As part of our ongoing series of articles on inbound marketing and the concepts that B2B marketers need to know about it, today we’re taking a look at user-generated content (UGC).

UGC is great because it adds an element of social proof to your marketing messages. People trust other people more than they trust brands, and so if you’re able to take advantage of UGC then you’re likely to find that it’s much more effective than simply spamming people with sales deals and special offers.

The problem is that as B2B brands, it can be more difficult than it is for B2Cs to actually encourage people to create content. If you provide finance software, for example, then it can be difficult for people to create something that showcases the product. That’s why many companies turn instead to promoting the lifestyle factors that their product or service can help to unlock.

For example, let’s say that the finance software provider prides itself on how secure it is. If that’s the case, they could ask their followers to share their security tips or to report any scams that they come across. Alternatively, if it’s all about saving time then they could ask people to share photos showing what they’d spend that time doing. It’s all about being creative with your prompts and giving your followers room to add their own creativity, too.

Providing an Incentive

One thing to bear in mind is that people won’t necessarily create content just because you asked them to. In fact, the vast majority of brands who are using UGC are also offering some sort of incentive so that people take the time to get involved. Bear in mind, though, that this doesn’t necessarily have to be monetary or in the form of a physical reward. Sometimes a little recognition is all that people need.

On top of that, you can start to think of creative ways to repurpose that UGC or even to adopt it as part of your overall approach as a company. For example, you could invite people to design the logo for a new product or get them involved with the naming process. By doing this, you allow your company’s biggest advocates to get involved in the way that the company is run, and that also helps to increase the odds that they’ll promote your products and services on your behalf using word of mouth.

Remember that B2B companies typically cater to a specific audience. If you provide software that’s specifically tailored to the HVAC industry, the chances are that any one customer is friends with at least a dozen more in the same industry. That means that every time you use UGC to turn a customer into an advocate, you’re actually reaching their extended network. It can become one of your most powerful marketing avenues. What’s not to love?

User-Generated Content

Conclusion

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