Back in the Summer of 2014 when I started my IMC journey, I attended WVU’s INTEGRATE conference. Bright-eyed and bushy tailed, I soaked up the sessions…but one in particular stuck with me.
Content marketing expert extraordinaire Pam Didner had no shortage of sage wisdom (and humor) to dispel…with a few questions that struck a chord. She joked, “You want to work in marketing?! Marketing is a sweat shop.”
Her point wasn’t literal of course (or maybe it was?), and in my estimation really spoke to how marketing teams are usually small (but mighty). We’re expected to create a lot of magic with a modest, not-so-Harry Potter-proficient wand.
Turning this little tale to current team bandwidth constraints at my own job, I got to thinking about where we can wave our magic wands to make the most of staff size, and what strategies could amplify those ideas.
User generated content = Marketing Magic
User generated content is defined as any type of content (to include videos, blogs, discussion forum posts, images…and beyond!) that is created by the end user (aka the consumer/customer). It’s important because it is centered around…well…the users. And, also 20% more influential than other type of media.
Now do I have your attention?
Other than its scope of influence, how can smaller marketing teams tap into its power to make their efforts explode? Hint: make USG a regularly occurring component of your marketing strategies.
Let Them Share Their Stories?
Audiences are in control of their digital stories, with businesses needing to adopt the role of navigator. Lucky for us, audiences are certainly secure in their role.
For instance, Pinterest has shown a 75% year on year increase in pin creation, and 65% of Snapchat’s 100 million daily users take photos to share and convey the stories of their lives. Beyond this, a good portion of the news audiences read is derived from tagged or curated content.
Still on the Fence About User Generated Content?
Consider these compelling stats…
With content marketing playing such a large role in emerging media platforms, marketing teams need to create content. That said, it is equally import to create opportunities for customers to create content. Let’s face it—it’s easy to come up with content and broadcast it. But on social media, what’s the deeper meaning of that content if we’re just having a one-way conversation with your audience? The onus is on us to create opportunities for conversation with our audience.Then, let them become part of telling the story. Remember—they want to be in control of their story!
Lend me your thoughts…
What are your approaches to using emerging platforms to maximize USG?
gumption marketing 
Very informative! I enjoyed reading this along with the graphics attached. My favorite was the 10 shocking stats on UGC.
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