The marketing tools small businesses use to attract and retain customers can make or break them. Advanced marketing tools that maximize efficiency, productivity, and ROI are instrumental. They level the playing field between large and small businesses, making up for limited resources and budgets.

That’s why we’ve identified 12 of the best marketing tools for small businesses, keeping these major factors in mind:

• Price: Affordable pricing with different tiers depending on budget
• Usability: Approachable enough for anyone to jump in and start using with speed and ease
• Use-cases: Most relevant for small businesses

Marketing tools for lean teams and small businesses

Learn about these tools and how they can fit into your small business marketing strategy in our quick guide.

Mailchimp

• Specialty: Email marketing
• Small business benefit: An affordable way to reach customers directly with personalized messages and promotions
• Top features: Email builder, templates, AI tools, analytics, A/B testing, predictive segmentation
• Price: Various plans: Free, Essentials ($13/month), Standard ($20/month), Premium ($350/month)

Email marketing is a valuable tool for small or any sized businesses. Mailchimp customers, in particular, receive impressive results with the tool, including up to 39x ROI and $1,700 earned per campaign, on average.

Mailchimp has plenty of templates and intuitive drag-and-drop email builder tools accessible to various skill levels. The platform allows you to create segmented lists of different groups of customers so you can send them personalized campaigns based on their preferences and demographics. You can also A/B test emails based on different send times, subject lines, and body content. 

Canva

• Specialty: Content design and creation
• Small business benefit: Streamlines and expedites the content creation process to lower talent costs and foster more efficient workflows
• Top features: Templates, Magic Write AI text generator, Brand Management
• Price: Free: limited access for individuals, Pro: $120/year for upgraded individual plan, Teams: $300/year per five users with additional features

Canva is a design platform that enables anyone, regardless of skill level, to create visual assets for a wide range of content types and presentations. Teams can use the tool to design anything from social media content to videos, presentations with audio and animation, entire websites, infographics, and more. 

It has robust team collaboration capabilities, including a whiteboard brainstorming feature, centralized media library and brand kit, social media content scheduler, and content approval feature. 

Some of their results for small businesses include: 

• Increasing content creation by 60% 
• Reducing external design workload by 30%
• Decreasing turnaround time by 90% 
• Reducing design costs by 50%

Bazaarvoice

• Specialty: User-generated content (UGC) marketing
• Small business benefit: A cost-effective way to maximize the reach and impact of customer feedback and advocacy
• Top features: Retail Syndication, Social Commerce, Ratings & Reviews, Sampling, Questions & Answers, Creator Marketing
• Price: See pricing page 

Bazaarvoice takes one of your brand’s most precious organic resources and turns it into rocket fuel for growth. User-generated content — any content like reviews or social media posts created by your customers and creators — is so effective because it inspires trust and confidence in shoppers, much more so than branded content.

Our Shopper Experience Index found that 78% of shoppers have more confidence in purchases after seeing customer content, and 74% trust UGC over branded content on product detail pages (PDPs). 

The Bazaarvoice platform is multifaceted, but the collection and amplification of UGC are central to each feature. Bazaarvoice collects content like product reviews and visual UGC from social media for you and distributes it across your e-commerce site and retail partner sites. UGC is great for SEO, helping you potentially triple website traffic and reduce customer acquisition costs by up to 75%. Sharing UGC across marketing channels can also increase conversion rates by up to 4x.

Compared to main competitors on G2, Bazaarvoice has been voted the #1 in UGC for 12 consecutive quarters and is the Leader in the space.

Webflow

• Specialty: Website and e-commerce site builder, content management system (CMS)
• Small business benefit: No-code, easy-to-use website builder tools to reliably run your e-commerce site and create new web pages
• Top features: Templates, SEO tools, e-commerce email automations
• Price: Standard: $30/month, Plus: $74/month, Advanced: $212/month 

Webflow’s intuitive, drag-and-drop, no-code website builder makes it easy to launch and maintain your e-commerce site. Everything is customizable according to your branding, including how you display and highlight products and layout your website pages. An added benefit is the ability to send and design branded transactional emails, including order and shipping confirmations. 

Zoho Social

• Specialty: Social media management
• Small business benefit: Easily manage, create, schedule, and measure content for all your social media channels in one place
• Top features: Scheduling and Publishing, Monitoring, Analytics, Collaboration 
• Price: Standard: $10/month, Professional: $30/month, Premium: $40/month 

Zoho Social is an intuitive, user-friendly social media management tool that anyone can learn, regardless of social media expertise. It offers integrations for all the most valuable channels for brands, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and more. It helps lean teams save time and money with its scheduling and automation features. Zoho also has helpful collaboration features, like the ability to chat with team members about campaigns and pieces of content. 

Compared to its major competitors on G2, marketers prefer Zoho Social across the board. Small business owners on G2 call out Zoho Social’s ease of use, time-saving benefits, great customer service, and batch-scheduling capabilities as top qualities.

Notion

• Specialty: Project management, database, and notetaking 
• Small business benefit: Whole team has more visibility and better collaboration and can assign and track tasks in one centralized workspace
• Top features: Wikis, Projects, Docs, Notion AI 
• Price: Free limited plan for individuals, Plus: $8 per user per month for small groups, Business: $15 per user per month for several teams within a business, Enterprise: Request a demo to run entire, large organizations

Notion is a productivity tool that has a vast amount of use cases, so you can make it work however you need it to. Businesses of all sizes use it to create and store internal documents and resources, create and track project workflows, create and maintain databases, and even use it as a customer relationship management (CRM) platform. Its responsive interface with automated functionality makes it user-friendly, customizable, and efficient. 

Notion is highly rated on G2, and the reviews by small business owners credit the tool with saving time and money.

Copy.ai

• Specialty: AI-powered content creation, lead development, and analysis
• Small business benefit: Boosts efficiency and productivity at low cost by expediting the writing process and automating processes
• Top features: AI Marketing OS, AI Sales OS, AI Chat
• Price: Various plans: Pro is best for small businesses at $36/month or Team at $186/month

Copy.ai is an AI platform built specifically for marketing. It can generate content for emails, blog posts, and social media based on your unique brand voice and tone. Its marketing capabilities include competitor analysis, optimizing content using SEO best practices and knowledge, refreshing content, and creating briefs from transcripts. It’s also a good sales tool that can integrate with your CRM to produce lead scores, personalized outreach materials, and develop lead enrichment. 

The small businesses that have implemented AI as a growth tool have experienced positive results. According to Constant Contact’s Small Business Now report on AI, 91% of small businesses say that AI helps them be more successful. Additionally, 60% report saved time and better efficiency, and 25% expect to save more than $5,000 in the next year from using AI for marketing.

Google Analytics

• Specialty: Website performance analytics
• Small business benefit: Free tool to measure and optimize website performance and gain insights on visitors and content
• Top features: Website sessions and engagement reports
• Price: Free

Google Analytics offers real-time data analysis and insights into your website’s performance. You can look at your number of organic visitors, audience demographics, top visited pages, top pages for conversions, Google Ads performance, and much more. 

Small businesses can use this valuable free marketing tool to identify top-performing pages with the most views, low bounce rates, and high times on site. Likewise, you can find the weakest pages with low views, high bounce rates, and low times on site. By analyzing both, you can see where and how to optimize your website for better results. 

You can also evaluate your traffic sources to see where to dedicate your efforts. For example, if you have low organic traffic, you should prioritize improving SEO. If you have low traffic from email or social media marketing, you can focus on driving more traffic from those channels.

Ahrefs

• Specialty: Search engine optimization (SEO)
• Small business benefit: Fast competitor analysis, easily find what customers are searching for online
• Top features: Site Explorer, Keywords Explorer, Rank Tracker 
• Price: Plans starting with Lite at $99/month (best for small businesses)

Ahrefs offers a variety of SEO tools to analyze your website’s keyword rankings, look at backlink growth, and discover the value of different search terms you could target. Likewise, you can do a deep dive on your competition to compare the same data. For example, you can find out the top search terms your competitors rank for and what pages rank for those terms.

Ahrefs can show you which keywords have low competition and significant search volume to determine which ones you should target to secure a top search results ranking. This information will inform which product pages you should optimize and how and provide ideas for new content, like blog posts and landing pages.

Wistia

• Specialty: Video creation and marketing
• Small business benefit: Leverage the impact and popularity of video marketing, save costs on expensive video services and outsourcing, collect leads directly from videos
• Top features: Video creation and editing, live event and webinar hosting, marketing CTAs, lead generation, built-in SEO
• Price: Plans starting at $19/month (best for small businesses) up to $319/month+

These days, video is one of the most powerful content formats. If you’re not leveraging video for marketing, you’re behind the 91% of companies that are.

Wistia offers a user-friendly platform that eliminates or reduces the need for small businesses to outsource expensive video marketing. In addition to being a video creation tool, Wistia offers A/B testing, analytics to measure performance, lead generation capabilities, channel distribution, and more. It provides the best quality for the price for small businesses that have lean teams that wear multiple hats.

Zapier

• Specialty: Automated workflows
• Small business benefit: Creates connected, seamless, efficient workflows that save time, enable more revenue-generating work, and ensure you don’t miss customer leads and interactions
• Top features: Zaps (automated workflow prompts), Paths (tasks performed based on assigned triggers), Schedule (recurring task scheduler)
• Price: Free (for individuals with limited features), Starter ($20 a month), Professional ($49 a month), Teams ($69 a month)

Zapier is an automated workflow tool that connects all the apps your business uses for internal and customer-facing communications. 

It saves a lot of time for small teams to get them out of the weeds of lots of small — yet important — daily tasks. It’s easy to use and requires no coding, so anyone can jump in and start using it at any time. The tool allows you to set up a trigger that performs a designated task, like adding a new Shopify customer to your Mailchimp email list for example.

SimpleTexting

• Specialty: SMS marketing
• Small business benefit: Affordable and easy-to-implement customer acquisition and retention tool
• Top features: Contact list builder, text sender, 1:1 texting, mass texting, trigger-based automated and personalized campaigns
• Price: Customized, volume-based pricing

SMS marketing is a powerful conversion-driving tool for e-commerce and retail brands. According to Attentive’s 2023 SMS Marketing Benchmarks report, SMS is a top-three revenue-driving channel for 53% of marketers. SimpleTexting is a texting service tool specifically designed for small business success.

