The Power of User-Generated Content

Marketing has two purposes to gain new customers and retain current customers. We spend thousands of dollars and countless hours on campaigns trying to reach these two audiences. Thanks to social media, we don’t have to spend our time or money to reach either. Why? Consumers are doing it for us. User-generated content is free, effortless, and a very powerful persuasive tool. Websites such as Yelp and Angie’s List are so popular because people trust their family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, classmates, and casual acquaintances more than they trust marketers and advertisers. It is obviously unrealistic to completely rely on user-generated content because it is not always positive and the reach is limited to that person’s social network. However, it is a powerful tool that should be utilized by brands.

User-generated content is most predominant on Twitter and Instagram. A picture is worth a thousand words and a thousand ad dollars…