Consumer generated content (CGC) has grown and expanded into different types of content: photos, videos, questions, chats, and more. Essentially, we are in an era of “mistrust” of anything and everything and marketers need to stay aware that heavy sales messages may be offset by CPC.
Shoppers today want to know about brands, but they also want to know about the experience of engaging in a relationship with that brand. CGC addresses that curiosity with a rich new segment of content that bridges the gap between online and offline, wherever shoppers are in the purchase path.
From ratings and reviews to social media content, photos and tweets, companies using CGC as part of their marketing tactics are experiencing more engagement with their customers resulting in more sales.
Ratings and Reviews were a way for consumers to talk and see how other people were interacting with our tools. We wanted to enhance that communication, engage them, and get some quality insights into what our products were doing for people, how they were using them, and what we could possibly pull from that to help with production and obviously customer service.”
Bazaarvoice research shows that 44% of Millennials are more likely to trust experienced consumers over brands and three times more likely to use social media to and consumer opinions. Brands and retailers must prioritize the content their consumers prefer to see: ratings, reviews, questions, and social posts written by actual consumers sharing their honest opinions—good and bad—on the brand and its products.