With SimpleTexting, you can improve your customer support, promote special offers, and reduce cart abandonments with direct customer interactions. Matykos Beauty is an independent beauty brand that captures shoppers’ attention over its many competitors using SimpleTexting. By requesting customer reviews for one of its key products through SMS, Matykos Beauty boosted its search presence and brand awareness.

Your customers are your most important asset

As a small business, your time and money are especially valuable — these marketing tools are designed to save you both. Keep in mind that UGC from your customers is one of the most cost-effective ways to increase brand awareness and conversions. Whichever tools and marketing strategy you have, make sure UGC is a central focus for greater impact. 

If you’re not sure where to start, watch our on-demand masterclass: How small businesses can maximize shopper content and ROI.

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Masterclass: How small teams can drive e-commerce growth with UGC

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But this vulnerability is also what ignites innovation, resilience, and adaptability. The agile nature of small businesses allows them to shift gears faster, spot opportunities in niches, and foster a closer relationship with their customer base. The duality of vulnerability and agility characterizes the strategies of small business growth.

Small business growth strategies

To take advantage of the strengths inherent to their size and structure, small businesses need a set of growth strategies tailored to their unique needs. Let’s dive into six business ideas that have the potential to transform your challenges into stepping stones toward success. 

1. Elevate your brand with exceptional customer service

Quality products alone aren’t a guarantee of success. The experience surrounding them plays an essential role — Zendesk’s CX Trends Report shows that 70% of consumers are willing to spend more with businesses that provide fluid, personalized, and seamless customer experiences. 

Exceptional customer service establishes trust, encourages repeat purchases, and can help you turn casual shoppers into brand evangelists. For small businesses, where a personal touch and positive customer relationships often matter most, delivering stellar service can be a key differentiator.

Be proactive in helping customers solve issues, educating them about your products, and anticipating their needs and concerns. Make it easy for them to provide feedback, and regularly analyze it to make meaningful improvements to your products and the overall shopping experience. If your budget allows, adopt automation technology like chatbots for immediate responses or CRM systems to maintain a history of customer interactions. 

When the opportunity arises, exceed expectations and go the extra mile for your customers. Surprise them with gestures that showcase your appreciation, whether that’s a personalized thank you note or occasional loyalty rewards.

2. Maximize content reach with syndication tools

The internet is saturated with content. Trying to reach new customers often feels like screaming into the void, especially when working with limited resources. Enter content syndication, a strategic approach to republishing content across various platforms, magnifying its reach and potential impact.

Syndication tools are like a megaphone. They allow you to broadcast content more widely and make it work harder, capturing audiences that might otherwise be left untapped. The right tools also help safeguard your reputation, ensuring that syndicated content is authentic and compliant.

For example, Bazaarvoice’s Retail Syndication product helps businesses worldwide amplify the impact of their reviews and product images. Thanks to syndication efforts, Andi-Co’s Falcon products saw 690x reviews on retailer sites, and 81% of Samsonite’s products now have high-quality, moderated reviews across different sales channels.

3. Boost local presence with SEO optimization

For many small businesses, the local community is the primary market. Local search engine optimization (SEO) is a prime strategy to drive brand awareness and establish a foothold in that community — 77% of consumers in Germany, France, the UK, and the US turn to Google for local business information. 

It’s not just about showing up in search results but also ranking high. The top three Google search results get nearly 55% of all clicks, so landing a spot in the top results increases traffic, both online and offline.

Start by conducting local keyword research. Tools like Ahrefs and Google’s Keyword Planner help you find terms your competitors rank for or keywords relevant to your business. For example, a bakery in Berlin might focus on keywords like “best Berlin bread” or “gluten-free pastries in Berlin.” Once you identify the most relevant terms, incorporate them into your website content, meta descriptions, and titles.    

Update your Google Business Profile with accurate data about products, business hours, and contact information to show Google your business is authentic and provide a seamless experience to searchers.

Also, make sure to optimize your website for mobile. Google research reveals that “Where to buy” + “near me” mobile searches are increasing exponentially, so make sure your design is responsive, the fonts are readable, the CTA buttons easy to spot, and the navigation menu a breeze to use.  

Don’t forget to optimize your social channels for SEO, either. Social media is fast-becoming the new search engine, with younger generations using it ahead of Google to find products. You can learn more about social media SEO here.

4. Improve customer retention and acquisition with email marketing

For all the proclamations about its demise, email is one of the best strategies to drive small business growth. Email marketing continues to rise from the great beyond and help businesses expand, engage, and retain their customers. According to Statista projections, email marketing revenue is on track to surpass $13 billion in 2025.

Email is a direct line of communication to your target audience, allowing you to deliver personalized content, offers, and updates right to the inboxes of current and potential customers. And unlike digital ads, email campaigns can be executed on a shoestring budget yet yield impressive results.

The first step is building a quality email list. Create an opt-in form for your website where you provide compelling reasons for visitors to subscribe. This could be exclusive offers, discount codes, or early access to new products. The sign-up process should be straightforward, so keep form fields to a minimum.

When building your campaigns, remember that segmentation is key. Split your email list based on criteria like purchase history, website behavior (like abandoned carts), or demographic data to keep the content relevant to the recipients and improve click-through rates (CTRs.)  

Check out these top email marketing tips for a complete rundown of the strategies that lead to higher conversions.

5. Build resilience with diversified revenue streams

In the world of business, the adage “don’t put all your eggs in one basket” translates to the importance of diversifying revenue streams. Spreading your sources of income helps you mitigate risk and ensure stability. If one revenue stream underperforms or collapses, others can compensate, shielding you from economic downturns or seasonal fluctuations.

This strategy also helps you remain nimble. In a rapidly changing business environment, having multiple revenue streams allows you to pivot and adapt more easily to shifts in market demand. Some approaches to consider include:

• Product diversification and expansion. Introduce new offerings that complement your existing products. For example, a coffee shop might sell a product line consisting of branded merchandise or start hosting events
• Online/offline ventures. If you’re brick-and-mortar only, consider establishing an online presence or offering digital products, and vice-versa
• Subscription models. Offer subscription services to ensure recurring monthly revenue
• Passive income streams. Consider avenues like an affiliate marketing strategy, licensing, or investing in assets that can generate ongoing revenue.
• Strategic partnerships. Collaborate with complementary businesses to co-create products, sponsor events, or share retail space

6. Harness the authenticity of user-generated content

Authenticity is the distinguishing factor that captures consumer attention. User-generated content (UGC), which encompasses any form of content created by existing customers rather than brands, is how you build that authenticity. It provides a relatable and trusted perspective on products, crucial to driving growth — 77% of consumers are more inclined to buy from a brand that incorporates UGC into their marketing. 

A UGC strategy can be implemented at little cost, but its impact on brand trust and conversions is substantial. Sourcing content is often the most challenging part, but you can launch initiatives like branded hashtags, product sampling campaigns, and review request emails to get the ball rolling. There are also UGC creators you can partner with for faster results.

Integrate this rich UGC across various touchpoints in the customer journey to maximize its effects. Product pages come alive with real reviews, photos, and videos from customers. Incorporating UGC into email campaigns can elevate conversion rates. UGC is also be a powerful element in social commerce, lending authenticity to promotional social media content. 

The engine that powers small business growth

One of the best strategies to drive growth as a small business is to partner with the right platform. Bazaarvoice isn’t just a leader in UGC  — we’re a dedicated partner for small businesses. We understand the unique nuances, opportunities, and challenges that SMBs face. Our approach is tailored, ensuring that our expertise becomes a tangible asset in your growth journey. 

From seamless implementation to round-the-clock support, our commitment is unwavering. Request a demo today, and let’s chart a growth plan to your next level of success.

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Masterclass: How small businesses can maximize shopper content

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Chapters:

1. What is BFCM?
2. Black Friday marketing statistics
3. Best Black Friday Marketing strategies
4. Make this Black Friday marketing campaign your merriest one yet

Fall is finally here. People are starting to sip on pumpkin spice lattes, watch football, and pull out their sweaters and boots. But BFCM are literally just around the corner, and soon consumers will start their holiday shopping — if they haven’t already. But first…

What is BFCM?

BFCM means Black Friday and Cyber Monday, just in case you had to Google the acronym like I did. There’s no doubt that BFCM weekend is huge for shoppers, retailers, and brands alike. Shoppers can snag giant TVs, the hottest toys, and just about anything else on their holiday wish lists at reduced prices.

Last year, nearly 196.7 million consumers shopped in-store and online during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, and Winter holiday retail sales grew 5.3% over 2021, reaching $936.6 billion.

No doubt, consumers have started making their holiday shopping lists and planning to buy gifts, holiday decor, and the trimmings for big feasts. But, many may tighten their belts a bit this year. According to Numerator, more than half of consumers expect inflation and a possible economic slowdown to affect their holiday shopping. Two-thirds of shoppers say they plan to buy items on sale, and about half will buy fewer things or use coupons. 

Now’s the time to get your Black Friday marketing strategies in motion — it gives shoppers plenty of time to plan and purchase. 

Black Friday marketing statistics

To help you get your Black Friday marketing campaigns right, we surveyed over 1,000 U.S. consumers to learn more about their plans and expectations for this holiday season.

For example, did you know holiday shopping starts as early as July? 11% of shoppers are already starting their holiday shopping in July, and by October that’s up to 35% so you need to make sure your Black Friday campaigns start in Summer to meet this demand.

Knowing when shoppers shop is important, but so is the where. In terms of product discovery, our research revealed the preferred channels shoppers want to hear from brands to discover Black Friday deals are ads (64%) and email (46%). But social media is increasingly becoming a place of product discovery with 46% of shoppers using it — rising to 59% for millennials!

On BFCM weekend specifically, social media has even more impact. 45% of shoppers are more likely to discover a product via social media than any other channel over Black Friday and 49% of shoppers follow favorite brands on social media to discover Black Friday offers.

