Way before 2020 became the year of pandemics, murder hornets and protests it was predicted by leading marketers to be “the year of user-generated content”. And if you really think about it, the predictions were surprisingly accurate. Content creation has been a cornerstone of our collective coping when it comes to everything that 2020 had in store for us, thus far. It’s also been a saving grace for businesses of all kinds – including dealerships just like yours.
And we’ve talked about this…a lot. From Facebook and YouTube to TikTok, we’ve seen it – and you’ve probably seen it, as well. Some of the content is fun, some of it’s informative, and some of it’s instructional. But this content featuring real people, rather than professional actors and spokespeople, is having real impact. Dealerships that have embraced the ease and influence of user-generated content, and have empowered their team members and clients to participate in content creation on behalf of the dealer, enjoy greater engagement with a wider social media audience.
But user-generated content is more than just videos. It can include the use of approved client images in ads, client reviews & testimonials, approved sharing of client social media posts, and sharing of your content by your clients and team-members alike. Remember, the average person boasts a social media audience up to 10x greater in size than that of the average business.
Is user-generated content right for your dealership?
YES.
But, if you still need convincing, here are 8 important statistics worth considering:
- 84% of millennial consumers admit to being influenced in their online shopping by the inclusion of user-generated content.
- This number is even higher for the emerging Gen-Z demographic, coming in at around 93% (a number that’s expected to continue climbing over time).
- User-generated content can increase your click-through rates by up to 400%, and
- (It can) reduce your cost-per-click by as much as 50%.
- User-generated social media posts receive up to 28% higher engagement than traditional “corporate” posts.
- More than 86% of companies have incorporated user-generated content into their marketing strategies (but only 16% claim to have a strategy in place).
- Brands have experienced 50% higher conversion rates when their pages include user-generated content.
- Brand messages delivered by employees are likely earn 8x as much engagement, and be shared up to 24x time more than the same messages distributed under the brand name.
Bottom-line: user-generated content isn’t going anywhere. Make it a key component of your dealership’s marketing strategy and you might be amazed by the potential increases in your social media reach, engagement, and client conversions.