Chapters:

1. What is word-of-mouth marketing?
2. Why word-of-mouth marketing is so effective
3. How to increase your word-of-mouth marketing
4. How to implement word-of-mouth marketing (with examples)
5. Measuring your word-of-mouth marketing

Think about the last time you used a product or service that solved your problem so well, you wanted to tell everyone you know about the experience. Perhaps you found the perfect pair of headphones for work. Or handmade chocolates that you can send as a cute gift. Whether you talked to a friend or relative directly, posted about it on social media, or left a review, telling others about your experience is word-of-mouth marketing in action.

This powerful form of marketing fuels a whopping $6 trillion of annual consumer spending globally. It can also be more effective than paid ads, resulting in 5x more sales. 

This form of marketing isn’t just for big brands. Any company that provides services or sells products can benefit from word-of-mouth marketing strategies. For instance, in a survey by Alignable 85% of 7,500 small business owners reported word-of-mouth referrals as their top source of new customers.   

Here’s everything you need to know about word-of-mouth marketing so you can start benefiting from this powerful form of advertising.

What is word-of-mouth marketing?

Word-of-mouth marketing is when consumers share positive experiences with a product or service with their peers, whether in person or online. In the connected marketplace where shoppers are always-on,

Because the information comes directly from your customers, word-of-mouth advertising is authentic and cost-effective. It’s also highly valuable. Over 50% of consumers read at least four reviews before buying a product, and 93% say online reviews have influenced their purchasing decisions.

What is the digital version of word-of-mouth marketing?

Digital word-of-mouth marketing is how your customers speak about you online — in product reviews, social media posts, blog posts, and emails.

In the consumer-to-consumer commerce world we live in, digital word of mouth is how potential customers find out about your brand.

Why word-of-mouth marketing is so effective

No matter what strategy you pursue, word-of-mouth marketing helps increase your social exposure, create excitement about your products or services, foster brand loyalty, and build trust. 

Considering that consumers talk about brands casually at least 90 times a week, this type of marketing can have a substantial impact. Word-of-mouth marketing can help grow your business in the following ways

1. Consumer trust

Think of the last time you needed a recommendation for a doctor. What’s the first thing you did? You likely asked a friend or family member who they use or posted a question on social media.

The positive experience of others becomes a key factor in your buying decision. You’re more likely to buy or use a service because you trust the feedback from your peers.

Brands and retailers can “borrow” that trust to gain new customers with minimal effort.

2. Brand loyalty

When it comes to building trust and loyalty, businesses need all the help they can get. 

According to HubSpot Research, 65% of people don’t believe advertisements and 71% don’t trust sponsored social media ads.

Yet people do trust their peers. 88% of consumers regularly consult online reviews from other shoppers to help make confident buying decisions. Since the information comes from actual customers — not the company — word-of-mouth marketing helps build a strong, loyal community. 

The more businesses can encourage or make it easy for happy customers to share their experiences, the better. As loyal followers talk to others, those individuals get excited, become customers, and tell more people — creating an ongoing source of word-of-mouth advertising.

When you consider that about 65% of sales are from existing consumers, you want to ensure that you’re keeping your loyal base happy and making it easy for them to spread the word about your company. 

3. Increase brand awareness

People can’t buy from you if they don’t know about your business or products. Therefore, getting the word out about your business organically, especially new products and services, is essential. 

Word-of-mouth marketing is a perfect way to make people aware of your brand and what you have to offer. 

Sometimes word-of-mouth advertising can catch hold, especially on social media. This excitement can quickly spread among your ideal audience causing a powerful viral effect. 

How to increase your word-of-mouth marketing

There’s two ways to increase the influence of word-of-mouth marketing: organic and amplified. 

1) Organic word of mouth

Organic word-of-mouth marketing occurs naturally. Customers freely talk about your brand, service, or product. This can occur online, over the phone, or in person. Examples include reviews, ratings, social media comments, or conversations in the checkout line.

It’s unlikely you can control consumer conversations in the street. But these conversations are also happening in the reviews, social posts, and other forms of user-generated content (UGC) shoppers are creating about your brand — you just amplify their voices across your e-commerce site and beyond.

You can syndicate product reviews and display them across all your customer acquisition channels. Or you can browse your tagged posts on Instagram and take the photo of a customer happily sporting one of your products and feature it on your product pages. Featuring this UGC can increase average order value by 15%.

2) Amplified word of mouth

Amplified is when companies offer rewards, affiliate programs, freebies, discounts, contests, or they partner with influencers.

The goal is to motivate people to talk about their experiences. Example: A business may receive more entries to a contest if they tell others about the competition on social media. 

These types of word-of-mouth marketing strategies can be easier to track than organic ones, but they require more effort from your team.

How to implement word-of-mouth marketing (with examples)

Now that you know how word-of-mouth marketing works, here’s six ways you can use it to increase engagement and boost sales.

1. Create a referral or loyalty program

Whether you use them to generate awareness about a new product launch or a subscription service, referral programs are designed to get your customers talking.

Additionally, a referral or loyalty program that’s created with your ideal audience in mind can build trust by showing customers you care about their needs and interests.

