User-Generated Content Tips to Turn Customers Into Advocates

Client habits are evolving. However there’s one factor that’ll by no means change—folks belief folks. It is true in business-to-consumer (B2C) markets. And it is the identical in business-to-businesses (B2B) industries. Analysis backs this:

A report from StoryTap exhibits 88.5% of shoppers belief actual buyer critiques over influencers. So though influencer advertising and marketing works, there’s nothing like having actual prospects talk about your services or products. 

Supply: storytap.com

Practically 98% of internet buyers learn on-line critiques earlier than shopping for, and one other 66% are extraordinarily doubtless to purchase after studying a assessment. So there is not any motive not to undertake user-generated content material (UGC) into your advertising and marketing technique. 

That is what we’ll focus on at the moment. Let’s take a look at how one can flip on a regular basis prospects into advocates. 

Want Person-Generated Content material? Flip Prospects Into Advocates:

What’s a model advocate?

A model advocate is an individual that speaks positively a few model. They assist unfold the model’s message utilizing numerous channels, together with social media, boards, assessment websites, and occasions. Generally, it is previous prospects that perform model advocacy. 

These people bought your services or products and actively advocate it to others they know (and do not know). It is word-of-mouth advertising and marketing at its most interesting. 

When a buyer turns into an advocate, they’re selling your model on their very own (not like an influencer). This makes user-generated content material extra reliable within the eyes of shoppers. 

Now, not that an influencer cannot be a real model advocate. In truth, sending a product to a trusted influencer with no strings hooked up is a wonderful approach to get real social proof. Not solely does their viewers know it is a non-paid assessment, it is content material you possibly can doubtlessly use on your personal campaigns (with their permission, after all).

Model advocacy and influencer advertising and marketing are earned media, which is confirmed to ship hefty returns for manufacturers. In an Influencer Advertising Hub Benchmark Report, we discovered entrepreneurs gained $18 per $1 spent on earned media. So paying for the advocacy of influencers remains to be well worth the funding. 

Do observe: a model advocate does not must be a buyer or social media influencer—it may be an worker. 

“Your folks, like your prospects and your workers, are probably the most underutilized property that your enterprise has.” — Bernadette Butler, StoryTap CEO and co-founder.

What’s a buyer advocacy program?

A buyer advocacy program is a method for creating model advocates and social proof. It contains rewarding prospects for sharing constructive experiences along with your model. 

It is just like influencer advertising and marketing, besides you reward an present buyer who already is aware of and loves your product. You give the person one thing tangible as a token of appreciation. For instance, sending a free t-shirt, coupon, or perhaps a yr’s provide of espresso (or tea). 

The great thing about a model advocacy program is it really works throughout industries and in B2B and B2C markets. 

The place does user-generated content material match into your content material advertising and marketing technique?

Person-generated content material works properly in virtually all content material advertising and marketing efforts. Manufacturers use it throughout all channels and codecs, and at any stage of the customer’s journey. 

As an example, if you happen to’re writing a top-funnel submit explaining a standard drawback, insert a cheerful buyer’s quote describing how they achieved outcomes along with your product. It offers a real-world instance, exhibiting find out how to overcome the problem you are educating them about. 

Then on the center of the funnel, use screenshots of buyer critiques explaining why they selected your product over a rivals’. A wonderful alternative for a “product plug” in a product comparability piece. 

Even on the backside of the funnel, you possibly can share testimonials or case research going deeper into utilizing your services or products and the outcomes. As an example, a buyer going in-depth about their weight reduction journey and the way your product sped up that course of. Turning a case research right into a weblog submit showcases the client expertise to drive guests to transform. 

Outdoors of weblog posts, you possibly can match user-generated content material into your e mail campaigns, paid advertisements, social media posts, podcasts, and movies. 

How one can establish potential model advocates

Turning each buyer into a possible model advocate…that’d be nice, however unlikely to occur. And that is alright. Every advocate can attain a whole lot of individuals with a single assessment or social media submit. So only a handful of advocates can provide your model the visibility it must develop income.

Though your program ought to embrace asking prospects for a assessment, there are different alternatives to search out patrons to advocate on your model. As an example, getting constructive suggestions from a buyer in a help ticket. 

Attain out and see in the event that they’re keen to depart a assessment in your web site or social media web page. You may additionally discover potential advocates within the feedback of weblog, social media, and podcast posts. 

Some manufacturers are daring and join with a rivals’ buyer who’s sad (e.g., in critiques or feedback) and provide a free trial for a assessment. This may work in case your product can fulfill their grievance. 

