Over the years, social media has changed the way we see things as people now use it daily to get inspired and discover the world around them in a much better way. But despite of giving so many opportunities to the consumers, all at their fingertips, the world of internet has made it tough for brands to compete online, a space that is also more profitable than before.
When it comes to winning customers on social media, brands and consumers together are creating content with an aim to promote themselves and develop an authentic image of the products they advertise. But, despite of so many efforts, the effectiveness of various campaigns remain questionable. This leads us to the most important part of the debate that what do consumers really want from brands around the world?
To cover the common misunderstandings between the consumers and marketers, a study has been conducted by Stackla based on 1,590 consumers and 150 B2C marketers from the U.S., UK and Australia. The results might surprise some of you but they are indeed an indication of what will work more in the future for Business-to-consumer marketing.
The difference here lies in the perception of marketers. It is important for brands to know that what type of content consumers regard as authentic in the internet world.
Besides that, in majority of the cases, consumers expressed that a user generated visual really affects their purchasing decision - 57% went to dine at a particular restaurant, 54% purchased a consumer packaged good and 52% planned a special trip to a specific destination based on what they saw on various profiles online.
On a global level, people have similar opinions as 79% of consumers watch user-generated content before purchasing anything.13% trust the brand and only 8% go with what influencers try to promote
And to spice things up, many of such content creators promote brands hoping for a collaboration or will even continue to purchase more if the brand shares their photo, video or post for own marketing.
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When it comes to winning customers on social media, brands and consumers together are creating content with an aim to promote themselves and develop an authentic image of the products they advertise. But, despite of so many efforts, the effectiveness of various campaigns remain questionable. This leads us to the most important part of the debate that what do consumers really want from brands around the world?
To cover the common misunderstandings between the consumers and marketers, a study has been conducted by Stackla based on 1,590 consumers and 150 B2C marketers from the U.S., UK and Australia. The results might surprise some of you but they are indeed an indication of what will work more in the future for Business-to-consumer marketing.
Authenticity is the real key
9 in 10 of the consumers in the survey preferred to go for authentic factor. While marketers totally agreed to their opinion, another interesting statistics revealed the major part of the problem. 92% of the marketers were of the belief that most or all of the content they create fulfills the criteria of authenticity. Whereas, a strong disagreement came in from the 51% consumers who said that less than half of brands create content which resonates as authentic.
The difference here lies in the perception of marketers. It is important for brands to know that what type of content consumers regard as authentic in the internet world.
User Generated Content (UGC) creates more influence than brands themselves.
58% of the consumers admitted that they find the user-generated content more relevant for authenticity but marketers here were now on the opposite side stating that brand created content works more.Besides that, in majority of the cases, consumers expressed that a user generated visual really affects their purchasing decision - 57% went to dine at a particular restaurant, 54% purchased a consumer packaged good and 52% planned a special trip to a specific destination based on what they saw on various profiles online.
On a global level, people have similar opinions as 79% of consumers watch user-generated content before purchasing anything.13% trust the brand and only 8% go with what influencers try to promote
Also Read: Digital Marketing Hacks - A Complete Guide to Using Infographics for Lead GenerationSneaking in with another chance, brands have started to play their bet with celebrities and influencers without realizing the reality again that consumers don’t trust the influencers now after numerous scandals. The cost of influencer promotions vary from $250 per Instagram post to even $500,000 per YouTube video, which 49% brands are ready to pay in 2019. But, they are still not ready to invest in user-generated content which is also 9.8x times more effective than influencer content, as per surveys and data collected.
On the other hand, marketers are striving for more powerful and effective brand created content.
The pressure of content challenge is real and in order to stay relevant, breaking new barriers in the visual content is often termed as success by the marketers. Almost 67% of brands will use more brand-created photos and videos in 2019 for only 15% of consumers who like such type of content from brands.But if we ever compare the content generated by users to the one of brands, then UGC is actually what consumers want from the brands.
An ordinary consumer can be the greatest content creator mostly because they can post about a positive experiences which will improve the image of a brand in the most authentic way.And to spice things up, many of such content creators promote brands hoping for a collaboration or will even continue to purchase more if the brand shares their photo, video or post for own marketing.
So what’s the way forward?
Marketers need to really listen to the demands of global consumers instead of following the advertising trends. User-generated content for anything, be it travelling to a destination, dining at a restaurant, using a new health and beauty product or purchasing a new car, can produce better results as consumers are seeking authenticity in visuals that give a more personalized feeling to them."To break through in today’s cluttered digital landscape, consumers and marketers agree authenticity, personalization and visuals are of great and growing importance. Yet, the significant disconnect this study has revealed between consumers’ and marketers’ views on which types of content are most sought after, authentic and influential should be a warning sign for B2C marketers across industries."With this they can not only save content production problems but adopting such strategies will also reduce the cost of effective marketing for them.
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