Before launching Girlfriend Collective, the brand decided not to use paid ads. Instead, they launched a referral program that allowed people to get a free pair of $80 leggings by sharing a referral link on Facebook. 

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A post shared by Girlfriend Collective (@girlfriend)

The approach worked so well that the had brand received 10,000 orders on launch day.

2. Reward customers for creating and sharing user-generated content

When someone is excited about your brand, service, or product, you want to make it easy for them to share their enthusiasm. 

Customers who are excited about your brand might post user-generated content on your company page, share stories of using your product, create videos, and more. These people are your super-sharers. They care about your business and want it to succeed, so reward them. 

Comment on their posts. Provide positive feedback on their videos. Share their posts on your social media channels and in your emails or newsletters. 

You can also motivate others to share their UGC by asking people to post, or running events that encourage followers to create their own content. The coffee and tea company Top of the Mornin posts user-created artwork on its homepage. Artists are clearly credited and a social link is provided so people can see more of the person’s work. 

By amplifying the work of its fans, Top of the Mornin helps foster a loyal community of super-sharers.

3. Connect with influencers who are a great fit for your brand

Influencers are a valuable resource for many companies, with 93% of marketers relying on influencer marketing. 

Pairing up with an influencer who fits your products, services, and company values can help increase your brand awareness and bring in new customers. The key is finding someone who already has the right type of followers for your brand.

For example, food and beverage giant Kraft Heinz wanted to drive buzz and word of mouth around new product releases, so they sent product samples to the Influenster App’s community of everyday influencers who matched the brand’s target market. They were then encouraged to create authentic feedback and other UGC about the products.

According to Elizabeth Northrup, Associate Brand Manager at Kraft Heinz, the campaigns, “over-delivered on our targets for the program, delivering 2x the product reviews we expected, and the earned media was over 5x our program investment.”

4. Ask customers for reviews

Reviews are the pinnacle of word-of-mouth marketing. They’re organic testimonial ads in action. If you come across a positive review for a product on your social feed, it’s likely to catch your attention. It’s likely to get you to check out that product. Maybe it convinces you to purchase.

But people are busy. Sometimes, they forget to leave a review after making a purchase. But most will happily share their experiences — all you have to do is ask.

You can schedule a social media post requesting reviews from current customers. You could also send an email inviting customers to leave a review or a testimonial after they make a purchase. Or leave QR codes next to checkout tills in-store.

The key takeaway here is to make it easy and quick for people to share their feedback — and then display it on your channels.

Hardys Wines for example uses customer reviews as their word-of-mouth marketing, displaying the positive customer feedback in adverts.

5. Create content that people are excited to share 

Take time to create posts, emails, videos, and articles that interest your followers and are easy to share. As a result, they’ll keep coming back for more and tell others about your content.

The niche clothing brand CLOAK knows its followers. The brand consistently posts unique and engaging content that customers are excited to share. 

This includes quizzes related to CLOAK’s products and images of the company’s owners modeling the clothes. 

6. Authentically connect with your community

Loyal customers want to feel connected to your brand. Instead of just focusing on increasing your followers, make your social media channels a 2-way conversation. This will play a huge part in boosting organic word-of-mouth marketing. Reply thoughtfully to customer comments and thank them for leaving a review. You can even spotlight UGC by sharing it on your own channels.

Growing your community with intention can also provide you with valuable consumer insights, allowing you to better serve them while strengthening your brand. 

Threadless evolved from a T-shirt company into an e-commerce marketplace fueled by the brand’s Artist Shops community. 

Knowing that its ideal audience was creative and fun, Threadless created contests and challenges designed to showcase its followers’ creations and build its community. This helped Threadless attract 10,000 members in its first 2 years of business and earn $6.5 million in less than 4 years. 

In an interview with Forbes, Threadless’ then-vice president of marketing, Cam Balzer, stressed the importance of building social media followers organically. 

“We believe the more organic the growth, the more loyal the fans, the more likely they will be repeat customers.”

Currently, the Threadless website provides multiple ways for customers to connect with artists and the community, like the Artist of the Day section on its homepage.

Measuring your word-of-mouth marketing

Accurately measuring word-of-mouth marketing can be tough. You won’t always know when someone recommends your product or service, especially if it happens offline or in a private Facebook group. But you can get a sense of how well your word-of-mouth marketing is working overall. For instance, you can:

• Ask customers at checkout or after their purchase how they learned about you
• Use a customer satisfaction survey to gleam relevant information
• Start a loyalty program that includes promo codes or other trackable links to monitor if the information is shared

Word-of-mouth marketing lets you authentically build brand awareness, trust, and loyalty. All for very little cost.

As the stats show, people trust family, friends, and online reviews from their peers. And as a business, you want to encourage word-of-mouth marketing by embracing the strategies that fit your brand and audience.

Because the more you understand your followers, engage with them, and provide quality content, the more excited they will be to share their positive experiences with everyone they know. Which means more traffic to your pages. Which means more sales. And who doesn’t want that?

The best way to get started is by activating content creators and existing vibrant communities you can tap into. Our on-demand masterclass below will teach you how.

