How Companies Are Encouraging User Generated Content to Build Their Brands and Online Reputation By Josiah Mackenzie May 2011
May 18, 2015
How Companies Are Encouraging User Generated Content
to Build Their Brands and Online Reputation
By Josiah MackenzieMay 2011
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Why We’re So Focused With Reviews and Reputation
Customer reviews and online reputation has a more
measurable connection to business performance than any
other type of digital communication.
• Reviews are the type of UGC closest to the buying
process– Reviews affect sales conversion rates
– Reviews affect revenue
• Reviews give us candid feedback for quality improvement
• Review analytics provide insights for decision making
Encouraging UGC To Build Brands and Reputation
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What User Generated Content Can Do For Your Brand
• Introduce your brand to new audiences
• Share a more compelling sales message
• Increase search engine visibility
• Act as a virtual product research and
development lab
Encouraging UGC To Build Brands and Reputation
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Potential Limitations of User Generated Content
• Small percentage of contributors
– Indifferent majority
– Inaccurate sample sizes
• Lack of a strategic overall content plan
• Lack of centralization reduces visibility of
individual contributions
All of these can be overcome with proper planning…
Encouraging UGC To Build Brands and Reputation
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The 90-9-1 Rule of Participation Inequality
• In most online communities, 90% of users are lurkers who never contribute, 9% of users contribute a little, and 1% of users account for almost all the action. [Jakob Nielsen]
Encouraging UGC To Build Brands and Reputation
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How To Increase Volume of User-Generated Content
Understand what motivates people to share content online–“Status stories” and sharing experiences–Building their social profile–Helping others
Make it easy and convenient to contribute–Make participation an side effect of using the product–Create templates to customize–Go mobile–Go offline
Encouraging UGC To Build Brands and Reputation
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The Amazon Consumer Generated Content ModelEncouraging UGC To Build Brands and Reputation
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Make It Easy – Bridge the Online/Offline GapEncouraging UGC To Build Brands and Reputation
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Make It Easy – Create TemplatesEncouraging UGC To Build Brands and Reputation
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Case Study: Roger Smith Hotel
• The Roger Smith Hotel hosts “content creation events”– Live meetups and events– Establish clear sharing mechanisms– Provide access and tools
Encouraging UGC To Build Brands and Reputation
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Practical Considerations of User Generated Content
• Choose your community home
• Make it easy for others to contribute
• Actively promote the material contributed
Encouraging UGC To Build Brands and Reputation
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Case study: Fairmont – Everyone is an OriginalEncouraging UGC To Build Brands and
Reputation
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Case study: Marriott Napa Valley on FacebookEncouraging UGC To Build Brands and
Reputation
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Case study: Roger Smith Hotel at RogerSmithLife.comEncouraging UGC To Build Brands and
Reputation
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The Future of User-Generated Content
What trends are changing user-generated content?
• Adding an editorial layer to user-generated content
• Involving user-generated content in product
development
• Location-based services play a bigger role in
creating UGC
• Likeonomics, microinfluence, and the time-starved
consumer
Encouraging UGC To Build Brands and Reputation
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Editorial Evolution of UGC
“What the Web 2.0 revolution is really delivering is superficial observations of the world around us rather than deep analysis, shrill opinion rather than considered judgment.” – Andrew Keen
User-generated content isn’t the next big thing: UGC + Editorial is.
"Web 3.0 is taking what we've built in Web 2.0—the wisdom of the crowds—and putting an editorial layer on it of truly talented, compensated people to make the product more trusted and refined.” – Jason Calacanis
Encouraging UGC To Build Brands and Reputation
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UGC + Editorial Example: CNN Open StoriesEncouraging UGC To Build Brands and Reputation
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Future: Customer-Driven InnovationEncouraging UGC To Build Brands and
Reputation
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Future: Location-Based Services as UGC
“Location is part of my story.”
Encouraging UGC To Build Brands and Reputation
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Future: “Likeonomics” and microinfluenceEncouraging UGC To Build Brands and
Reputation
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Recap: What We Need To Know About UGC for Brands
• Reviews have a measurable link to business
performance
• UGC plays a key role in sales and building
visibility
• Negative aspects can be avoided with
planning
• Key changes coming to UGC in the years
ahead
Encouraging UGC To Build Brands and Reputation