How to Run a Successful UGC Marketing Campaign

By: Beles Lezina

As even more businesses look to the internet and social media to promote their services, it is becoming more important for them to engage with their audience in order to build a better relationship with potential and existing customers. The most cost effective and, arguably, the most efficient way to do so is through user-generated content.

User-generated content, or UGC for short, refers to content that is created by social media users, such as comments, videos, or pictures. This content is typically created by customers or users of a product, which helps promote a business’ products or services online to potential consumers and is cheaper to implement.

Related Article: How to Capitalize on User-Generated Content

UGC helps create a sense of trust between companies and their audience as people are more likely to take recommendations from their friends and family, or genuine customers of the product or service online rather than an advertisement. According to Adweek, 85 percent of users surveyed find visual UGC more influential than brand photos or videos.

UGC has also been proven to improve SEO results, with 25% of search results for the World's Top 20 largest brands being linked to user-generated content. As UGC-centred marketing grows, it is easy for businesses that don’t partake to be left behind. Here are some tips and tricks to capitalize on this entertaining marketing technique.

First off, it is important to decide whether UGC is a good idea for your business. For the most part, a UGC campaign is really only useful if the company has a social media following. Websites that analyze and track social media presence, like Hootsuite, can provide data on whether or not the services you provide are actually being discussed online, which can help make the decision easier for you. It is also essential to take your target audience into consideration. Are they mostly young adults? If so, a UGC campaign may be ideal for your business. However, a campaign that targets older adults may not be as successful.

Six Tips to Ask For a Testimonial

How effective are your testimonial-asking techniques? Consider these tips...

By: Johanna Bannis
Testimonials provide a brief glimpse into how well your business provides service and influences current and potential customers alike. Considered an important part of any review, testimonials attempt to qualify review ratings through description. Asking for a testimonial can often be tricky, however, effective testimonials can greatly promote your business. The magnitude of this is seen in the staggering statistic that 92% of individuals trust a recommendation from a peer! With such a large population relying on the 'hear-say' of others, there's no doubt that you'll want to be easily recognized as a business that has great credibility, offers a high quality service and looks for ways to boost customer experience. If you've previously had difficulty asking for testimonials, have received negative reviews, or are considering new ways to ask, then look no further - here are some tips that might prove useful.

Digital Marketing Terms Decoded

By: Beles Lezina

Whether new or an old hat in the world of digital marketing, you may need a new guide to avoid getting lost in common phrases and terms that are often used by those in the industry. Although the glossary of digital marketing terms is extensive, we'll start with a handful of phrases you should know to get you started in the business:

A monthly series of explanations to lingo and fads in the digital marketing space.

Keyword

In the digital marketing world, "Keyword" refers to the word (or phrase) that people type into a search engine. Digital marketers try to make sure their business is associated with a keyword or a series of keywords in order to boost their SEO and result high in related search engine queries. It is important that keywords are highly relative to a business or brand and its website in order to be effective.