We all know a referral into your business is one of the best ways to bring in a customer. They have been sent to you by a trusted source, and inherently have that much more faith in your product or service.
So how do you leverage that kind of support for your business via technology?
Enter User Generated Content – aka UGC – and reviews.
Maybe you’ve heard it said another way? Social proof? Brand loyalists? This all falls into the same bucket.
Whether you are in the B2B space or the B2C space, there are ways to leverage UGC and reviews to impact your business. Not just on the customer/client side, but for the organic performance and authority of your website as well.
There is a benefit for humans and robots, as we like to call it. You’ll learn about that in Golden Rule number 6.
Let’s talk Business to Consumer first. We have a client who sells amazing luxury bedding. It’s a very visual product, something people would be likely to share on social media.
What if your customer shared your product on social media – wouldn't it be great to leverage that image and vote of confidence? A testament to your product from someone who wasn't paid to endorse it, wasn't you saying how great you are. Just real, authentic content from a happy customer.
Great news – YOU CAN! Through platforms like Yotpo, you are able to create a comprehensive integration with your customer base through social channels to curate content. User generated content.
This content can be leveraged on your website. It can be leveraged on your social channel as shoppable posts. All the while creating a vibe of authenticity, because it's coming from your loyal base.
Exciting, right? So what about our B2B friends. It's hard to take a picture of professional services, and people aren't likely going to be using Instagram to talk about a bulk order of Cisco phones. Enter the review platform.
There are ways to organically leverage reviews with your client base through third-party review systems. You may have heard of some of these – Capterra, TrustPilot, G2.
What's great about these review systems is that they create original content. Content showing your company has done right by their clients, and is the B2B social proof (not social media) needed to create authenticity.
Icing on the cake for all of this – both UGC and third-party reviews – SEO. Google verified review platforms can help with your organic ranking and pull in visual cues to your listings. I'm talking about those beautiful gold stars in the search engine results page.
It takes time, dedication, and a plan to make it work. In the end it can truly help to elevate your brand above the rest.