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Masterclass: The future of marketing: creators and communities

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UGC is a blanket term that covers any and all content created and shared voluntarily by customers — separate from paid influencers and brand advocates. This includes social media, blog posts, product reviews, unboxing, and first-time-use videos. An almost limitless array of formats. Now, as customers return to more hybrid shopping on and offline, UGC can be a linchpin in a brand’s omnichannel strategy.

“Phygital” bridges the gap between the physical world and the digital

In this “phygital” environment, retailers need to combine the best of digital and in-store experiences. UGC helps promote the customer’s voice in an authentic, relatable, and real-life way that no traditional marketing strategy can typically deliver. So how can in-store and online UGC promotion create a symbiotic, mutually beneficial relationship for retailers and customers? 

We’ll share a handful of tactics you can try yourself, with a few examples of how others are making it work.

1. Scan QR codes for product reviews

A study by Yes Marketing found that customers shop in-store because they want to see things in person. But when they’re in-store and can’t find information about a product they’re considering, they won’t hesitate to pull out their phones for on-the-spot searching. One of the best tools for the phygital world is the humble QR code.

You likely know that smartphone cameras function as built-in QR scanners, but we bet you didn’t know that the “QR” in QR codes stands for “Quick Response.” QR codes are a cost-effective and highly versatile tool for instantly providing detailed information in a quick but high-value interaction.

Though retailers might have initially viewed their digital and physical shopping experiences as mutually exclusive, the reality is that they supplement one another. So it’s time to jump on the phygital bandwagon.

Customers are already well aware of the vast content available at their fingertips to inform their shopping decisions. Real customer reviews are a powerful form of UGC that shoppers rely on to make confident purchases. Why not make it even easier for them to access these reviews in the moment?

Add strategically placed and visually prominent QR codes to your product displays so that shoppers can quickly scan them and find the reviews they’re looking for. Keep in mind that any page where users are being directed needs to be optimized for mobile.

QR codes can also be a helpful driver for creating UGC. Printing codes on product packaging or price tags can make it easier to encourage customers to leave a review with a single scan.

2. Show real-time star ratings and review counts

Electronic shelf labels (ESLs) are a fairly low-tech but high-impact way of letting retailers display live star ratings alongside products in-store. Leveraging basic e-ink displays, ESLs make it easy for retailers to wirelessly update live counts of ratings, reviews, and dynamic pricing. Among other inventory management benefits. When Amazon launched its brick-and-mortar Fresh grocery stores, it introduced ESLs. This is a prime (pun intended) example of the phygital era in action.

According to Grocery Dive, this move was a subtly differentiating power play that contained Amazon’s secret sauce: an enormous volume of customer ratings. “With the exception of produce, just about every other item in the store, including center store consumables and even fresh seafood, prominently display UGC generated by Amazon’s shoppers. Now shoppers can both physically handle the product and see in the ESL display that other consumers have tried the product and liked it.”

This also helped Amazon gather useful data about which of its private label brands could stand up to the perceived quality and popularity of name brands.

3. Create visual UGC displays

One incredibly straightforward way of introducing UGC in-store is to install visual displays. This could mean leveraging visual UGC in printed brand and marketing assets, like promotional banners, posters, stickers, and window displays. But it can also mean digital installations, like “social screens” that feature curated feeds of branded hashtags.

These displays can bring a vitality that printed materials cannot, but their effectiveness is limited. Christine Russo, Principal at Retail Creative and Consulting Agency, says, “I believe putting screens into a retail environment when people carry their own screens does not really move the needle.”

Retailers might instead consider flipping the script and envisioning in-store displays that inspire customers to actively contribute to creating UGC. In McKinsey’s recent report on technology and the future of shopping, senior partner Kelsey Robinson asks, “Is a store just about a transaction? Or is it a place where I can offer community and experiences that are aligned with my brand — everything from a fitness class to meeting local talent or local bands?”

For the launch of his cosmetics brand, Pleasing, pop star Harry Styles opened pop-up stores in multiple cities that drew substantial crowds. Eager fans waited in line for hours to pose for selfies in front of beautifully designed branded backdrops. Product displays were staged so that customers could capture and share first-look photos of the stylish packaging.

British retailer Boohoo “created a shoppable showroom where customers could try on looks, and post them to social media,” not only gaining exposure and reach but also gleaning insights into key trends and audience demographics.

The phygital era

Now that product transactions are frequently carried out online and fulfillment facilitated offsite, in-store traffic will inevitably continue to be lower than before. While retailers want to avoid becoming glorified pick-up locations, and convenience is no longer the driver of a customer’s choice to venture out to a shop, there’s an opportunity to reposition stores as places of brand discovery and education.

In the words of Alessandro Camaioni, Strategy Director, Momentum Worldwide: “If people can effectively shop anywhere, anytime, a store’s role is less about ‘product-in-hand’ and more about engaging people with valuable sensory, emotional and ultimately memorable propositions.”

This strategy invites new expertise to the table, i.e. experience architecture, according to Brian Solis, Global Innovation Evangelist, Salesforce. In his view, bringing more technology into physical retail environments needs to, “just be in the background. It’s about creating magic.”