Use social listening instruments, like Sprout Social to search out these mentioning your model or product (and even rivals). Then to make scraping up posts on Instagram simpler:

“We use the IG Helper extension on Chrome that permits us to obtain all our user-generated content material instantly from the Instagram web site on a desktop. It even saves with the username already within the title. That is invaluable as a result of it ensures we will leverage each piece of content material that comes our method.” — Brandon Chopp, Digital Supervisor at iHeartRaves

How one can flip prospects into model advocates

Your buyer base is crammed with potential model advocates. It is as much as you to seize their satisfaction and share it with the world. However in lots of circumstances, it will not occur until you ask. 

This is the reason it is important to ship a buyer assessment request after that they had sufficient time to make use of your product. It may be wherever between a number of days to a number of weeks, relying on what it’s. You do not need to ship it too quickly, or they will not have sufficient to go on. For instance, in case you have a weight reduction product that takes 30 days, ship a request on the thirty third day. 

However do not simply sit again and hope shoppers use your product and have nice outcomes. You may create extra glad prospects by offering wonderful help. Utilizing our weight reduction instance, you possibly can:

1. Construct a drip marketing campaign, encouraging them to make use of the product every day (or different frequency)
2. Provide ideas for profiting from their journey (possibly a newbie train routine)
3. Give reductions for associated merchandise to assist them drop a few pounds
4. Create a loyalty program to advertise repeat purchases
5. Ask for his or her suggestions in regards to the product and the way it may be higher (a lacking taste, presumably?)
6. Mail a free present as soon as they attain their thirtieth day to have fun
7. Observe-up after they full the 30-day problem with useful recommendation (articles, merchandise, routines)

The objective is to root on your prospects, request their concepts, and share related (and well timed) data and merchandise to indicate you care. Being personable is important now that customers demand personalised experiences.

How one can encourage folks to create user-generated content material

Getting loyal prospects to share their tales with the world is straightforward at the moment. Most Millennials and Gen Z consumers are digital natives or converts and commonly go away critiques for merchandise. So merely asking for a assessment or social media promotion is feasible, particularly once you provide one thing in return. 

It may be a free present, low cost for a future buy, or present card. The objective is to get an sincere assessment, so there’s blended suggestions. However don’t fret, use this as a chance to indicate your human aspect. 

Reply to the adverse critiques and apologize for any mishaps and make sure you’ll do higher sooner or later. Have a look at it as an opportunity to mirror in your product and find out how to make enhancements. Then attain out to that buyer once you improved the product and provide to ship one other totally free. They’ll replace their assessment in the event that they like the brand new and improved model. 

The hot button is making it tremendous easy for patrons to depart buyer suggestions. As an example, in your emails and social posts, embrace a direct hyperlink to the place they’ll go away their assessment. Or have them click on “reply” and ship it via e mail. The less the steps, the much less the friction, the upper the chances they’re going to do it. 

When you’re requesting social media promotion, take into account gamifying it. Ask for patrons to share images, feedback, and Tales of your product (on their wall or your submit). In alternate, they get an opportunity to win a prize. 

Do not have loads of followers? Share the competition along with your e mail listing and use paid advertisements on social media to broaden your attain.

Dingle Dangle Child encourages its followers to depart photos and movies with their product critiques:

Does user-generated content material work?

Will depend on who you ask. When accomplished proper, it could knock advertising and marketing campaigns out of the ballpark. Some even swear it is higher than influencer advertising and marketing alone:

“In 2021, our enterprise prospects used influencers and our prospects of their social advertisements. Surprisingly, the advertisements that featured prospects carried out the identical if not higher than these with influencers, and the ROI was a lot increased.” — Bernadette Butler

Simply make certain to get permission, or your advertising and marketing marketing campaign will backfire:

How do firms use user-generated content material?

Corporations use UGC on all varieties of content material and platforms, reminiscent of social media, and their web site. You need to do the identical. However if you happen to want a little bit of inspiration, let’s assessment how others use UGC at the moment.

3 user-generated content material examples

In our first instance, we’ve Customized Neon, which, as its title suggests, creates customized neon indicators. They collect user-generated content material from social media and critiques posted on-line or despatched by way of e mail. They prefer to publish photos with their buyer critiques like this:

And here is how they used UGC of their newest YouTube advert:

Dingle Dangle Child takes the UGC they collect from emails and use them of their Instagram posts:

Darren Litt, Co-Founding father of Hiya Well being additionally swears by Instagram and makes use of it to collect and promote utilizing UGC:

Do not look ahead to user-generated content material; encourage it

Person-generated content material is not one thing that ought to occur by likelihood. Constructing a method round model advocacy is vital. Discover methods to contain your prospects utilizing surveys, contests, and incentivized critiques.

Make it a win-win, and you will get extra constructive suggestions. And when you do not—keep in mind to make use of it as a studying lesson. As a result of with no nice product, you possibly can neglect about making prospects glad.

Then as your UGC vault grows, you may have the arsenal wanted to construct high-converting content material advertising and marketing and gross sales campaigns.