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.

Friday Five Roundup: Importance of Creativity & Technology in Digital & Dental Marketing

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Dentistry IQ

Social Media Practices for Dental Offices

There’s more to running a great social media campaign than just making sure your office has an account on every platform. When it comes to smart, and potentially free, online marketing, how you handle your accounts on Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, and Pinterest will separate your practice from the rest, especially when you want to attract young professionals and families.

Read the article on dentistryiq.com>

2
BCBusiness

Creativity is Your Best Resource in Digital Marketing

The founder of Orlando-based iD8&innov8 LLC — and former vice-president of innovation and creativity at the Walt Disney Company —isn't suggesting employees be playful every moment of the day, but that they at least be encouraged to think creatively and bring forward ideas, no matter how offbeat they may seem. It’s something that most of us have been dissuaded from doing.

Read the article on bcbusiness.ca>

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.

Friday Five Roundup: A tribute to Stephen Hawking

1
The Guardian

A life in science: Stephen Hawking

The physicist and author, who has died at home in Cambridge, made intuitive leaps that will keep scientists busy for decades.

Read the article on theguardian.com>

2
Science Alert

Scientists Share Beautiful And Heartbreaking Tributes For Stephen Hawking

Physicist Stephen Hawking has passed away at his home in Cambridge aged 76, leaving the science world reeling. His legacy lives on.

Read the article on sciencealert.com>

Friday Five Roundup: From Women's Day Celebrations to Amazon's Laughing Alexa

1
Adweek

Here's How Agencies Around the World Celebrated International Women's Day

March 8th was International Women's Day and although 24 hours is not enough to show women how much they are appreciated, marketing agencies from around the world made the best of it, from social media campaigns to projections on the sides of skyscrapers.

Read the article on adweek.com>

2
CNN

CDC Identifies a Mystery Cluster of Deaths Among Dentists

It seems that dentists are putting their lives on the line to take care of our oral health. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a number of dentists and dental assistants have fallen sick and died from a strange lung infection.

Read the article on cnn.com>

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.

Friday Five Roundup: From Hollywood Dentists to Ancient Dental Problems

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E! News

Inside the Life of the Kardashians' Dentist: 10K Veneers, Wine Spray and More

When it comes to self-confidence, teeth matter. When someone feels good about their teeth, they smile brighter, bigger and more often. You can tell instantly, especially on the red carpet where a beautiful smile is truly valued.

Read the article on eonline.com>

2
HubSpot

Facebook Has Ended Its Explore Feed Experiment

Back in October, Facebook introduced a new initiative to put Page content in a separate feed from content within a user's personal network. It was one of the first efforts from Facebook to shift its emphasis from advertisers to users -- and it would live under what the social media channel called the Explore Feed.
Facebook ended that initiative today -- which Head of News Feed Adam Mosseri called "a trial response to consistent feedback" in the official announcement.

Read the article on hubspot.com>