With UGC as a powerful catalyst at multiple stages of the customer journey, retailers need to consider how customer content and feedback can engender a more playful, engaging, and even immersive experience. Both online and in-store. It’s time to get phygital.

Said Google Canada’s Head of Marketing, Fab Dolan, “The brands that are winning are the ones that understand and own the fundamental interplay between experiential and transactional.”

To start your foray into the phygital world, you first need to collect the UGC needed to get you started. Bazaarvoice can help you with that.

LEARN MORE SHOPPER TRENDS

Shopper Experience Index 2022

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From shifts in gifts to where they’re filling their carts, we wanted to understand what shoppers are doing this holiday season. We surveyed over 6,000 shoppers in North America, Europe, and Australia to find out.

You can view the full infographic here.

Yep — we’re talking about millennials.

Getting millennial brand loyalty isn’t just useful to your brand — it’s absolutely vital to staying in business long term. But building this loyalty is challenging. Winning millennials’ brand loyalty takes honesty, provable quality, and the courage to make a real statement with your brand messaging.

Don’t be afraid to take a stand on social or industry issues

The saying “silence is violence” might seem like a huge exaggeration for a company selling shoes or luxury scarves, but it’s a critical phrase for marketers who want to understand millennial psychology.

“Silence is violence” means that saying nothing about injustice is the same as supporting injustice. Many millennials endorse this idea and want their brand to have a “take” on the issue of the month. Social issues, global issues, or even just a strong opinion about an aspect of your industry that’s taking public heat.

Millennials care, and so should your brand. The Deloitte Global Millennial Survey 2020 polled over 27,000 millennials and Gen Z’ers across over 40 countries. By an overwhelming margin, most millennials felt an upswing of sympathy, empathy, and a desire to create a better world after the pandemic.

Later in the study, 60% of all respondents claimed they intend to “buy more products and services from large businesses that have taken care of their workforces and positively affected society during the pandemic.” Furthermore, 38% of millennials said they had connected more with businesses that have had a “positive impact on the environment.”

In a different study, Nielsen IQ found that 74% of millennials are more likely to buy brands supporting social issues they care about.

Get comfortable getting uncomfortable

Essential if you want to connect with millennials and earn their trust. If your brand doesn’t take a side on a relevant hot-button issue, you’re still taking a side in the eyes of many young consumers. And maybe not the side you intended to take.

When Starbucks announced they would create 10,000 jobs for refugees, they faced widespread blowback from anti-refugee groups (and President Trump.) However, Starbucks also got plenty of support for this choice. Especially from celebrities and influencers, who went to bat for Starbucks and spread the news to their followers.

Jessica Chastain, award-winning actress, producer, and one of Time’s top 100 most influential people in the world, signal-boosted Starbucks’ new policy to all of her 800,000+ followers.

This kerfuffle occurred back in 2017. Despite an unsuccessful boycott attempt by those opposed to the refugee decision, Starbucks has nearly doubled its market cap since.

Obviously, the controversy isn’t the sole source of this growth. But it certainly did Starbucks no financial harm to stake out a strong position on a sensitive topic.

Market research showed Starbucks wasn’t negatively affected by the controversy. In a public letter from market research firm Kantar Millward Brown, the company’s president Brian James confirmed just how little Starbucks’ public support of refugees damaged the brand.

“After the announcement—we did not observe any substantive impact on Customer Consideration, Future Visitation Intent or Brand Perceptions or any other key performance metrics for the Starbucks brand,” concluded James.

So let your company take a stand where it matters. You’ll likely find that “controversial choices” can earn you lifelong millennial customers without damaging your bottom line.

Three things to remember when entering the public debate as a company

1. The stand you’re taking is important to you and relevant to your industry, product, or service.
2. All voices for the company are well educated on the topic at hand.
3. Real donations, policy change, and notable action must follow any declarations of support.

Keep your promises because millennials keep receipts. When brands don’t follow these rules, they end up with toothless messaging that gets ribbed on social media. Consider this Twitter screenshot as exactly the messaging to avoid:

Millennials value authenticity and honesty. They know how to screenshot a brand statement and call you out if your business doesn’t live up to it. In fact, 82% of consumers say they’ll stop using a brand forever if they feel the brand has broken their trust.

Taking a stand isn’t always pleasant, and it’s true you may suffer criticism from those who don’t agree. But the millennial consumers on your side will back you and your company in the long run. In fact, buying your products and services will feel like a righteous moral choice for those who agree with you. And that’s the kind of customer loyalty you can’t buy!

Share how your products and practices are helping the world

Millennials will pay more for a “guilt-free” product. Three-quarters of millennials have said they would pay more for products if they came from a socially responsible company.

The most popular factors for this generosity are:

1. Sustainability of the product
2. Use of organic/local/natural ingredients
3. Environmental friendliness of the manufacturing/transportation process

A survey by Markstein and Certus Insights found that 44% of millennials believe that every business should be active with environmental initiatives. It’s a stark contrast from the 35% of baby boomers who believe the same thing. And the 28% of Gen X.

Basically, corporate social responsibility (CSR) has a correlation with how far millennials will open their wallets. And considering that shoppers are projected to spend $150 billion on sustainable goods this year, those are big wallets.

