand awareness is user-generated content (UGC). UGC is any kind of content that turns your audience into a marketing machine, meaning it can include social media mentions, videos, photos, comments, blog posts, reviews, etc. This content can be displayed on social media channels, on more or less well-known websites. Adding UGC is more cost-effective than traditional marketing initiatives, and if used in the right way - much more powerful. It will not only increase brand awareness, but also boost trust and elevate sales results.
The easiest and financially most efficient approach to UGC is to select and select content and republish content for your audience. There are several tools that will help you visualize your content, and some of them will allow you to moderate it so that it is consistent with your brand - Sparkle is one of them. To find the right UGC and track engagement on social channels, use a social listening tool such as Notified or Brand24.
Another way to spread the word about your brand through UGC is called cultivation. Use a hashtag or organize a contest through social media and engage your target audience. In this way, you can improve your content to better support your campaign initiative and marketing strategies. The Eneloop Europe Expedition 2100 is a great example of how UGC can be used with a well-planned strategy to increase brand awareness.
Let your audience participate in telling your story and take advantage of all the opportunities to grow your brand with user-generated content. Good luck!