Building Trust.

There’s a saying that people buy from people they know and trust.

That’s largely true. It’s also very true that anything less than a positive experience (either with the sales person, company, or product) will not only put an end to a potential or repeat sale, it could also turn off other buyers. On this I speak with firsthand experience.

I’ve never worked with a client that mislead their customers and prospective buyers in their advertising and marketing. And as an agency we wouldn’t.

Yet, according to the Edelman Trust Barometer...

'Distrust is now the default.'?

So much so that only 8% of their survey participants said they automatically assume the information they see in an ad is true.

Think about that for a moment. 92% of your target market doesn’t believe what they first see and to build some degree of trust, they require multiple impressions.

With Generative AI becoming more widespread, customer trust will be further tested in the months and years ahead.

For those currently in the market for your product or service, they want reassurance and proof that your claims are accurate and that the product or service really does what you claim it does.

If one of your marketing goals is to build greater authenticity (and trust in your brand), why not let your customers advocate for you by leading with their content??

By swapping brand-created content for user-generated content (UGC) in your marketing communications (digital advertising, email, websites, social, etc.) you remove one of the biggest barriers and immediately establish a greater level of trust — which should help accelerate engagement and ultimately purchase.?

There are other benefits to UGC beyond reducing your spend and faster turnaround.

• Social Media Today found that over 90% of consumers say that authenticity impacts their decision significantly when choosing which brands they like and support.
• UGC comes from experiences that other users have had with the product or service. As such, it’s real and honest content that’s believable.
• According to a Nielsen report, over 60% of consumers trust user-generated content over content created by brands or influencers.
• UGC is 42% more effective and nearly 7x more engaging than content created by brands.
• UGC can help search engine results and improve site SEO performance.
• Social media campaigns incorporating UGC typically receive 50% more engagement and drive 29% higher conversion rates than campaigns that don't use it.
• Nielsen Global found that 92% of consumers find UGC content more trustworthy than other types of advertising.
• Win-Win. When done right, brands benefit with authentic content they can use (that they don’t have to create themselves) and Customers and Prospects have instant access to genuine online reviews and content from other consumers that help in their buying decision.
• UGC has been found to be 35% more memorable than brand-created content.

Simply put… If you can continually build more trust in your brand, customers will feel more comfortable buying. More trust = higher sales.

Wondering if your marketing can benefit from user-generated content?? The chances are… you can.

UGC isn’t limited to consumer brands, but if you’re in the consumer space there’s a lot more content available to you.?

Residential Solar, Yard and Landscape, BBQ and Grilling, Travel and Hospitality, Outdoor and Recreation, Off-road and Overlanding, Automotive, Bikes, and Watersports, Pets and Pet Supplies. Food and Drink. These were the first few that came to mind.?

In the B2B space Trade shows, Events, and Conferences generate UGC along with Shipping and Logistics (who doesn't like a selfie with a ship or train behind them?) to name a few. Whatever industry and space you’re in, the chances are high that there’s authentic content readily available.

If you’re interested in exploring how User-Generated Content can increase your Marketing results — let’s chat. You might just find it can help you get a lot more out of your marketing budget.

?? If you’re already using UGC in your campaigns comment below, I’d love to hear about your experiences and challenges.

#authenticmarketing #authenticbrand #marketing #roi #usergeneratedcontent #ugc