Now that Part One: Marketing in the Opt-In Era has you thinking about the impact of privacy regulations on your marketing strategy, we wanted to share a guide on how your brand can frame your thinking and planning around User Generated Content (UGC).
UGC is beginning to flourish due to the shifting dynamics of consumer behavior. Opt-in has become the “must have” with consumers so brands can maintain a level of one-to-one communication that was once driven by cookies and targeting.
But because of increasing data privacy protections, organic social media will ascend to become the most accessible and impactful platform for marketers to connect with consumers where they are, have meaningful dialogue, and get them to be your advocates. As brands begin to shift their outbound activation and channel strategy, UGC will play a critical role in this transformation, helping to drive powerful and engaging communities.
Creating a 24/7 UGC conversation about your brand has to be built around a consistent set of guidelines not only with your internal teams but your consumers, too.
Here are five tips that every marketer should keep in mind.
- Consumers are the Real Influencers: Authentic content comes from your consumers who have liked, used, and connected with your brand. Engage them and it will allow you to get the best and most committed virtual workforce out there today. Our 5-step eGuide to Driving On-Brand UGC can help.
- Build a Strategic Program: Establishing a credible community is built around a consistent, sustained effort to keep consumers engaged, excited, and wanting them to be part of this living entity. It starts with designing an outreach system that is grounded in people (who owns what), a simple process (how does stuff get done), and timing (what is the calendar).
- Establish a Social Contract: Start building your community with clear ground rules, and be transparent about the relationship you want to have with your followers. By establishing what works - and doesn’t work - within the community, it will reinforce your brand’s commitment to building a safe environment where your creators can thrive. When creators are invited to participate in an authentic way, they love sharing their opinions and will help you build the right platform for your brand.
- Collaborate; Don’t control: The best way to build a viral and thoughtful community is knowing when to let go of the reins around control. Invite them to participate with your brand and make sure they understand they are opting into a program. Establish community advocates that can help you guide other creators around best practices that make each party happy
- Make it Fun; Gamify it: Quality content takes significant effort and investment, so if you want to attract quality content, reward them by natively building a gaming component within your community. There are a variety of ways to deliver rewards. For example, couponing is an easy and fun way to give someone a reward (and attract new members), while helping to track and provide feedback on what rewards are resonating with your community. Make sure your platform can support this so the early stages of your UGC program are a success.
As the opt-in era is upon us, it's time to rethink what’s possible. If you’re looking for help building a partnership between your brand and consumers, let EnTribe help you. We’re working with great brands who understand the power of community and how it impacts customer lifetime value, sales and long-term relationships. At EnTribe we leverage our proprietary SaaS platform and best in class professional services to ensure brands success in forging meaningful partnerships with their consumers and prospective consumers while building up brands’ content arsenals.