But social media isn’t just for discovery. A quarter of shoppers (25%) prefer to shop via social media over BFCM. The reason social media is becoming a top shopping channel, aside from convenience, is because it’s where shoppers find user-generated content (UGC), aka photos and reviews from real people.

UGC is the content that impacts sales most and it’s not just limited to social media:

• 73% of shoppers agree that reviews impact their purchasing decisions in-store over BFCM
• 74% of shoppers agree that reviews impact their purchasing decisions online over BFCM
• 59% of shoppers agree that reviews impact their purchasing decisions on social media over BFCM

Now let’s take a detailed look at what the rest of our research revealed and the strategies you can use to guide your Black Friday marketing campaign(s). 

Black Friday marketing strategies

Using our research and other industry insights, these are the top 15 strategies to follow to prepare for a successful BFCM weekend.

1. Start your Black Friday marketing early 

Consumers are already making their holiday shopping lists — and checking them twice. Many have actually started checking items off that list. 

Our research found that 11% of consumers start holiday shopping in July. By August, 13% have started and 19% are already shopping in September. 

But October is when things really get going, with over a third of shoppers already hitting the shops (or e-commerce stores). So, that’s the time to optimize your product pages for your top-selling products, but you need to keep the momentum going right up until Christmas Day.

Early shopping helps shoppers spread out their budgets (more on that later), avoid last-minute shopping stress and crowds, compare prices, look for deals, and not miss out on the most-coveted items. 

Holiday shopping peaks in November, especially between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which is when 59% of consumers start their shopping. Millennials are more likely than other generations to start holiday shopping in November. 

You should follow suit. The earlier you tease sales, the more likely you can get consumers to sign up for your newsletter, text alerts, or loyalty programs. This will help expand your base of loyal followers, who are eagerly awaiting the sale to kick off. 

Creating countdowns, hosting flash sales, and offering time-sensitive discounts and perks will inspire a sense of urgency and encourage quick purchases. For example, offer an extra 20% off during certain hours on Black Friday, early morning specials, or a one-time discount code sent by text as a Cyber Monday marketing event. 

Create a sense of FOMO (fear of missing out) by including a note on product pages showing how many shoppers just purchased the item or are looking at it. Also, tap into visual UGC to show products in use and share consumers’ social media posts about their Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping experiences, including what they bought. 

2. Consumers look to social media to discover deals 

We all know social media influences shopping habits all year, but that’s especially true for the holidays. It’s where consumers discover new brands and products and find inspiration for gifts — for themselves and others. Our survey found that social media is one of consumers’ favorite channels for discovering Bfcm deals. 

We found that social media is becoming just as important as paid channels and owned channels, like email. It’s a good time to get shared media working for you leading up to the holidays. 

Nearly 70% of consumers have been inspired to make a purchase thanks to the rise of social commerce. Shoppers enjoy buying on social media because they like how products look in a brand’s posts and brands tagging products makes it easy to click and buy.

Shoppers want the ability to buy on social platforms. Consumers, especially younger demographics, are drawn to visual user-generated content on social media. Our research shows that 53% of consumers say visual UGC on social media makes them feel more confident making a purchase. 40% say UGC makes them more likely to buy a product from an ad. 

Shoppers also want fresh, new UGC posted all the time. That’s one of the many reasons you should be constantly collecting it. 

3. Increase review volume ahead of the holidays with sampling

When shoppers are looking for the perfect holiday gift, they have so many options. 

If you want to stand out, you’ll need to pack your product pages with authentic UGC, like reviews and shopper photos. It’ll inspire consumers and help them make quicker, more informed decisions. 

For Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping, 86% of millennials feel more confident buying things when they use UGC, such as reviews, photos, and social posts, our new survey found. 71% of millennials trust shopper content more on product pages, than brand-provided content, like product descriptions and professional photos. 

Creating a review-collection strategy will help you lure these shoppers. Reviews are viewed as the most trustworthy content for helping people decide what to buy. Even just a handful of reviews can drive up conversion rates and build trust.

Increasing review volume for new products, or existing ones with few reviews, and popular holiday products—like toys, electronics, and clothing—will boost sales of these items. 

Product sampling is one of the best ways to drum up consumer reviews to use in your Black Friday marketing campaign. A sampling campaign — where product samples are provided in exchange for a review — is an effective way to increase reviews for new and well-loved products. Who doesn’t love getting freebies? And, customers will be thrilled to tell you what they think. 

When Petco rolled out a sampling program with the help of Bazaarvoice, the retailer saw a 48% increase in revenue per visit for the sampled products and a 28% conversion rate increase. They also increased review volume by a whopping 405% — and, organic search rankings and traffic surged dramatically. 

4. Display visual UGC to drive holiday purchases

Photos and videos from real consumers showing off or trying out your products resonate most with consumers. It helps them quickly decide whether an item will meet their needs — or be the perfect gift. How cozy is that sweater for your sister who’s always cold? Or, is that toy that your kid asked for so noisy that you need to buy earplugs, too? 

Almost 75% of shoppers would rather see visual UGC from real customers than professional images, according to Bazaarvoice research. More than 60% of consumers are more likely to purchase something if they can see photos and videos from others who’ve bought the same thing. 

Shoppers view visual UGC as evidence of a product’s quality and that the product description is accurate. It’s especially influential for consumers shopping for higher-value products and top holiday gifts, like jewelry and electronics, as well as beauty and apparel.

Visual UGC helps prevent shopping cart abandonment. It keeps shoppers on your website longer and makes them feel confident shopping. Our research shows that when shoppers interact with visual UGC, conversation rates grow by up to 150%. 

So, as you’re collecting reviews, encourage consumers to submit photos and videos of how they’re using your products. Another option: cull visual content that customers post on social media. 

Travel brand Samsonite wanted to showcase its suitcases and other travel merchandise in an authentic way and heighten product discovery, so it leveraged Bazaarvoice Galleries. The tool helped the brand tap into the busy summer travel season to grow its trove of visual UGC from influencers and real customers on social media, ahead of the holidays. 

Using Bazaarvoice Galleries to showcase these visuals, Samsonite discovered that customers spent 5x more time on product pages and experienced a 245% jump in conversion rates. 

5. Respond to customer questions and feedback 

Holiday shopping usually happens under a time crunch. Consumers need quick answers to their questions so they make purchases and have their gifts ready to give on the big holiday. 

A key part of your Black Friday marketing strategy should be responding to any customer questions or feedback (positive and negative) if you aren’t already. Your responsiveness will keep your relationship with existing consumers going strong and convert new shoppers into loyal customers. 

Consumers appreciate authentic interactions with brands. They feel most connected to you when they believe you understand their needs and are striving to meet them — 57% are willing to spend more with a brand when they feel such a connection.

For example, clothing brand MeUndies responds to customer questions on their product pages as well as reviews.

This helped consumers easily learn about MeUndies products and get in touch with customer service, which increased conversions and reduced customer service calls. 

6. Feature UGC across all channels 

UGC, including ratings and reviews, shouldn’t just be featured on product pages. It should be incorporated throughout your Black Friday marketing mix — display it across ad campaigns, social media, online search platforms, and in-store marketing, and basically everywhere your shoppers are. 

Instead of relying on professional photos, lifestyle brand Oliver Bonas empowers shoppers with shoppable visual and social UGC — which they feature on their homepage, product pages, social media, and in their marketing. This strategy has resulted in a 176% increase in time on site, a 188% jump in conversions, and a 26% boost in average order value.

Distributing and displaying UGC on each and every channel will help you stand out with holiday shoppers. Your shoppers are seeking it out! 

Most shoppers view UGC as more authentic and influential than traditional advertising, and UGC offers a higher conversion rate than other marketing content, as Oliver Bonas demonstrated. One reason is that it’s closely linked to social proof, the concept of making decisions based on the decisions of others. UGC is also more likely to turn one-time purchasers into loyal shoppers.

7. Use paid search and display ads for more exposure 

Brands typically invest more in marketing for Black Friday and Cyber Monday than other times of the year, and for good reason. But, shoppers can get overwhelmed with constant messages from retailers and brands.

That’s why fresh reviews and visual UGC are so important. It’ll boost your search ranking and guide customers to your products.  

To amplify your products and brand, invest in paid search and display advertising (that features UGC) ahead of the big shopping days. This tactic lets you market directly to consumers who have been searching for your products and deals, making it more likely that they’ll actually purchase. 

With customers typically spending more on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the increased advertising spend will likely pay off.  

To get ideas for your Black Friday marketing campaigns, examine shopping data from past holiday seasons and the current year so far for intel on how consumers are discovering products and what they’re buying. This will guide where and when to run ads to boost traffic. 

Launch your holiday shopping campaigns early. Remember, that consumers are already browsing for holiday merchandise in July, and by October, they’re already buying. 

8. Personalize experiences with email marketing

Directly messaging consumers with holiday-themed sales and promotions lets you connect with them one-on-one, which is a big deal. This tactic can bring an ROI of over 100%. Personalized messaging aids both customer retention and acquisition because you can reach shoppers at different points in their shopping journey. 

To make your Black Friday marketing campaigns successful, use email marketing to tease holiday sales and encourage consumers to sign up for your newsletter to get a sneak peek or special pre-sale deals, like free shipping, 20% off, or a free gift. Then, send them relevant content based on their shopping preferences, purchase history, and other factors. 

Send follow-up emails counting down to BFCM weekend and a message on the day of. Featuring UGC in your email campaigns to heighten authenticity and build a connection with shoppers. 

Once someone purchases something, send a  review request email asking them to leave a review for what they bought. These emails can increase review content by up to 9x and increase review volume by 50%, according to our research. 

9. Have an omnichannel Black Friday strategy

On BFCM, some shoppers line up outside their favorite stores before dawn. Others wake up in the wee hours to log onto their favorite e-commerce sites. This hybrid approach to holiday shopping is still a go-to for many. 

Increasingly, though, social media shopping is becoming the preferred mode for shopping and discovering products and deals. Our survey found that 25% prefer to shop on social media on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. 

We also found that 45% are more likely to discover products through social media. Almost half (49%) follow their favorite brands on social media to discover Black Friday deals. Still, 81% plan to shop in stores on Black Friday and Cyber Monday this year, and 72% will shop online, our survey showed.