Brands are winning millennial brand loyalty with sustainable practices

In 2018, LEGO announced it was working on changing its classic block material. They were moving from plastic to a polyethylene material made from sustainable sugar cane. Millennials reacted positively to this news, even though the material turned out to be not quite right for LEGO bricks in the long run. But the positive effect of its dogged pursuit of more ethical manufacturing lingers.

LEGO’s consistent commitment to environmentally-friendly practices has grabbed headlines and kept its brand in the news. It earned goodwill (and good press) after a children’s letter-writing campaign convinced it to nix the single-use plastic bags from its packaging and replace them with recyclable paper bags. LEGO even has its own page at the World Wildlife Foundation dedicated to its sustainability efforts.

According to the LEGO Group Annual Report in 2020, revenue has grown in the double digits across sales and operating profit. With no signs of slowing down. Considering its sustainability research and efforts have cost them hundreds of millions of dollars out of pocket, that’s worth noting.

LEGO didn’t just see higher sales. In 2020 and 2021, the Global RepTrak 100 Survey crowned the LEGO Group the most reputable company on the planet.

Obviously, not every company can afford to throw millions of dollars into sustainability research like the LEGO Group can. Which doesn’t really matter, because it’s not really about how much money you spend. Take KeepCup, for example, that appeals to the millennial love for the environment by featuring an “impact calculator” on its website.

If your brand’s actively working toward a good cause, get that news out into the world to grab millennial goodwill.

Communicate your value beyond price

Living through two major recessions has made millennials frugal shoppers by necessity. Not to mention having less generational wealth than those who came before. And since they’re well-versed in digital shopping, millennials can find a service or product that’s cheaper than yours. From their phone. In about five seconds.

Don’t try to earn millennial loyalty with affordable prices. While this price-conscious mindset might seem like you ought to focus on price, it’s actually the opposite. Your “low” price can always be beaten with a quick online search. A search a millennial shopper has probably already performed. Hooking a millennial with a “low price” is like trying to sell ice to a Siberian.

You need to show millennials the true value of your product or service. Unless you want a price race to the bottom. According to a KPMG study, pricing is the least important factor in creating brand loyalty. The resource you have that they are interested in is quality.

Product quality is still the #1 reason for brand loyalty. As the above infographic shows, value is #2, and “product consistency” is #3. Which is just another facet of “quality” really. If you can consistently deliver a top-notch product and illustrate its value to millennials (regardless of price), you’ll be perfectly positioned to earn their brand loyalty.

Influencers influence millennial brand loyalty

Obviously, “make a quality product” isn’t terribly useful advice. But you do need to prioritize communicating the quality of your product in highly visible locations. For millennials, those highly trafficked areas are going to be on social media. Your medium is going to be influencers and reviews.

Many millennials trust influencers. According to a Fullscreen study (shown below), 55% of millennials believe social media influencers are honest about their beliefs and opinions. Another 41% believe influencers’ recommendations are accurate. Micro influencers are especially trusted sources.

Consider reaching out to influencers online to capture the attention and trust of your millennial audience.

What’s in a review?

You can also communicate your value to millennials through reviews. 85% of millennials say that product reviews are “a must” before a purchase is considered.

Before choosing reviews to showcase, there’s three main criteria to consider:

Here’s a few tried-and-true methods for obtaining reviews for your products:

1. Send automated emails to remind customers to review products they’ve purchased.
2. Reward loyalty-program members who leave reviews.
3. Utilize Influenster’s unique sampling solution. Use hyper-targeted VoxBox’s to trade product samples in exchange for honest reviews (and other visual content, fyi).

After you’ve done this, turn on ReviewSource to give you a continuous source of authentic review content. Always-on content means always-on sales!

Upon securing positive reviews, use Bazaarvoice ReviewAds to share them in ads, on social media, and across the Bazaarvoice Network of over 11,500 retailers.

Once you’ve communicated the value of your product, you’ll see brand loyalty rise naturally from the trust you’ve established.

Design a brand loyalty program that creates its own value

Next up is rewarding the loyalty you’ve worked so hard to acquire—enter the loyalty program. These loyalty programs enforce a feedback loop. Value creates loyalty that creates a sense of value in the member that creates loyalty that creates…okay, you get it.

Brand loyalty programs must provide rewards that are actually valuable. 37% of millennials don’t see the point of brand loyalty without a loyalty program. If you don’t have a rewards program, that’s a huge chunk of your valuable millennial audience just, poof, gone.

