The evolution of social media and mobile technology continues to shape the definition of content marketing. Eighty-six percent of brands have embraced content marketing, but their audiences remain in the driver’s seat.
People generate massive amounts of content daily. Think about how much you use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or blog on a daily basis. As an example of how much content is out there, Facebook has 2.5 billion pieces of content and 300 million photos.
Are companies capitalizing on user generated content (UGC)? For some, the answer is a resounding yes. The Content Marketing Institute reports that 78% of B2C companies plan to leverage UGC in their marketing strategies this year.
Adobe recently acquired Livefyre, a solution that curates UGC, because the technology supports the Adobe Marketing Cloud and provides marketers quick access to authentic, user-generated content.
In an interview with CMS Wire, Loni Stark, senior director of strategy and product marketing for Adobe, reveals more about the strategy behind the acquisition. Giving marketers full access to Livefyre, it allows them to tap into billions of pieces of UGC to use on their websites, ads, emails, apps, and more.
Brands typically use this content for brand advocacy. According to Adobe, UGC is revered as more trustworthy by consumers.
“Our content research found 81% of respondents considered a product that was endorsed by a family member or someone they were related to or a friend,” said Stark.
With more authentic user-generated content, brands have the opportunity to create more compelling and engaging experiences.
“That’s why we wanted to work with Livefyre,” Stark remarked. “It’s to bring the joint story of professional and user-generated content and deliver it in creative ways through the marketing cloud.”
This thought should give us pause as marketers. Rather than creating and pushing more of our content out there, shouldn’t we be creating opportunities and experiences for our customers that inspire their content creation?
Let us hear from you. How do you plan on taking advantage of user-generated content to enhance your marketing efforts?
How User Generated Content Can Boost Your Marketing
by Stephanie Gallina on May 31st, 2016 | ~ minute read