These data show just how much shoppers want an omnichannel experience. So, look for ways to blend innovative in-store offerings with online and social shopping. 

To lure people into your brick-and-mortar store, offer exceptional customer experiences to keep them there longer, possibly buying more. Think about ways to engage consumers with holiday-themed pop-ups or limited-edition activities or merchandise.  

In-store shoppers may enjoy touching and feeling products before they buy. But, UGC is just as important for enticing them to head to the checkout line. We’ve found that 85% of consumers look at product reviews on their phones while shopping in stores. 

Of course, we’ve already discussed the valuable role that UGC plays in encouraging online shoppers to complete their purchases. 

Be sure to make your social media content shoppable. 70% of shoppers discover products on Facebook and Instagram, and 54% are more likely to buy something from a social platform if they can click the post and get product info there and then according to separate Bazaarvoice research. 

10. E-commerce sites have to keep up with shopper demand

Holiday shopping can be hectic. Online shoppers flocking to brand and retailer websites expect to find what they’re looking for and check out with ease. With the massive increase in traffic on BFCM weekend, you must keep up with the demand and provide top-notch experiences.

Slow websites and complicated checkout processes turn off shoppers, and they may not return. 

Over 50% of shoppers say slow retail sites frustrate them, and 90% have left a slow-loading website, according to Retail Systems Research. When a website is too sluggish, 57% of consumers start shopping with another similar retailer, and 41% turn to Amazon. Another 21% never return to the retailer with a slow site. 

Your website should also be optimized so shoppers can find it via search engines, too. Most shoppers begin their shopping journey on Google and other search engines. At that point, consumers haven’t yet settled on a brand or retailer website to shop from, so it’s an opportunity to get in front of shoppers and encourage them to visit your e-commerce site. 

11. Optimize your site for mobile 

People spend nearly five hours a day on their phones. That’s 35 hours a week!  

A lot of that time includes browsing e-commerce sites and scrolling through social media. So, mobile shopping is a highly valuable opportunity for retailers and brands. 

During Cyber Week 2022, 51% of sales were on mobile, 5% more than the year before, according to Adobe. Christmas Day broke a mobile shopping record, making up 61% of online sales. 

Along with actually browsing and buying on their phones, shoppers check their phones while shopping in-store to compare prices and read reviews. With mobile being such an important shopping tool, it’s more important than ever to streamline your mobile shopping experiences. 

Slow-to-load mobile sites are frustrating for consumers and costly for brands. When page load times increase from one second to 10 seconds, bounce rates among mobile visitors increase by 123%.

Over a third of shoppers will purchase from a retailer’s mobile site once they start shopping on their phones because the process is easy.

12. Start a customer loyalty program

BFCM is a great time to invest in lead generation. Everyone’s in the holiday spirit, feeling generous, and excited about giving and getting gifts. Set up a pop-up on your website encouraging consumers to sign up for your emails in exchange for a special holiday discount. Maybe even free shipping or a gift. 

Growing your email list will enable you to segment customers based on shopping habits and favorite products so you can engage with them on a deeper level all year long.  

The holiday shopping season (or the lead-up to it) is a great time to increase loyalty program sign-ups, too. Incentivize signing up by offering early access to new products, free upgraded shipping, and special discounts. 

People love earning rewards — 80% of shoppers have spent more money with a brand to unlock a reward. Loyalty programs create lifelong customers and generate referrals, as shoppers will tell their friends and family to try out your products and join your loyalty program. 

Retaining loyal shoppers costs much less than acquiring new ones, after all. Another plus: Loyalty programs give you access to a wealth of customer data, helping you get to know customers and offer experiences that are relevant and personalized. You can also use the programs to collect customer reviews and UGC and use the feedback to improve products and customer experiences. 

13. Stand up for your cause(s)

It’s the season of giving. While shoppers are engaging with you on BFCM weekend, let them know about your mission, the causes and charities that you support, and your plans for Giving Tuesday. Consumers are increasingly expecting brands to support causes they care about and express their same values so make sure to live your brand promise.

72% of consumers want brands to contribute to society in a positive way, and 64% want brands to use their power to help people, according to Sprout Social. Shoppers connect on a deeper level with the brands they trust. 

About half of Gen Z and millennial consumers are willing to spend more and support retailers and brands that give back to the community and donate to charity, according to an Edelman survey.

To show shoppers that causes are important to your mission, create campaigns to donate a certain percentage of sales to a charity, offer buy-one-give-one promotions, and provide discounts to essential workers. These mission-driven marketing tactics will help you stand out while building a loyal following. 

14. Leverage the busy shopping season to collect UGC

Shoppers may really ramp up their holiday shopping on BFCM weekend, but there’s plenty of procrastinators out there shopping right up until Christmas Day.

Take advantage of the increased sales during these few weeks to increase the number of reviews and UGC on your product pages. Reviews don’t just validate purchases, they drive product discovery, too. Shoppers want to see UGC. It provides them with relevant, authentic information from their peers, and it’s just fun content to engage with!

One tried-and-tested method is a customer satisfaction survey. Not only will it bring in reviews to showcase across your social channels and website, but it will also provide insights into how you can improve for next year’s Black Friday campaign. After all, leveraging customer feedback is the best way to improve products and customer experiences.

This will also ensure you have fresh review content coming in, which is beneficial no matter the season. Nearly all shoppers look at how recently a review was written to inform their purchasing decisions, our research shows.

To keep reviews fresh and relevant, switch on Bazaarvoice ReviewSource and activate the Influenster community. Shoppers are already writing about your products — you just need to harness it. We see over a million new reviews each month, in fact. They’re just sitting there, waiting for you to utilize them. 

15. Get festive in your marketing! 

It’s the merriest season, after all! Show how you’re getting into the holiday spirit by getting festive in your Black Friday marketing campaigns. It’ll grab shoppers’ attention and entice them to shop with you during the entire holiday season.

Boost the festive mood that shoppers are already in — or help the grinches out there get in the holiday spirit. Many people shop over Thanksgiving weekend to get into the holiday spirit or because it’s a family tradition. Shoppers enjoy a festive ambiance and holiday-themed activities, like visiting Santa. 

Look for ways to tap into holiday nostalgia and shoppers’ festive feelings both online and in-store. Decorate with tinsel and twinkle lights in-store and offer holiday- and brand-themed Instagrammable backdrops. Curate gift guides, set up holiday-themed playlists, or create opportunities for shoppers to donate to charity when they check out.

Make this year’s Black Friday marketing campaign your merriest one yet

The holiday shopping season is the busiest time of the year. It can be daunting, we know. But, we can help you make it a success. 

Start your Black Friday marketing strategy early — product pages should be in tip-top shape by October. Embrace social media — collect and display UGC there to heighten product discovery and make posts shoppable for easy purchasing. Inspire confidence by incorporating UGC everywhere you can — on product pages, social media, ads, and in-store. 

Want to know more ways to have the happiest of holidays for your brand? Check out our dedicated holiday headquarters page on ways to supercharge your holiday campaigns.

FEATURED RESOURCE

Strategic holiday retail timeline

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Shoppers spend several hours a day browsing digital content, and much of that time involves seeking information about what’s new in beauty and skincare. For a while now, social media has been the go-to spot to learn about the latest looks from influencers, watch video tutorials, share inspirational posts with your friends, and buy beauty products on the spot.

As a result, the health and beauty market is surging. In 2022, consumers spent $430 million on skincare, fragrance, makeup, and haircare, and that’s expected to grow to $580 million by 2027, according to McKinsey & Co.

Health and beauty trends research results

To learn more about how shoppers across generations are discovering new beauty products and choosing what to buy, we surveyed just under 2,300 members of the Influenster community. Here’s what we found. 

1. Different platforms mean more to different generations 

Social media is increasingly a destination for health and beauty trends, education, and credibility — but not just from the digitally native generations. As social media natives, Gen Z has obviously been a priority for many brands.

But our survey also revealed some important trends regarding how other generations use social media. Specifically, different generations embrace different social platforms for beauty inspiration and education. For beauty inspiration, the platform each age group uses most is:

• Gen Z: TikTok (86%)
• Millennials: Instagram (82%)
• Gen X: Instagram (75%)
• Baby boomers: YouTube (48%)

It’s hardly surprising that the short-form video crowd (Gen Z) prefer to use TikTok, but what is surprising is that boomers, traditionally the “Facebook generation,” are using YouTube.

For beauty education, Gen Z prefers TikTok (83%). Instagram is the go-to for millennials (69%) and Gen X (61%), while baby boomers opt for YouTube (57%). 

2. Everyday social media users and creators gain credibility

Social media users seeking the latest health and beauty trends on social media put more stock in the credibility of who’s sharing the information. In general, the younger generations consider dermatologists to be the most credible, while boomers and Gen X would say family and friends. However, when we ask who is the most credible on social for skincare & makeup products, all four generations chose influencers..

They give me their honest opinion

Digging a little deeper, we found that 29% of people said everyday social media users influenced them the most, more than brands (27%) and subject matter experts (26%). Social media influencers and celebrities were the least influential. 

“They give me their honest opinion” is the main reason consumers are so receptive to influencers. And, 64% want brands to partner with everyday social media users. More than a third of respondents say their trust in everyday social media users is growing. 

Nearly 40% of survey respondents would like to build a career or side hustle as a content creator. But, 41% haven’t done it yet because they “don’t know where to start.”

Influencers provide product inspiration and show items being used in real life, offering a level of authenticity that helps drive purchases. 65% of consumers have purchased a product based on an everyday social media user’s recommendation. 38% are purchasing more products based on recommendations from everyday social users now than in the past. 

3. Social shopping keeps growing

A trend we’ve noticed beyond health and beauty: consumers aren’t just using social media for information and entertainment anymore. More are engaging in social commerce — that is actually buying products directly from social platforms. Over 30% of consumers of all generations say they’re shopping for beauty products more on social media platforms than in stores these days.   

Of the shoppers who’ve purchased a beauty product on social media, TikTok is the top choice for Gen Z (39%), and Instagram is where millennials (46%) and Gen Z (41%) mostly purchase. Baby boomers (38%) choose Facebook.

