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6 Methods of Building User-Generated Content

April 15, 2009 By Heather Fletcher, Senior Editor, Target Marketing
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3. Provide customers with feedback links and buttons throughout the Web site and in e-mails. "It needs to be easy for a customer to know how to do a review," Creighton says. "We do that through buttons. We do it through e-mails. Whether it's e-mail marketing or direct solicitations, we have testimonial pages that we build for businesses. But you need to do a variety of different things."

4. Provide incentives. A sweepstakes can jump-start user-generated review volume, which then can self-perpetuate, Decker says. San Diego-based PETCO was getting 10 to 20 reviews a day before the company launched a sweepstakes for a $50 gift certificate back in 2006. "They were going to give one $50 gift certificate away over an eight-week period. ... They [sent] an e-mail campaign out to their users, they promoted it on the Web site, [and] they had an 800 percent increase in review volume for not only that period of eight weeks, but even after the sweepstakes ended ... People start to see the reviews, and then when they buy the products, they know that they can go back and write reviews."

5. Pursue a multichannel approach. Decker's clients are putting requests for online reviews on customer receipts, shipping boxes and shopping bags. Loblaw, a Canadian grocer, had thousands of employees wear T-shirts announcing, "Come write reviews on our Web site." 

6. Allow negative feedback. That's why this content is valued, Decker says. "[Customers] can feel like they've fully vetted the product right there without having to go to nine other Web sites."

Northbrook, Ill.-based children's bedroom furniture and accessories company, The Land of Nod, notes any products receiving reviews below four out of five stars. In the case of an ill-fated laundry hamper, The Land of Nod's product team made a change at the manufacturer level based on customer reviews and sent the improved product to everyone who complained about the old one. Then Land of Nod removed the old product and replaced it with the one that customers improved. "We see that as a big trend," Decker says.


 

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Most Recent Comments:
Lois Geller - Posted on January 05, 2011
For one of our clients, we set up a video camera and asked customers about their experience.

This UGC has been used a lot now...so many real life responses to an interview question was great.

Going to be doing more of this. Thanks for covering this story, Target.
Daniel D. Immediato - Posted on May 13, 2009
Thank you for the informative info was very helpful
Click here to view archived comments...
Archived Comments:
Lois Geller - Posted on January 05, 2011
For one of our clients, we set up a video camera and asked customers about their experience.

This UGC has been used a lot now...so many real life responses to an interview question was great.

Going to be doing more of this. Thanks for covering this story, Target.
Daniel D. Immediato - Posted on May 13, 2009
Thank you for the informative info was very helpful