Successful loyalty programs with real value have a few things in common

1. Exclusive rewards. There’s nothing more valuable than something other people can’t have. Consider offering a limited-run, members-only product. Maybe even a special customization or feature, or even a unique bit of swag that isn’t available in your store.
2. Free shipping. If your company ships products, your loyalty program members shouldn’t be paying for it.
3. Novelty. Consider adding new rewards quarterly or changing existing rewards to keep young, prone-to-wander customers on the hook.
4. Elevated customer service. Membership has its privileges. So making sure your most loyal customers are moved to the front of the customer service line will engender loyalty and gratitude.
5. Gratitude. Speaking of gratitude, your loyalty program should remind your members how appreciative you are of their loyalty. Little surprise gifts on holidays (or out of the blue), special discounts, and even heartfelt letters of thanks create a valuable personal experience with your brand (which millennials appreciate, by the way.)
6. Rewards for referrals. Referrals reward both the urge for millennials to engage with their network and the desire for value. Companies have found great success with referral programs for their millennial customers.
7. Low barrier to entry. If it takes longer than a minute on a smartphone to join a loyalty program, millennials might falter. Your loyalty program should ideally have an app. If not, it needs to be optimized for mobile users. A simple email and password should get them in. And when you want to gather more data, consider having a prompt that pops up later to add more of their details to your program. 

The more time and energy you put into your loyalty program, the more returns you’re going to see. 81% of millennials say that their membership to a loyalty program increased their spending with that particular brand.

That makes loyalty programs a true double-whammy. You reward/enforce brand loyalty and actually end up making more in the long run. This is an area no company can afford to skimp on.

Assess how much you need millennial brand loyalty

Before sinking every penny into millennial outreach, took a look at the statistics from KPMG’s global survey mentioned earlier about millennial brand loyalty:

If you’re selling shoes, clothes, food, drinks, cosmetics, or personal care products, millennials will likely stick with you if you reach out to them with the techniques we’ve discussed. If you target them in your marketing, you’ve got a decent shot at inspiring brand loyalty.

But if you’re selling luxury goods, sporting goods, or household goods, you’re in for an uphill climb. That doesn’t mean millennial loyalty isn’t worth getting. It means you should calibrate your expectations and your marketing budget to a realistic goal. 

High risk higher reward 

Unless your business is selling avocado toast, winning millennial brand loyalty can be a daunting task. And sometimes a costly one at that. But the reward is far greater than the risk. With a few simple tweaks to make sure you practice what you preach, you’ll have lifelong, loyal customers. Potentially 1.8 billion of them. That’s a lot on your bottom line.

Now you’ve captured the millennial market, read our marketing to Gen Z best practice guide.

FEATURED RESOURCE

The power of visual content: How UGC strengthens customer relationships to grow your brand

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We’ll spare you another push on the importance of UGC. It’s 2021, you already know that. Or at least, you should. (Here’s a handy guide incase you don’t!)

Now though, we’re taking things one step farther. It’s not enough to just have a UGC program, you need to have a strong UGC program. To ensure your UGC will have the highest possible impact, we’ve developed the Bazaarvoice User-Generated Content IQ Index, Inspired by Gartner’s Digital IQ Index:

These six areas are used to calculate your score. You can earn up to five points per section, and the average of the sections is your program IQ. Your target? 4.5 to be considered a best-in-class program.

Let’s break it down by section.

Display/User experience

Is your content easily accessible, recent, and visual? It should be. Almost 80% of shoppers say product reviews are most influential when making purchase decisions

Content collection

Are you asking for your shoppers to leave reviews and share photos, or are you just hoping they will? Optimize your content collection by leaning into the best channels (like post-interaction emails) and incentivizing as needed.

Content amplification

Does your UGC only live on your website, or are you getting the most out of it through syndication and different advertising channels? Let your content work for you.

Consumer insights

Can you find the themes in shopper reviews and feedback? What are you doing about it? Let your insights work for your business.

Reputation management

Do you know how to get your customers to trust you? It’s not just about positive reviews – it’s about staying far away from fake reviews, engaging negative reviews, and offering transparency.

Value measurement

Do you know how UGC provides value beyond your product pages? Start calculating syndication, amplification, and offline impact.

Honestly, all UGC is valuable to your business. But strong UGC is even better. Maximize the impact your UGC has with this easy audit and watch your bottom line soar.

The audit your UGC program needs

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Watch our webinar on the audit your UGC program needs

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The pandemic cast a spotlight on just how much moms do and how they’ve stepped up recently to take on extra responsibilities. Your relationship with your mom may seem even more valuable and meaningful now, especially if you haven’t gotten to see her over the past year. 

Mother’s Day has long been a popular shopping holiday. This year, 83% of consumers planned to celebrate Mother’s Day, according to the National Retail Federation. Shoppers were poised to spend $220 on average, $16 more than last year and the most in the NRF survey’s history. Cards, special outings, and flowers were the top gifting categories. 

This year, brands embraced the times in their Mother’s Day marketing campaigns. They created relevant content with realistic imagery showcasing the many roles and responsibilities of Mom. Marketing spanned social media posts, TV commercials, videos, gift guides, and more.  

Looking for ad inspo for your brand? Then let’s take a look at five of the best Mother’s Day ad campaigns of the year! 

Walmart turned Mother’s Day into a month long event 

Walmart decided that one day just wasn’t enough to celebrate the “leading ladies in our lives.” So, the retailer extended the holiday into a month long event called Mother’s May. The Mother’s May marketing campaign featured a series of in-store and online events and social media content. 

Walmart hosted Mother’s May Markets, where it transformed some of its Supercenter locations into outdoor markets with crafts, goodie bags, family photos, and other family activities. Online was included just as much as brick-and-mortar, too. Online shoppers could create custom cards, find instructions to make handmade gifts, and shop curated gift lists. Walmart also offered $10 off for first-time pickup and delivery shoppers to promote the service. 