This is further supported by a separate Bazaarvoice research peak, looking at what drives purchasing decisions across a number of different industries. When it came to beauty products, the vast majority of consumers said they’ve shopped on social.

With the growing interest in social commerce, brands have a unique opportunity to provide customer experiences that are memorable. When shopping on social media, consumers prefer images and content from their peers, over professional photographs and marketing copy.

Photos showing the product packaging with the product or brand’s name clearly displayed and photos showing products being used are what shoppers like seeing the most. 

4. Consumers gravitate toward the ‘cleanical’ health and beauty trend

“Cleanical” beauty, which combines clean ingredients, scientific innovation, and proven results, has been all the rage lately. Consumers (of all ages) expect beauty brands to be transparent about product ingredients and performance. It’s your job to be a credible source.

One survey respondent said, “A beauty brand can gain my loyalty by being transparent about their ingredients. Making the switch to cleaner and natural ingredients is what will continue to keep me as a loyal customer.”

Over half of Gen Z (56%), millennial (53%), and Gen X (58%) consumers, and 61% of baby boomers are aware of the “cleanical” skincare trend. And over 40% of Gen Z, millennial, and Gen X shoppers and 50% of baby boomers know which ingredients are beneficial versus harmful for your skin type. 

5. Reviews are the primary source for product research 

We already know from separate research that almost all shoppers research products before purchasing them on social media. But our Influenster survey revealed that people from all generations specifically visit a brand’s website to read reviews before buying something on social media. 

“The review includes relevant attributes based on the product (i.e., scent description for a perfume)” is the most important thing to consumers when they’re reading reviews. And, all survey respondents have purchased a product based on a recommendation from a fellow shopper that they saw online. 

Having detailed reviews is the single most important factor for consumers of all generations when researching a beauty purchase online.  

As one survey respondent noted, “A beauty brand can produce good quality, long-lasting products. These products will have good-quality ingredients, great customer reviews, good star ratings, and customer repurchases. I know I love a product when I will repurchase it many times.” 

The constant trend in health and beauty: UGC

Consumers are buying makeup, skincare, and other beauty products more than ever. Our survey revealed how social media continues to wield power over these purchasing decisions when it comes to finding inspiration, conducting research, and actually buying things.

It also shows how different generations are using social platforms, which is crucial for brands as they evolve their social strategies. But at the heart of these trends, whether it’s social shopping or ratings and reviews, is user-generated content (UGC).

Shoppers want to see authentic UGC about your brand from everyday people and content creators. Featuring this content across your social media, product pages, and beyond will inspire purchasing decisions and drive sales for your products.

Bazaarvoice has a full suite of solutions for collecting (and displaying) UGC — see which one works best for your brand here.

LEARN MORE

E-book: Driving sales in beauty, beverages, and everything in between

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Chapters:

1. What is agile marketing?
2. Benefits of agile marketing
3. Best practices for adopting agile marketing processes
4. Examples of agile marketing
5. Work with collaborative tools and vendors that support agility 

E-commerce marketers and leaders are taking cues from product teams to adopt leaner, more agile techniques for their marketing campaigns. In one report, 41% of marketers said they currently use agile tactics. 51% of marketers who don’t use agile tactics plan to start doing so, and most plan to adopt them in the next year.

If your team is looking to cut back on excess resources, be faster and more responsive, and cater your product and offerings to your target market, agile marketing is your answer. Let’s explore how agile techniques will change your marketing impact.

What is agile marketing?

Agile marketing is a dynamic approach that thrives on flexibility, adaptability, and iterative progress. Unlike traditional linear marketing tactics, agile marketing breaks down complex strategies into manageable, bite-sized tasks that are executed in short cycles.

This method values collaboration, open communication, and quick decision-making, ensuring your e-commerce team swiftly responds to changing market dynamics, customer feedback, and emerging trends. 

E-commerce leaders are leaning toward agile marketing tactics because they make it easier to streamline processes in a fast-paced market. Agile marketing fosters a culture of experimentation and continuous improvement that allows teams to refine their strategies based on real-time insights from their marketing campaigns. 

How agile marketing works

The agile marketing approach enables e-commerce teams to navigate competitive digital marketing landscapes with responsiveness and efficiency. There’s several components and characteristics of agile marketing that make this happen. 

• Task breakdown: Marketing strategies are divided into smaller tasks that can be completed within short timeframes, often referred to as sprints. These tasks are prioritized based on their importance and potential impact

• Sprints: These are short work cycles where teams focus on completing specific tasks and fostering collaboration and adaptability. Each sprint is a focused cycle, typically lasting one to four weeks. During a sprint, the team concentrates on completing just one specific project or task, aiming to deliver tangible results by the end of the cycle 

• Regular check-ins: Regular check-in meetings keep your team aligned. Each member provides updates on their progress, highlights any roadblocks, and discusses their immediate goals. Regular meetings ensure team alignment, quick adjustments, and open communication

• Iterative approach: Agile marketing encourages iterative processes. After each sprint, the team reviews the completed tasks and gathers insights from the data and feedback. Teams learn from their successes and failures, which helps inform planning for the next sprint and allows your teams to adjust their approach based on actual results

• Data-driven insights: Agile marketing relies heavily on the constant collection and analysis of data, feedback, and trends to guide decision-making. Performance metrics, customer feedback, and market trends are monitored closely to guide decision-making and optimize strategies throughout the process 

• Responsive to change: Agile marketing embraces change as a natural part of the process. It empowers teams to be proactive in addressing shifts in the market, customer behavior, and internal priorities

By embracing the components of agile marketing, e-commerce teams give themselves more opportunities to improve their products and campaigns. The iterative nature of agile marketing tactics leads to campaigns and projects that are constantly being refined, resulting in more effectiveness and better results over time.

The ability to respond promptly to market shifts ensures that e-commerce teams remain at the forefront of their industry, delivering impactful campaigns and driving business success. 92% of fully agile marketing departments say their team effectively contributes to the success of their business. This number decreases to 76% for teams that are partially agile. 

Benefits of agile marketing

Agile marketing isn’t just a buzzword — it’s a game changer. By embracing agile marketing tactics, your teams will reap several benefits that will help you make a bigger impact with your campaigns.

Adaptability to market demands

Customer demands are constantly changing, and sometimes, it feels impossible to keep up. This is where agile marketing helps. Agile marketing’s core strength lies in its adaptability. If unforeseen challenges arise, your team can quickly adjust their strategies during the next sprint rather than waiting for a major planning overhaul. 

Agile marketing creates adaptability by breaking down marketing strategies into manageable tasks that can be adjusted during sprints. When teams can adjust as needed, they’ll be able to quickly pivot their efforts in response to changing market dynamics, customer behaviors, or competitive pressures.

Plus, with your daily check-ins and regular evaluations, you ensure team members stay aligned and informed about shifts in trends or consumer preferences.

Faster delivery of marketing campaigns

Getting marketing campaigns out to the public quickly is important when demand is constantly changing and competition is high. When you can quickly launch campaigns, your e-commerce teams can seize timely opportunities and respond to current trends, capturing consumer interest when it matters most.

Agile marketing achieves faster time-to-market by emphasizing the delivery of campaigns during short sprints. E-commerce teams prioritize executing and launching core elements of a marketing campaign quickly.

This approach allows teams to gather real-time feedback and insights from initial releases, leading to refinements and enhancements in all subsequent iterations.

Increased competitive advantage

Because agile marketing promotes adaptability and speed, it helps teams adjust their campaigns accordingly to resonate better with customers. Teams that engage with their audiences and incorporate feedback into their strategies create offerings that align precisely with customer needs.

This customer-centric approach boosts customer satisfaction and loyalty, helping the business stand out from all the competition. 

Best practices for adopting agile marketing practices

Agile marketing is flexible — you can start small, and you don’t have to overhaul all your marketing processes and procedures at once. Instead, use these six best practices to get your team started with agile marketing. 

1. Identify goals and areas needing improvement 

Clarity is key to delivering successful marketing campaigns. When you start by identifying clear goals and pinpointing areas that need improvement, you’ll lay a strong foundation for agile marketing success. 

Set your goals before you begin to employ agile marketing tactics. When you need to pivot or take a new approach, you’ll always be striving to meet the same common goal. 

Knowing your goals and improvement areas helps you allocate resources effectively. Agile marketing often involves short cycles of work, and having a clear idea of priorities ensures that the entire team is investing time and effort where it matters most.

Evaluate your current marketing strategy and performance. What are your strengths? Where do you notice gaps or underperformance? Look for bottlenecks in your processes or systems. For example, if there’s a certain step or stage that the team gets caught up in and delayed, identify what you could change or adjust to make things move more quickly and efficiently. 

Next, set SMART goals — Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound — for your campaigns. Whether you want to boost website traffic, increase conversions, or engage a certain target audience, defining these goals and recognizing areas that need improvement help your team gain a clear sense of direction. Agile marketing tactics should then be tailored to directly address these goals and areas, making your efforts more focused and impactful.

2. Foster cross-departmental collaboration

Different departments within your organization — such as product, sales, and customer service — all have valuable insights to help create and deliver the most impactful campaigns. Collaborating with these teams ensures that your campaigns are aligned with the latest product updates, feature releases, and customer needs.

Ongoing regular meetings are key to an agile process. You should create a schedule for meetings, establish clear channels for communication between all teams, and regularly share updates, insights, and objectives to make sure everyone is on the same page. 

During these regular meetings, gather input from other teams, like sales and customer support. These teams interact directly with customers and provide insights into customer pain points and trends. You should also use these regular meetings as brainstorming sessions to generate innovative campaign ideas that leverage insights from different areas of the business.

3. Prioritize delivering value early (and often)

The goal of agile marketing is to launch campaigns or components quickly to provide value to your audience rather than trying to make everything perfect before you release it. 

Waiting for perfection can lead to delays, missed opportunities, and excessive resources spent on minor details. With an agile approach, you’ll prioritize launching versions of campaigns sooner and more frequently, so you can engage with your audience right away and implement feedback faster.

