User Generated Content can be generated with incredible speed at very little cost to either marketers or consumers and therefore has not created discontinuous innovation in marketing strategy, but rather forced the next phase of continuous innovation. The tactics and strategies for UGC are really no different in basic marketing strategies than implementing a guerilla campaign or grass roots campaign.

Where the most radical changes in marketing strategy enter into the equation is the approach to brand management. Creating an interactive relationship with consumers and finding methods of further engaging the user with the brand has always been the goal of marketers and user generated content has now become advanced enough to be the tool in the marketing strategy.

There are several ways to begin to use User Generated Content and several tactics to begin to generate the buzz in the online world. When composing a strategy it is always good to begin with a defined goal or at bare minimum an idea of what the campaign is looking achieve. Consumer Generated Media can be used as a market intelligence tool, competitive intelligence tool, advertising the brand, and increasing user-brand engagement. All of these objectives need to be considered when forming the UGC brand management strategy.

Consumer Generated Media can be used an excellent market intelligence tool. Marketing departments and advertising agencies go to great expense and time to determine what the market is looking for in products and for new trends. CGM allows these corporations to look into a consumer's conversation with another consumer where ideas are exchanged for new product ideas. Microsoft's Flight Simulator has been designed to allow users to generate content for the program and Microsoft was taking notes. When the new Flight Simulator X was planned, blogs in the Flight Simulator blogosphere exploded with ideas and suggestions of what users wanted to see; Microsoft listened. As a result, Microsoft Flight Simulator still maintains its position of one of the top selling computer simulation games on the market.

Competitive intelligence has always been important in determining business strategies, being able to forecast competitors moves and determine new competitive products/product features is vital to the success of businesses. UGC is another weapon in the arsenal for competitive intelligence. Since UGC is not censored, competitors can have tremendous insight into consumer satisfaction with the competition and maybe even more importantly consumer dissatisfaction. The opportunities that present themselves by being able to see what the market truly thinks of the competition and their products or services are innumerable. Seeing consumer satisfaction can present a never-before seen opportunities to move quickly to copy competitors strengths and capitalize on their weaknesses.

Some of the best online advertising seen today has never seen the inside of an advertising agency. Consumer's have always known what they are looking for and how best to market to each other. CBS has already taken hold of this style campaign by hosting a YouTube contest to create 15 second 'inspirational message' spots to be broadcast on the network prior to the Super Bowl. Additionally Southwest airlines has taken hold of this advertising in it 'want to get away' campaign where users submit 20 second spots on awkward or humiliating moments. The winning spot will be used in the TV campaign. Chevy, Doritos, Sony, and Converse are also experimenting with Consumer Generated Media material. Who else is more informed of how to best market to your target market than your target market itself? The increased user interaction with the brand and the online explosion of buzz surrounding this new form of user participation marketing may very well pay dividends for companies and extend brand reach far beyond the limitations of a paid push marketing campaign.

Increasing user interaction with brands is the foremost objective of marketing, getting users to identify, interact and most importantly positively remember your brand. The more time a user spends creating content about your brand, provided it is positive, the more users will identify and associate themselves with the brand. Hasn't that been marketing's objective all along?

The risk of user generated content is the potential to have a disgruntled customer spreading bad publicity regarding your brand. However, the same risk can also be turned into an opportunity. Some of the best brand advocates a company can have are persons that have had a bad experience and have had the company respond by doing what ever it can to fix the mistake. In this respect consumer generated media can indicate to a company how it is performing with its market and give it a chance to respond to fix the problems. The key for a company is to be vigilant and actually respond to customer's suggestions, problems, and ideas.

Consumer Generated media provides the opportunity to take branding to a new level by engaging the user in an interactive conversation. User generated content is not the radical departure from traditional marketing thought, but rather the enabling technologies to do it better.

For more information on Consumer Initiated Marketing Strategies or to better engage your audience in an interactive online relationship contact Enquiro at 1-800-277-9997.


Kyle Grant
Sponsored Search Marketing Strategist
Search Engine Positioning by Searchengineposition
Enquiro Full Service Search Engine Marketing

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