For its Mother’s Day social media posts, Walmart debuted a video featuring real moms, including some of its own employees, in real-life parenting situations with their kids. The video appeared across the retailer’s social channels, because Walmart knows all too well the benefit of utilizing authentic user-generated content.

Carhartt encouraged moms to take a well-deserved break 

Iconic workwear brand Carhartt has been around since 1889, but recently it’s become trendy with streetwear enthusiasts, who are attracted to its authenticity. Realism and authenticity is the approach Carhartt took with its Mother’s Day marketing campaign. 

Celebrating all the moms who are spread too thin, the brand released a video titled “The Shift That Never Ends” featuring real hard-working moms. The video shows the exhaustion that comes with working in fields like farming and construction and then coming home to family responsibilities. It ends with the message, “Take a break Mom, you earned it.”

The brand also created a limited-run “Carhartt Bouquet.” Instead of flowers, the bouquets included pocket T-shirts in different colors rolled up to look like a floral arrangement. It came with the message “work gear off limits (until tomorrow),” emphasizing the need for moms to take some well-deserved time off. 

RITZ celebrated the role of foster parents

For its Mother’s Day campaign, cracker brand RITZ celebrated the foster parents who open their homes and care for the 424,000 foster children in the U.S. The marketing campaign was a partnership with the National Foster Parent Association and will also be a part of the brand’s Father’s Day promotion. 

RITZ released an emotional two-minute video, titled “Foster Welcome,” that will tug at your heartstrings. It shows a family meeting their foster child for the first time and the nervousness and excitement that everyone involved experiences. 

RITZ’s Mother’s Day promotion also includes a series of Instagram stickers that allow foster parents to share family photos while protecting the privacy of their foster children. (Social media photos of foster kids are prohibited by some states.)

To access the stickers, enter #FosterWelcome into the sticker search on Instagram Stories to share family photos disguising foster kids. 

Hallmark honored all the moms who lead by example  

Mother’s Day is a big holiday for Hallmark. You could say, it’s their Hallmark. (I’ll show myself out.) It’s been a go-to for cards and gifts for generations. With this year’s Mother’s Day ad campaign, the brand honored all types of moms. Through a video and gift guide, the campaign centered on moms who lead by example and teach those around them how to “listen, laugh, apologize, forgive, and love unconditionally.” 

In the video, a mother and daughter bond over many of life’s milestones, and it ends with the daughter signing a card and presenting her mom with a gift. The video features the tagline, “Thank them for all that they are.” 

Hallmark’s gift guide highlighted 2,500 or so cards for every kind of mom—biological mothers, grandmothers, sisters, friends, pet moms, mother figures, and everyone else. The guide included gifts to encourage self-care and relaxation and practical items. 

Dick’s Sporting Goods showcased its executives championing their kids 

Dick’s Sporting Goods showcased its female executives as mothers, coaches, and cheerleaders as their kids participate in sports, like swimming, soccer, baseball, and ballet. The Mother’s Day marketing campaign is part of the retailer’s focus on “championing women,” according to AdWeek. 

The campaign included a TV commercial titled “Mother’s Day: Keep Trying.” It stars Aimee Watters, executive director of Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation, reassuring and encouraging her son who’s nervous about playing soccer. The ad also features other executive moms with their children playing sports. 

The brands who nailed Mother’s Day marketing this year acknowledged the challenges of the past year and celebrated how hardworking moms truly are—both ordinarily and during unprecedented times. 

The authentic messaging displayed in these campaigns connects with today’s increasingly mission-driven consumers, in turn growing brands’ social media followings, expanding their shopper base, and ultimately driving revenue. Make sure to bookmark this page for your future Mother’s Day inspo and you too can achieve the same results!

10 user-generated content marketing examples to inspire your brand in 2022

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If you missed the Bazaarvoice World Summit, you really missed out. From Seth Godin’s opening keynote to Debra Searle’s closing keynote, and everything in between, we packed the agenda and (virtual) house for the return of the Summit.

But, you’re in luck. While you may have missed Seth Godin, Erik Qualman, and Debra Searle’s keynotes, we’re excited to share recordings of keynotes from our executives.

Let’s dive in.

Accelerating the digital transformation — together

Keith Nealon, CEO

2020 was the year none of us expected. And even as we carry these learnings into 2021, there’s still a lot left to learn and lean into. The pandemic accelerated e-commerce by at least five years, and we’re better equipped to move forward when we do it together.

Watch Keith’s full talk here.

Where e-commerce is headed next

Apu Gupta, Head of Social Content

With e-commerce accelerating itself well into the future, you don’t want your business stuck in the past. Riding the new wave of inspiration-fueled e-commerce is the ticket to bring joy to your customers and drive revenue. After all, show and tell isn’t just for children.

Watch Apu’s full talk here.

The key to winning the customer (r)evolution

Lucas Tieleman, VP Product

The shopper’s journey went from a top to bottom funnel to a messy middle. But, a messy middle gives your brand more room to win over customers. There are two things your business can do to set itself apart.

