Gaining customer trust is an uphill task. There are two pressing challenges that you must address when using user-generated content: moderating the types of UGC your customers post and making sure that potential buyers who see this content visit relevant pages on your website.
So, how do you get a handle on this and make sure that your brand’s UGC helps you earn trust and drive sales? You have to make sure that the UGC you use serves a specific purpose. Let’s explore how other brands are doing this through key takeaways from each brand that will inspire you to do the same for your business.
Connect with Potential and Existing Buyers
Any buyer looking for a sales automation tool will always read through a couple of reviews to see what other buyers say about different tools that are available. Reviews help form a brand perception that determines a buyer’s emotional attitude towards a particular brand.
To nurture this connection, you need to make sure that your UGC inspires trust and surprises at the same time.
Example #1: Reply
Take a look at how Reply used UGC in their reviews:
Photo courtesy of Reply
Numbers never lie and they inspire trust because they’re a reflection of results. Impressive open rates, click-through rates, and sales opportunities from outbound emails come as a surprise to most potential buyers.
Key takeaway: When collecting UGC from your customers, ask for real data that show how your product improved their business.
Example #2: ContactMonkey
In addition to using real data to reflect product results, you should also reaffirm the choices that your potential buyers are making.
4 out of 10 business owners aren’t happy with their cash flow due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which means that they’re bound to be cautious about how they spend their money to avoid going out of business.
Show off your customers and what they think about your product to help reaffirm the choices buyers are making–this will help you earn trust. This is something that ContactMonkey pulls off nicely.
Going beyond results, ContactMonkey shows who their customers are and what they do:
Photo courtesy of ContactMonkey
For a potential user, this is reassuring and there’s a guarantee that they will get value for their money.
Key takeaway: Use UGC to reaffirm to new buyers that they made the right choice. It encourages trust and loyalty leading to recurring payments.
Build a Content Library
Ecommerce purchases done on mobile are expected to grow to 72.9% by 2021 — a scenario that the pandemic will accelerate. Several elements influence a potential customer’s purchase decision on a mobile device, one of them being a library of related content in the business’ niche.
Example #3: Sleep Junkie
Content can be a great asset especially if it helps you answer questions that potential customers are asking on Google.
While it’s easy to assume that there’s nothing much one can explore about sleep, people are actually curious about this topic. And Sleep Junkie has a blog post on the same topic:
Is that what their readers would want to read about? A quick search on Google using the keyword “facts about sleep” confirms this, both in the search results and ‘people also ask’ section. The same trend also appears in the related searches section.
Sleep Junkie has found the content their audience is looking for, so they can double down on the same to push potential buyers to the next stage of the funnel, leading to more sales. Our verdict? Even without customer testimonials, knowing what your potential customers want to read and answering it in your content helps you win their trust.
Key takeaway: Look for content that your audience loves then improve it or produce similar content. It helps you earn their trust because they know you’re listening to them.
Example #4: Buzzsprout
Buzzsprout asking their customers to share the lessons they’ve learned while growing their podcasts. Then, they packed the responses into a blog post on their site. When potential customers read this content, they will be more likely to trust the Buzzsprout product because they’re getting advice from customers, instead of the company itself.
Key takeaway: Send out a survey and ask customers to share their thoughts on a common challenge and how they overcame it using your product. Publish it as a blog post and then promote it to your leads.
Boost Social Media Reach and Growth
2.4 billion Facebook users spend close to one hour on the platform every day. Given that 30% of these users discover new brands on Facebook, using UGC to create a memorable first impression will help you earn their trust.
UGC will allow you to discover what topics your audience cares about, the pain points to focus on, and the objectives you need to address in your ads, campaigns, and landing pages to improve your conversion rates.
Example #5: Cubefunder
On Cubefunder’s landing page, they display customer testimonials, images, and videos. When running paid ads to this page, they should use the same testimonial and image or video to maintain consistency between ads and a landing page.
Photo Courtesy of Cubefunder
Key takeaway: If you’re using UGC to run ads, make sure that your ad copy and landing page align. Also, images and colors should be similar to maintain look and feel.
Example #6: LMNT
The purpose of social media is to connect, but not with a faceless, apathetic brand filled with nothing but ads. Brands on social media should have personality, specifically one that connects with their audience emotionally.
LMNT started a campaign to support the front lines amidst COVID-19. Team LMNT posted a series video of themselves on social media, thanking front-line workers and asking viewers to send an email about front-line workers’ situations in their area. In response, Team LMNT distributed more than 350,000 stick packs to these professionals to show their support.
Not only did the campaign boost brand awareness and converting consumers, but it also developed a deeper connection and a long-lasting impact with consumers and front-line workers alike:
Photo courtesy of LMNT
If you’ve used UGC for your business already, it’s easy to feel like you’ve maxed out its potential to help earn trust and drive sales. However, take notes from these brands and elevate your UGC by using it to connect with potential customers, build a content library, and boost your social media reach and growth.
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