This approach not only prevents the waste of valuable assets but also enables you to pivot in case a campaign doesn’t resonate with your intended audience. 

The first step in delivering value early and often is identifying the essential elements of your campaign that provide value to your audience. These could be key messages, unique features, or benefits that you already know resonate with your target customers.

Then you can work on developing a minimum viable version of your campaign with these core elements. Remember, it doesn’t need to be perfect. Instead, focus on delivering the most value to your audience with your messaging, visuals, and benefits.

By delivering value early and often, you’re continuously learning from your audience’s responses. This knowledge informs your decisions, allowing you to improve your campaign for the next iteration. 

4. Perform iterative testing 

The goal of iterative testing is to refine and optimize a campaign over time. It involves distributing the campaign, analyzing the results, learning what resonates with your target market, and making incremental changes in any newer versions. Each iteration builds upon the insights gained from the previous one.

Iterative testing involves testing multiple components within a campaign — such as messaging, visuals, and user experience — and adjusting them based on feedback. Consider starting smaller rather than testing across all platforms, channels, and mediums right away. You could start by testing copy and visuals on two or three social media platforms. Once you’ve mastered iterative testing on a smaller scale, gradually expand to other platforms and channels.

The iterative cycle of agile marketing ensures that campaigns evolve quickly so you can capitalize on trends, preferences, and customer demand before you lose relevance.

5. Create a process to collect ongoing feedback 

In agile marketing, your strategies and campaigns need to evolve alongside changing market dynamics and customer preferences. Feedback is your compass, guiding you toward what works, what doesn’t, and what your customers truly want. 

Agile marketing thrives on data-driven decision-making, and feedback is the most direct source of data you can tap into. It offers invaluable insights for making informed adjustments, optimizing campaigns, and ensuring that your marketing efforts genuinely resonate.

Make sure your business owns your listings on sites like Yelp and Google so you can collect reviews and ratings. You should also collect feedback from social platforms and online forums like Reddit or Quora. 

Once you’ve established easy, convenient places for your customers to review your products, you have to encourage them to actually leave a review. You should send out post-purchase surveys after a customer makes a purchase or interacts with your brand. Ask about their experience, satisfaction level, and areas where you could improve their journey. 

You can also try incorporating rating scales in your communication touchpoints. These could be in email signatures, on your website, or in post-purchase follow-up messages. Customers can quickly rate their experience on a scale, providing you with valuable quantitative feedback.

6. Use data to implement effective changes

Using both quantitative and qualitative data empowers you to navigate the evolving e-commerce landscape with precision. It’s about transforming assumptions into certainties, intuition into strategy, and reactions into responses.

By analyzing patterns, trends, and insights, you can pinpoint exactly where your efforts are paying off and where improvements are needed. This approach provides a solid foundation for iterative testing and ensures your strategies are aligned with audience preferences and market shifts.

After you’ve collected quantitative and qualitative data — from reviews, online discussions, industry research, and more — analyze the data to identify recurring trends, patterns, and correlations. Then you can prioritize the data and insights. Rank feedback and other data points based on their impact and relevance. Focus on insights that align with your marketing goals and objectives.

For example, if you have constant feedback about your slow site speed and also notice that a high percentage of people tend to leave the site after just a few seconds, you should prioritize making your website load faster. 

Create a plan that allows your teams to constantly implement the appropriate changes based on data and insights. Remove bottlenecks like inaccessible knowledge or a lengthy approval process so your team can make improvements quickly and continuously. 

Examples of agile marketing 

Many companies have successful agile marketing stories that your team can learn from. These examples showcase how brands have harnessed agile tactics to navigate challenges, streamline processes, and ultimately elevate their market impact. 

Mozilla embraces agility for predictable growth

Mozilla, an open-source web browser, needed a way to make its marketing initiatives more impactful with less guesswork and inconsistency. It faced a common dilemma in marketing — lots of ideas and projects stuck due to the absence of effective processes and systems. To address these challenges, the team began working in an agile way, implementing lean practices similar to those used in product or engineering teams.

Mozilla’s adoption of agile marketing allowed it to overcome the unpredictability that often plagues marketing efforts. By implementing agile practices, it transformed its marketing team into a well-coordinated and adaptable force, enabling them to predictably contribute to business growth and respond effectively to changing market dynamics.

Fresh quickly pivots to UGC to build awareness 

Fresh, a natural cosmetics brand, faced a significant challenge in raising awareness and fostering engagement among its customers both online and offline. The company collaborated with Bazaarvoice to embrace agile marketing tactics that would reshape its customer engagement and enhance its impact.

Using Ratings & Reviews and Retail Syndication, Fresh created an enticing shopping experience while leveraging user-generated content. By capitalizing on the power of authentic feedback and visual content, Fresh improved its online engagement and customer satisfaction.

Fresh’s partnership with Bazaarvoice to adopt agile marketing tactics enabled it to overcome challenges and achieve substantial results. By emphasizing authentic user-generated content, agile decision-making, and strategic review syndication, Fresh redefined its marketing impact, enhanced customer engagement, and witnessed a remarkable revenue impact of $1.48 million.

Work with collaborative tools and vendors that support agility 

To truly harness the potential of agile marketing, it’s crucial to leverage collaborative tools and vendors that support this mindset. By adopting solutions like ratings and reviews and retail syndication offerings, you’ll streamline your processes, drive customer engagement, and scale your marketing efforts efficiently.

Bazaarvoice also has a team of experts who are here to be your personal champions. Our Client Success Directors partner closely with you, developing tailored strategies, sharing expertise, and ensuring your business achieves its goals.

With 24/7 global support, white-glove implementation, and managed services, we offer a holistic approach to help you fully capitalize on agile marketing’s potential.

FEATURED RESOURCE

A guide to user-generated content for lean marketing teams

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Stock images and catalog-esque product descriptions used to be the way to win over Sam’s Club members shopping online. But today they crave more inspiring, authentic content. Most notably, they crave the opinions of fellow Sam’s Club members. User-generated content (UGC), including ratings, reviews, and member questions and answers, is the prime way to connect and engage with them. 

UGC builds trust, inspires loyalty, and has a significant impact on product discoverability and purchase decisions. It’s a key conversion driver on SamsClub.com product pages, so brands that sell products on the site must focus their UGC strategies to stay highly competitive. UGC can’t be an afterthought. 

Our research shows that just one customer review on a product page can increase purchase likelihood by 10%. Plus, 88% of shoppers rely on reviews to discover and evaluate products and 89% always consult them before making a purchase. Shoppers pay attention to the quality, volume, and recency of reviews, so keeping reviews flowing and fresh will help your products stand out. 

Bazaarvoice, Sam’s Club’s preferred ratings and reviews partner, leads the industry with best-in-class UGC solutions and services. Not to mention unparalleled review content authenticity and moderation standards. Bazaarvoice offers a range of solutions to help Sam’s Club suppliers optimize their product pages with content to boost discoverability when shoppers search and drive revenue. 

What is Sam’s Club Star Reviewer sampling program?

The newest solution in this realm is Sam’s Club Star Reviewer, a turnkey sampling program developed with the aim of helping brands big and small collect more written and visual product reviews on SamsClub.com. Check out the video below to learn more about how the sampling program works: 

4 reasons every Sam’s Club supplier needs the Star Reviewer sampling program

There’s multiple benefits to uitilizing Sam’s Club Star Reviewer and these are just the top four. But they all have one thing in common: helping you stand out and drive sales on Samsclub.com.

1. Boost sales of your seasonal products 

Whether it’s Halloween costumes, patio furniture, or winter apparel, there’s often a short window to drive sales for seasonal products. Star Reviewer helps Sam’s Club suppliers get ahead of the peak sales curve. Collecting reviews before seasonal shopping begins aids consumers in making quick decisions once they’re ready to shop. Especially when the UGC includes written and visual reviews. 

About half of shoppers want more photos in the reviews they consult. Visuals offer a real-world glimpse into how a product looks or works. This lends more authenticity to the shopping experience, and persuades your customers to click add to cart.

2. Market new items and collect reviews prior to product launches

Shoppers are often very wary of purchasing new items with zero reviews. Running a pre-launch promotion using Star Reviewer helps suppliers to boost review volume quickly, in turn increasing conversions at a faster pace once these products are available on SamsClub.com.

Gathering reviews from Sam’s Club members before a product launch also provides Sam’s Club suppliers with valuable intel. You’ll gain insights into how shoppers actually use the products, and it can reveal use cases that you haven’t thought of. Is a line of clothing running too small? Would a product suit a different color better? Customer frequently leave these details in their product reviews.

Reviews also identify problems or issues with a product and inspire new product innovations. Consumers appreciate brands that listen to their feedback and actually make product improvements based on their reviews.  

3. To highlight Sam’s Club exclusives

The ability to drum up excitement for products available exclusively at Sam’s Club is key to a product’s success. And the best way to drive visibility, discoverability, and sales is by increasing a product’s review volume. Brands can see a 138% lift in conversions when shoppers engage with reviews on best-in-class Bazaarvoice sites (such as SamsClub.com!) 

Quality reviews build trust and exude authenticity. And you shouldn’t worry if reviews aren’t all positive. 71% of consumers say that negative reviews are as important as positive reviews in their purchasing decisions, according to a Bazaarvoice study. Most shoppers feel that negative reviews actually contain more details about a product’s best and worst attributes. 

4. Freshen up reviews for legacy products 

To keep tried-and-true products relevant in shoppers’ minds and keep sales up, make sure that you have a fresh crop of new reviews coming in. Star Reviewer helps identify a brand’s loyal shoppers or those who’ve purchased similar items to sample your core products and review them. 

Review recency matters to shoppers. 85% of shoppers look at when a review was written before they buy an item, a Bazaarvoice study found. Shoppers are turned off when products have no recent reviews, as they think the item isn’t popular. Many consider reviews written within the past three months to be most reliable.

Boost sales with Bazaarvoice + Sam’s Club

Increasing the number of product reviews you have, ensuring review content is authentic, and keeping reviews fresh builds trust with Sam’s Club members and will help you stand out among competing products/brands.

Ready to sign up with Star Reviewer? You can learn more on our Sam’s Club + Bazaarvoice brand invite page. Or get in touch directly below to get started.