Watch Lucas’ full talk here.

Cut through the noise and build a brand that matters

Colby Smith, General Manager, Influenster

In an era where the noise can be deafening, how do you get shoppers to listen to your brand? Building a brand that matters is the first step in fueling brand loyalty and cementing your brand’s place in consumers’ lives. 

Watch Colby’s full talk here.

Uncover your competitive advantage: Using consumer insights to crush the competition

Kate Musgrove, Managing Director, APAC

Staying ahead of the curve is the only way to get ahead of your competition. And the way to do that? Listen and learn from your customers to deliver what they want. Let your customer insights work for you.

Watch Kate’s full talk here.

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Want to be in the loop for our next event? Connect with us here. 

With the close of that chapter comes a slew of insights. Brands, retailers, and shoppers faced a year unlike any. Quick pivots both professionally and personally lead the way for new strategies, partnerships, and needs.

The brands and retailers that stepped up and found new ways to meet their customers’ needs excelled. And shoppers were vocal about what worked and didn’t.

With all these changes, we wanted to better understand what behaviors shoppers have internalized and committed to habit, and how these adjustments will change retail going forward. We surveyed over 6,000 shoppers in the United States, Mexico, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, and Australia to find out. And let’s just say… banana bread is so 2020.

Download the full report now

Read the report

But throughout the challenges that a worldwide pandemic may pose, thousands of Influensters still managed to find and cultivate love over the past year. And if there was ever a time to celebrate love — love for your partner, your community, and yourself — it’s now.

We surveyed 8,000 individuals in the Influenster community to see how they plan to celebrate with their loved ones.

Understanding your customers is the first step to building better products, stronger marketing messaging, and standing out in your market. Our Insights tools help you do just that. 

But Bazaarvoice isn’t just about providing tools – we provide partnerships. Our Client Success Directors are here to help you navigate the waters. We sat down with one of our Client Success Directors, Nancy Maidenberg, to pull back the curtain on what it’s like to be a CSD at Bazaarvoice and show how Premium Network Insights can take your business to the next level.

Currently reading: “WOLFPACK: How to Come Together, Unleash Our Power, and Change the Game” by Abby Wambach

Currently streaming: “Dare to Lead” with Brené Brown

Fun fact: Has a Master’s from a dual program at Emerson College and Tufts University School of Medicine

What’s your favorite new Bazaarvoice feature?

Our Premium Network Insights. It’s an especially exciting tool for clients who only sell through retail partners. For the first time, they have instant access to data that helps them conceptualize how their products are performing at the retail level. 

The Premium Network Insights measure each product’s overall performance and use machine learning to help you understand what customers like and dislike about your brand. You can also see how your user-generated content (UGC) program is performing compared to named competitors.

Previously, many of our clients’ sales teams had to scrape through their reviews to compile this information manually. The Premium Network Insights tool does all of that hard work for them, saving hours of productivity and stress — while helping them develop better relationships with customers and retailers.

How do you help make a client’s UGC program successful? 

Whenever I start working with a client, my first goal is to find 3-5 things we can improve on or fix right away. I love giving my clients an immediate win! 

After that, we start thinking about the bigger picture. I want to understand the client’s business so I can develop strategic recommendations to help them achieve their short- and long-term goals.

What’s a typical day like for you?

I usually start my day with a strong cup of coffee and a quick glance at my inbox. I’ll answer all the urgent emails and help put out any fires, if necessary. 

Then, I like to spend some time checking in on my clients. One of the exciting things about Premium Network Insights is that it gives us data that benefits so many departments at each client’s organization. There’s information here that can help marketing, sales, and product teams. It’s so fun forming partnerships with people I might not have had the opportunity to work with before. 

What do you love most about your job?

It’s hard to name just one thing. I love brainstorming with clients about their goals and how to achieve them. I also enjoy building relationships with my clients. I consider every client a partner. It’s my job to help them get the most out of every Bazaarvoice feature — there’s so much more to it than just ratings and reviews.

Where do you get your inspiration?

This summer, I listened to “The Michelle Obama Podcast” on Spotify. There was an episode about mentorship that really stuck with me. 

We tend to think of mentorship in the corporate sense: You meet every month with someone to talk through their challenges and help them achieve their goals. But in reality, if someone is watching you and learning from you, you’re mentoring them. You don’t have to be in a leadership role to have an impact on those around you.

What’s the best professional advice you’ve ever received?

Attitude is everything. At work, not every proposal will be accepted. Not every idea will stick. But with the right attitude, you can keep a long-term vision and not get sucked in by any negative emotions.

This advice has also helped me personally. Working from home the past few months hasn’t been easy. I have a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old. My husband is a professor who is now teaching his classes online from our living room. It’s been pretty hectic. 

But I’ve accepted that some things are beyond my control right now. With this attitude, it’s easier to roll with the punches and find the little silver linings in our current situation. For example, with all of this time at home, I’ve become a great cook. My current speciality is the caramelized shallot pasta from NYT Cooking. My 2-year-old and I will literally fight over the leftovers.

To learn more about Bazaarvoice’s Premium Network Insights, connect with us here.