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There has been a great deal of discussion around what appeals to Millennials and Gen Z, in terms of marketing. The Millennial generation, now entering their 30s and 40s, has always been something of an enigma to marketers, and Gen Z is proving just as elusive to understand. But Site Impact has run a lot of email marketing, and done a lot of research on the demographics, and there’s one thing we can say works really well across all generations but especially for the two younger buying demographics: consumer-generated content. It’s a great anchor for your email campaigns, and today we’re going to delve into that topic.
First of all, we should define consumer-generated content. It is, essentially, exactly what the name says: content generated by consumers of a product or service--usually in the form of reviews, trial journals, blog posts, and other media. Gen Y and Gen Z are enthusiastic viewers, readers, and social media watchers, who are more interested in brands when they can see the products or services being used for themselves and hear unbiased information about them. Consider consumer-generated content to be the digital equivalent of word of mouth advertising: people who use your products providing information direct to other prospective customers, talking about the strengths and weaknesses, and giving hints and tips about the best uses. Of course, it can be difficult for brands on occasion--especially when a review isn’t absolutely glowing--to fully appreciate the value of this content, but a lot of big brands have made extensive use of consumer-generated content in a variety of their marketing efforts.
How you go about incorporating this content into your emails depends largely on the form it takes; videos of people testing and reviewing products can now in many cases be directly embedded into emails, but you can also link to Instagram or Facebook for influencer posts, or include links and excerpts of written reviews by various “regular joe” consumers, in your emails. Images are, of course, a great start: consumer-generated images of real people--not actors or paid personalities--using your products and enjoying them are a great selling point for Millennial and Gen Z buyers, and something that will really drive home the value of what you’re selling.
When it comes to targeting the two younger buying demographics, providing direct, real input from consumers in the form of videos, tutorials, reviews, and pictures from social media can be a major driver of engagement and satisfaction. Not only do prospects get to see your products in action in real-world conditions--which in and of itself increases interest in actually making a purchase--but you also generate excitement for your brand by encouraging the content, which continues to act as an ambassador for your products and services across multiple channels. As an added benefit: user generated content is typically very easy and cheap to gain access to, making it budget friendly. Contact Site Impact to hear how we can help you distribute your consumer generated content to the best and widest possible audience and reap the rewards.