Bazaarvoice recently met with Oliver Richard, Senior Manager of Site Merchandising Operations at Samsclub.com, to learn first-hand how brands can win at SEO, prepare for large promo events, and become best-in-class using Sam’s Club new vendor scorecard. You can watch the full on-demand conversation below.

FEATURED RESOURCE

Masterclass: Retail Talk with Sam’s Club

Watch here

Experts predict that shoppers may be cooling expenditure this year. Many expect that there could be a short, but mild, recession, and inflation and rising prices mean consumers’ dollars just don’t stretch as far as they used to.

As a small business owner, you already likely have to take a few extra steps to entice shoppers to spend on your products. And that’s before you even think about the looming recession, trying to compete with the mammoth marketing budgets of enterprise competitors, and the ever-changing social media algorithms that make it harder for your fans to find your posts.

All said, 71% of marketers admit that meeting customer expectations is more challenging now than a year ago, according to Salesforce. But don’t worry, it’s not all bad news. Far from it in fact. There’s still plenty of opportunity to stand out and win over shoppers. It just takes that little extra outside the box thinking.

Small business marketing ideas 

Reaching consumers today means providing unforgettable experiences and the right content on the right channels at the right time. 

Try these marketing ideas to supercharge your small business and watch your brand grow.

1. Leverage user-generated content 

If you’re not already working with user-generated content (UGC), put it at the top of your to-do list for 2023. UGC is any content, like reviews, images, videos, etc, created by individual users and brand fans rather than a business. Collecting this content from your communities and displaying it across social media, product pages, and beyond, inspires shopper purchase decisions right across the consumer journey.

Average order values are also 13% higher when shoppers interact with UGC, and adding in visual UGC, including shopper photos and videos, only enhances these benefits. 

Take Feelunique, Europe’s largest online beauty retailer, for example. The brand saw a 140% increase in conversion rate, a 32% lift in average order value, and a 375% higher time on site, leading to a $10 million sales lift when it started using Bazaarvoice Galleries to feature UGC. 

The best part for any small business marketing manager: UGC is free-to-inexpensive to pull off and delivers a hefty ROI. 

2. Content marketing 

E-commerce content marketing is the creation of promotional content that your business uses to inform, educate, and entertain your audience. It’s cost-effective and brings benefits, like boosting brand awareness, building trust, and increasing conversions, and establishing yourself as a thought leader.  

Content improves search engine optimization (SEO), which makes it easier for customers to find you online. Most consumers use search engines to research products, so ensure your content is SEO-optimized by writing about terms shoppers are searching for. Easy ways to get started with content marketing include:

• Start a blog about your niche
• Create stats-heavy infographics
• Publish case studies and let your customers talk for you
• Host a podcast with guest speakers

This will drive people right to your product pages, improve their time on your website, generate leads, and build brand awareness. All with little-to-no expense.

3. Sell on social media

There’s no doubt that social media inspires shoppers. 90% of shoppers purchase from brands they follow on social media. It’s where they turn to learn about the latest trends and new products. 

So, it’s crucial that you make your social media content shoppable, a practice known as social commerce. By 2025, social commerce is predicted to reach about $80 billion and account for 5% of all U.S. e-commerce, according to McKinsey.

The right social commerce platform lets you turn visual UGC into shoppable experiences.

For example, interior design company Bemz saw a whopping $1.65 million revenue increase after using Bazaarvoice Social Commerce tools — along with a 27% increase in time on site and 290% conversion rate lift.

4. Partner with other brands 

These days, all brands are in the same boat when it comes to wooing shoppers. So, why not partner up with fellow SMBs to offer consumers something extra exciting? Retail partnerships help stretch your marketing budget, while reaching new customers, broadening brand awareness, and increasing sales.  

There’s several ways to establish a partnership. You can co-sponsor events, cross-sell products, give social media shout-outs to other brands, offer discounts to each other’s email subscribers, blog swapping, and co-host webinars.

You can also team up for co-marketing campaigns, like Joybird and Sherwin-Williams did recently. The furniture and paint brands collaborated on a line of matching furniture and paint colors, which they advertised on each other’s websites.

It was win-win — the brands interacted with new shoppers, and consumers got some new unique home-decorating tips. 

5. Testimonial ads

This is hardly a groundbreaking small business marketing idea but it’s one that should definitely be part of your brand strategy it isn’t already.

Ratings and reviews are easy and cost-effective to source. Shoppers are already leaving reviews about your products or services, whether on Google, Yelp, or on social media. All you need to do is take those (hopefully positive) words and share them across your different touchpoints:

• Social channels
• In emails
• On product pages
• In-store

Testimonial advertising can even be as simple as a quick Retweet:

89% of shoppers consult reviews before making a purchase. Make their job easier and inspire purchasing decisions by displaying them everywhere your shoppers are.

6. Make short-form videos 

Video is a, if not the, top e-commerce driver. Think about all those silly TikTok videos and Instagram Reels that rack up millions of views. No reason why you can’t do that, too. 

People watch 19 hours of online video a week on average. They’re 2x more likely to share video content with their friends, and 88% have decided to buy a product or service after viewing a brand’s video.

Videos can be very cheap to produce and feature UGC (i.e., other customers using and reviewing your products), behind-the-scenes footage, tutorials for using products, live streams featuring influencers, or advocacy, like the short video we created for our Primal Kitchen case study below:

Short-form video of 60 seconds or less is consumers’ preference. About 90% of marketers are already using short-form videos and plan to increase their investment in the format, and 20% will use it for the first time in 2023. 

7. Don’t sleep on email marketing 

Sometimes email marketing feels like an ancient relic. But actually, email marketing is a cost-effective revenue driver and customer retention booster. And, the ROI potential is huge — for every $1 spent on email marketing, you’ll see a return of $36. 

Email is a fantastic tool for increasing UGC, which brings its own set of benefits. You can contact your customers directly to ask them to review an item or create a video testimonial. Featuring UGC from other shoppers in your emails heightens engagement. 

L’Oreal for example increased its open rates by 6% when it included reviews in its email subject lines. 

8. Be experiential 

Consumers are ready for new and innovative shopping experiences — 98% of consumers value experience over price. Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are some ways to do that. Several major brands, like Sephora and Ikea, have already embraced these technologies. Granted it’s not the easiest (or cheapest) technology to implement but VR glasses and AR apps are becoming increasingly affordable marketing tools, so are becoming more accessible for small businesses. 

Shoppers enjoy using the tools to shop for furniture, clothing, and makeup, and they want AR and VR in physical stores, too. Consumers also are interested in using the technology on social media to unlock rewards, shop live, and try on or test out products virtually. 

Areas of opportunity for small businesses include:

1. Use AR or VR in-store to drive traffic to digital channels
2. Foster emotional brand connections with VR storytelling
3. Incorporate AR experiences into product packaging

9. Employee advocacy

Brands are increasingly using their own employees as influencers — 68% of marketers report having an employee advocacy program on social media. And it makes sense.

As a small business you may not have a trove of employees to turn to. But even if you only have five employees, each with 100 followers on LinkedIn or Instagram, that’s another 500 pairs of eyes on your content and branding, at minimum.

It’s not just about promotion, either. According to LinkedIn research, employee content garners twice as much engagement.

10. Merge your physical and digital shelf 

E-commerce has grown by leaps and bounds over the past few years. Nowadays, commerce is everywhere. The lines between the physical and digital shelf have blurred.

Most consumers blend online and in-store shopping experiences. When they want to purchase a product online, they turn to the digital shelf for research. But they’ll still head to a store to purchase the item. Or, compare prices on their phones while shopping in the store. 30% of shoppers want brick-and-mortar stores to feature virtual displays of reviews and customer photos and offer QR codes that they can read them right there while they shop. 

Consumers seek more omnichannel experiences that close the gap between the online and offline worlds. Hosting immersive experiences with AR or VR, pop-up events, or other in-store activities will lure shoppers to your stores and encourage more sales.

11. Lean into in social responsibility 

At a time when 80% of shoppers say they have to trust the brands they buy from, investing in social responsibility will help showcase how trustworthy and authentic you are. 

Of the marketers who have socially responsible content plans, 89% plan to increase or maintain that investment in 2023. Social responsibility and transparency matter to consumers, especially younger demographics. About half of millennial and Gen Z consumers want companies to take a stance on social issues, and those stances influence their purchasing decisions. 

Think about Patagonia, the cause marketing specialists, and the amount of good press they (rightfully) received after the CEO donated the company to fight climate change.

Creating a consistent message across all channels, focusing on being more inclusive in your initiatives and offerings, and highlighting your mission and the causes you support will resonate with shoppers. And, don’t forget about incorporating UGC — it’s considered 3x more trustworthy than traditional branded content. 

12. Look into using native ads

Native advertising is a type of paid digital advertising that mimics and blends in with organic content, like social posts or videos. It’s not an in-your-face ad. Many marketers say native ads are their top ROI generators, and the native ad space is projected to grow by 12.5% this year.

A native ad is typically labeled as “sponsored” or “recommended,” and it can come in several forms, like in-feed social media ads, branded editorial content, click-to-watch video ads, recommended content, or programmatic advertising that’s automatically generated in a publisher’s ad space.

Beauty brand Fresh ran shoppable ads on Instagram during Cyber Week, offering 25% off. The ads blended in with their other content and featured images, videos, and Reels tagged with products.

The campaign generated 8x more views per link click and accounted for 32% of its Instagram and Facebook sales. 

13. Ramp up your influencer outreach 

Influencer marketing continues to be an expanding tactic for small businesses. Insider Intelligence predicted that U.S. businesses would spend $5 billion on influencer marketing in 2022 and another $6.2 billion this year. 

The reason is simply because it drives results. Consumers trust content from influencers just as much as recommendations from friends and family, and more so than traditional ads. About 60% of shoppers have purchased something based on an influencer’s recommendation.

Influencers provide informative and inspirational content that resonates with shoppers. You don’t need influencers with millions of followers, either. We’ve found that everyday social media users and nano- and micro-influencers engage audiences and generate ROI, while accommodating smaller marketing budgets.

