The Importance of User Generated Content

My own food photography at Off the Waffle

According to Hubspot, Generation Y is not only the  largest consumer group in US history, but we are changing what goes in to making a purchase. More than 8 out of 10 Millennials say that user generated content (the stuff of Instagram, blogs, Yelp, etc.) from complete strangers influence what they buy. As an avid reader of fashion blogs myself, I can attest to this. I am just as inclined (if not more) to buy a fashion or beauty product that’s been recommended by a blogger I’ve never met than something a friend uses or wears.

Of the world’s largest brands, 25% of their search results return user generated content from review sites, blogs, and social media updates. Brands should not only be aware of this, but actively cultivating this. They can do so by making it easy for customers to write reviews on their website and even asking them to do so (if this scares you, get your act together!). I always check reviews of products before buying something online. Brands should not be afraid to ask happy customers to write a review. My mom owns a franchise of Dream Dinners and has asked her best customers to write reviews of the business for a variety of reasons. This works because these customers know exactly what the business is all about and are more than willing to share how it works for them. Genuine feedback from happy customers means way more than any ad.

Of course, it’s impossible to talk about user generated content without addressing the amateur food photography fad that is taking over social media. Using apps like Instagram and Foodspotting, people everywhere are taking a second to document their meals, much to the chagrin of the chefs. I think these restaurants that are taking measures to ban food photography are missing the point. While it may be sad to watch a couple out on a date where one or both spend the entire time scrolling through a feed on their phone, the whole purpose of #foodstagrams are to share and recommend to others. Whenever a friend of mine has posted a picture from a local restaurant or coffee shop on Instagram or Twitter, I’ve added it to my mental list of places I’d like to check out. Word-of-mouth has always been the most powerful form of advertisement and user generated content is just one more method of that.

Brands I love: Target

Unlike with Nordstrom, I don’t have fond childhood memories of shopping at Target. However, Target is still one of my most beloved brands. Target makes a simple promise (“expect more, pay less”) and consistently delivers on that promise. They do one-stop shopping better than anyone else. I can easily head to Target for one thing and come out with a dozen more. Target is my go-to place for home decor, one of my favorites stores for cute clothes on a budget – and all while getting my grocery shopping done. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately for my bank account), Target’s online shopping experience pales in comparison to the real thing. Whereas in-store it is insanely easy to fall in love with many, many items, on their website it can be difficult to find things even when I know what I’m looking for. Target  can be so addictive to shop and I would love to see them tap into that more online.

One thing Target does insanely well is their collaborations. From home decor to fashion, their collaborations with the hottest designers are always very well done and highly in-demand. I, myself, have gotten up early on more than a few Sunday mornings to be at my local Target right when they open at 8am to shop the latest collections by my favorite fashion designers (most recently the Prabal Garung for Target collection, seen in above video). When Missoni did a collaboration with Target, there was such an overwhelming amount of traffic to their website, that all of Target.com was down for hours.

Other things I love about Target include the storytelling in their Prabal Garung for Target ad (above) and their 50th anniversary ad campaigns and branding. Interested in learning more about Target? Check out  Forbes’ review of what Target is doing right and Fast Company’s article on the creatives behind Target’s brand.

Brands I love: Nordstrom

Photos I took of Nordstrom’s spring catalog via Instagram

My absolute favorite brand is Nordstrom. Aside from their excellent return policy, Nordstrom always puts customer service above everything else. When I was about five and my twin brothers were babies, I remember going to Nordstrom with my mom, where her personal shopper would not only take care of picking out clothes for my mom to try on, but she would also take over watching my brothers and I so that my mom could shop in peace. Nordstrom is such an amazing company because instead of focusing on cutting prices and running a sale every holiday weekend, they put their effort into hiring quality employees and taking small financial hits through their return policy in order to gain their customers trust. Over the summer, I worked for Nordstrom and, with the exception of a few common sense rules, our only guideline was to use our best judgement in every situation. I also appreciate the emphasis Nordstrom puts on fashion, whereas other department stores emphasize prices. Nordstrom sends out high fashion catalogs instead of newspaper ads and writes a fashion blog. I think the care Nordstrom puts into its people and its purpose sets it apart from all other retailers.

Thoughts on Pinterest

I am a natural hoarder. It’s something I inherited from my great-grandmother. I save everything from magazines to glass jars for future DIY projects to fabric scraps to said great-grandmother’s costume jewelry. I’m also a hoarder of images and information, which is why Pinterest is my dream come true. Before Pinterest, I had folders upon folders, each containing hundreds of pictures that I had saved from various corners of the Internet in case I wanted to look back on them later. I rarely did, but there they were, thanks to my love of fashion and desire for inspiration. Pinterest has saved me from a fate of a computer overwhelmed by thousands of files that actually have very little to do with me or my real life. Now, all of my inspirations are kept neatly in one place and I actually do go back and reference things fairly frequently. However, the hoarder in me is nervous that one day Pinterest might disappear and then where would I be without those 4,838 pieces of inspiration? The advertising student in me is shocked that brands aren’t utilizing Pinterest to its full potential. According to this Adweek article, H&M is not even on Pinterest and yet their products are pinned, repinned, commented on, or like 145,000 times a month. However, most of those pins lead to expired pages. Not only is this mass retailer missing out on a lot of potential customers and sales, but they’re also missing a major opportunity to interact and build a relationship with their customers. I personally follow a lot of my favorite brands on Pinterest and the fact that I don’t feel like I’m constantly being spammed makes me value what they put out there a lot more. Any fashion, food, decorating, etc. brand that’s not on Pinterest is missing a huge opportunity.

Thoughts on the Vine app

When Twitter launched its new app, Vine, I was very intrigued not only by the possibilities it had for me and my personal brand, but for brands as a whole. I could immediately see the potential of this app for brands to create content that will connect with their customers. The app is easy to use and has many creative possibilities. In just six short seconds, brands can share “behind-the-scenes” footage, reveal sneak peeks of  new products, or make their audience chuckle. Vine allows brands to connect with their customers on a much more personal level than any tweet or Facebook post ever will. Supposedly, Urban Outfitters was the first brand to jump on board and promote themselves through the new social media platform, followed by GAP, Red Vines, and GE . There’s even an analytics tool already out there to measure the traffic your vines are getting. The great thing about Vine is that brands can integrate it into their existing Twitter profile, allowing them to create interesting content without the hassle of building an entirely new audience. Here are some brands that I think are already doing Vine right:

• NBC News gave a tour inside 30 Rock via Vine – the perfect kind of content for this app
• Designer Brian Atwood gave a tour of his studio and “designed live” on Vine
• The Barbarian Group posted some office shenanigans
• A fun Valentine’s Day vine from Pepsi

To see more brands on Vine, check out this site.

Edit: To read a smart analysis of why the simplicity of Vine is a big opportunity for brands, by Brand Republic, go here.