Reach out to influencers to share authentic UGC because 53% of shoppers say images from real consumers, rather than professional photography, make them feel more confident in purchasing.

One of the best ways to find your brand’s biggest fans is via an influencer community like the Influenster App, a global community of 7 million everyday shoppers.

Cosmetics brand Rimmel used the Influenster App to get new products into the hands of targeted consumers using custom sampling boxes.

The brand has since collected over 1,200 new reviews and nearly 2,500 social media posts, which has led to a 44% sales lift for the business.

Low cost small business marketing ideas

The above ideas are no doubt highly beneficial marketing ideas for your small business (or business of any size really), but most will require you to spend at least some capital, whether that’s money or hours. Even if it’s not a lot, costs can build up.

But what about very low cost, or even free, marketing efforts, for those of you with little-to-no marketing budget? Well there’s plenty of those too.

1. Hashtag contests ask participants to post content on social media with a specific hashtag as their entry into a contest. Not only are they effective for engaging followers, but they also enable you to collect UGC for free
2. Set up a free Google My Business account so that your business will show up on Google Maps and Google Local Search
3. Boost brand credibility and drive sales by applying for business awards and displaying them on your website
4. Post on social media more — this seems obvious but brands often tend to focus only on one channel when they could be doing so much more. Build brand awareness with LinkedIn posts, drive traffic to blogs with Instagram links, jump on the latest TikTok trends, host giveaways on Facebook, to name a few
5. Incentivize current customers to become repeat buyers with a referral program that offers discounts or free gifts in exchange for bringing in new customers

Small business marketing ideas to ramp up in 2023

Today’s e-commerce landscape is one, big connected marketplace where commerce is always-on, and everywhere all at once. To win over shoppers, you’ll need a strong content supply chain packed full of authentic content that demonstrates the value of spending on your products.

That means your 2023 marketing strategy should revolve around user-generated content. Want to know the value UGC can provide your small business and the potential ROI it brings?

Find out for yourself with our UGC value calculator tool.

FEATURED RESOURCE

How lean marketing teams can get the most out of ratings and reviews

Learn more here

In recent years though, Pride has become synonymous with brands changing their logo to a rainbow logo on social media and doing little else. But it should be so much more than that.

B:You

We recently established a number of employee-led resource groups (ERGs) at Bazaarvoice because diversity, equity, & inclusion (DEI) isn’t just something we stick on our website, it’s woven through who we are as people, and as a business. Our ERGs are there so all employees, whether part of a community or an ally, can feel welcome, supported, and involved. 

“DE&I initiatives at Bazaarvoice run throughout how we operate as a business and have improved everything from morale and camaraderie to business policies and employee retention.”

Keith Nealon, Bazaarvoice CEO

With that, I’m proud (pun intended) to introduce our ERG for the LGBTQ+ community — B:You! B:You was established to foster a diverse, inclusive workplace, and promote an understanding of the unique issues facing the LGBTQ+ community. The group is open to everyone interested at Bazaarvoice, including LGBTQ+ identifying colleagues, allies to the community, and anyone interested in learning more!

This year’s Pride Month was the first since B:You was established so we had to make sure it was extra meaningful, and extra exciting. We reached out to other ERGs, both community members and allies, for ideas, events, and resources (listed below). We thought up engaging events, as well as the following weekly communications model to celebrate and acknowledge the history and culture of those that represent Pride to our ERG members:

1. LGBTQ+ history
2. LGBTQ+ arts
3. LGBTQ+ icons
4. LGBTQ+ activism
5. LGBTQ+ culture

How did Bazaarvoice celebrate Pride?

We based each week on a different contribution the LGBTQ+ community has made to society, and provided resources to read, watch, and listen to. Not to mention special events like drag bingo and a talk on why pronouns matter!

Week 1: LGBTQ+ history

The LGBTQ+ community has an inspiring, and sometimes heartbreaking, history. While many countries provide equal rights today, it wasn’t always the case. The Stonewall Riots in New York City, the Gay Liberation Front in the UK, civil rights marches around the globe — it’s taken years of fighting and dedication to get where we are today. So for week one we wanted to honor that!

B:You’s chosen resources for the week:

1. READ:
   • Giovanni’s Room, by James Baldwin
   • Famous LQBTQ+ Quotes
   • The Queens’ English, by Chloe O. Davis
2. WATCH:
   • American Experience: Stonewall Uprising on PBS
   • The Danish Girl (Netflix or Prime Video)
   • A Secret Love (Netflix)
3. LISTEN:
   • Let’s take it back a few decades: Disco Forever playlist
   • Harvey Milk – The Hope Speech (1978)
   • Angela Eagle LGBT speech – “We aren’t getting back in the closet”

Week 2: LGBTQ+ arts

I think it goes without saying that the LGBTQ+ communities contribution to the arts has been huge, to say the least. It always has been, and likely always will be. Music, film, TV, radio, literature, you name it. They’ve all been dominated by the LGBTQ+ community over the years.

B:You’s chosen resources for the week:

1. READ:
   • The Naked Civil Servant, by Quentin Crisp
   • Broken Horses: A Memoir, by Brandi Carlile
   • Gay Rebel of the Harlem Renaissance, by Richard Bruce Nugent
2. WATCH:
   • Paris is Burning (Watch the Trailer) (Full documentary streaming on Netflix and Apple TV)
   • Love, Victor (Hulu)
   • Heartstopper (Netflix)
3. LISTEN:
   • B:You’s Pride Month Spotify Playlist 

Week 3: LGBTQ+ icons

We’ve all heard phrases like, “Omg he’s such an icon,” or, “She is just so iconic.” But what does this actually mean? A gay icon is someone who is recognized as a cultural icon by members of the LGBTQ+ community, though they don’t have to be a member of the community themselves. Think of Judy Garland, Princess Diana, and Lady Gaga as prime examples!

The icons of the LGBTQ+ movement have spanned a variety of backgrounds, geographies, and identities. Whether it’s a politician who paved the way for LGBTQ+ rights or one of the biggest pop stars in the world advocating for the community, an icon can represent many facets of the community.

Being an icon isn’t exclusive to the arts either, and includes athletes and even fictional characters (Xena: Warrior Princess, anyone?).

B:You’s chosen resources for the week:

1. READ:
   • Alan Turing: The Engima, by A. Hodges
   • Angels in America, by Tony Kushner
   • Black. Queer. Southern. Women.: An Oral History, by e. Patrick Johnson
2. WATCH:
   • The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson (Netflix)
   • Love Me Like You Should: The Brave and Bold Sylvester (Youtube documentary)
   • MILK (Amazon Prime)
3. LISTEN:
   • Lady Gaga Stonewall speech (starts at minute 1:12)
   • Jimmy Sommerville, Smalltown Boy
   • Making Gay History (podcast)

Week 4: LGBTQ+ activism

While we’ve acknowledged the history and contributions of the LGBTQ+ community, we’re very aware the fight is far from over. Even as rights have improved for some members of the community, there’s still existing legislation that’s harmful to other members of the LGBTQ+ community within the USA and many other countries around the world.

We still have a long way to go, and it’s important for our community and our allies to recognize the ways in which we have fought historically to gain equal protection, and what we can continue to do for members of the community.

The future isn’t fixed and progress isn’t guaranteed — the overturning of Roe vs Wade has highlighted that. It’s devastating news for women, and also possibly opens the door for a revert of LGBTQ+ rights. Week four was to highlight that the fight continues, and how we can continue to be good allies.

B:You’s chosen resources for the week:

1. READ:
   • The Book of Pride: LGBTQ Heroes Who Changed the World, by Mason Funk
   • Queer (In)Justice: The Criminalization of LGBT People in the United States, by Joey L. Mogul
   • The Guide to Being a Straight Ally (PDF) or The Guide to Being an Ally to Transgender and Non-binary Youth (PDF)
2. WATCH:
   • Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen (Documentary, Netflix)
   • Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness: Can we Say Bye-Bye to Binary? (Netflix Series) P.s. check out the podcast series too!
   • ALOK: The Urgent Need for Compassion | The Man Enough Podcast
3. LISTEN:
   • Angela Eagle LGBT speech: “We aren’t getting back in the closet”
   • Queer AF (podcast)

Week 5: LGBTQ+ culture

Last but certainly not least — LGBTQ+ culture! We wanted to end on a fun note, but also highlight that queer culture is more than asking, “scene or not scene?” Culture is different to different members of the communities — there’s subcultures within the overarching rainbow of the community and it’s always evolving!

So we wanted to highlight what makes LGBTQ+ culture so special, through the programs, stories, podcasts, and topical stories that make our culture so unique. The more we see members of our community shine, the more that our subculture will continue to be embraced and championed by community members and allies alike. Go us!

B:You’s chosen resources for the week:

1. READ:
   • Queer Love in Color, by Jamal Jordan
   • Drag: The Complete Story (A Look at the History and Culture of Drag), by Simon Doonan
   • What does it mean to be camp? BBC News article
2. WATCH:
   • RuPaul’s Drag Race (Netflix and Hulu)
   • The Birdcage (Hulu, HBO Max, YouTube, Apple TV)
   • Eurovision 2022 (On-demand videos from this year’s contest)
3. LISTEN:
   • Do I sound Gay? (Documentary found on Amazon Prime, AMC+, iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, YouTube, and Google Play)
   • LGBTQ&A Podcast: The Most Interesting People in the World are Queer (Apple Podcasts)
   • Keeping it Queer, with Navin Noronha and Farhad Karkaria (Apple Podcasts)

What’s next?

• Pride London and Pride Austin
• Fundraising opportunities
• A presentation on LGBTQ+ history
• Exploring volunteering opportunities in our communities
• Providing our ERG members with mentoring and development opportunities

B:You will continue to encourage acceptance, foster a safe work environment, raise awareness of issues affecting our community, and provide counseling and support for our members. While having fun along the way! And Bazaarvoice will continue our commitment to championing DE&I initiatives through our ERGs, and beyond.

Check out our dedicated DE&I webpage to learn about the rest of our ERGs!

Do you want to join a company that not only champions diversity, but believes success is dependent on it? Be your authentic self at Bazaarvoice. See job openings here.